Quincy Reporter

Quincy University issued the following announcement on Aug. 6

A little over a month after Quincy University announced that it would be adding sprint football to its varsity athletic programs, the Hawks have found the first head coach to guide the newest team on campus. Conner McLaughlin, a Quincy native and former Unity High School head football coach, will lead QU's sprint football team into their inaugural season in 2022. 

"We are pleased to welcome Conner back to Quincy as the founding head coach of QU sprint football," said Brian McGee, Ph.D., QU president. "He is perfectly positioned to establish this distinctive approach to collegiate football, which will be available for the first time in Illinois and Missouri. Coach McLaughlin will lead our work to create new opportunities for exceptional young men, who will be a wonderful match for QU and our Success by Design program."

McLaughlin is a Quincy Notre Dame graduate ('10) and played two years of college football at Westminster College. He then returned home to Quincy University to complete his education while also walking onto the golf team. McLaughlin helped coach the QND Raiders from 2012-2016 where he instructed the linebackers and running backs while also coordinating the team's video efforts. 

In 2016, McLaughlin became the defensive coordinator at Highland High School. He was hired as the head football coach at Unity High School the following year in 2017. While at Unity, McLaughlin amassed a 15-19 record and made the IHSA 2A State Playoffs in 2019 while having one of the most efficient offenses in school history. Under McLaughlin's direction that year, Unity averaged 32 points per game, 308 yards per game, and had the school's second-ever 2,000 yard passer. 

In 2020, UHS had one of the area's best defenses going ten consecutive quarters without allowing a touchdown as they also held opposing teams to 180 yards per game. One of McLaughlin's greatest accomplishments while at Unity was raising the football team's GPA from a 2.15 to a 3.1 on a 4.0 scale. He also helped 38 seniors graduate and move on to either the workforce, college, or the military.

"I believe Coach McLaughlin will do great things with our sprint football program. Conner's connection to our tri-state area football coaches will jump start our recruiting efforts. I look forward to cultivating and growing our sprint football brand," said athletic director Josh Rabe. 

The sprint football team will begin recruiting immediately for their first fall campaign in 2022 and will host contests at historic QU Stadium.

Q&A With Conner McLaughlin

– What drew you to Quincy University and what excites you the most about getting the opportunity to start sprint football in the Tri-State area?

"Growing up in Quincy, graduating from Quincy University, and having the opportunity to be a part of the new vision of the Athletic Department has drawn me to this opportunity. Being an area kid, growing up playing football at a smaller size, I would have loved to have this type of option when I looked toward playing college football, and that is something I am honored to now offer for our local Tri-State athletes as well as fans."

– For those who aren't quite sure what sprint football is, how do you plan to gain awareness among the community for the sport?

"The first thing we will do as a program is travel to all of our area schools and speak to local coaches and players to explain to them what sprint football is and what our program and the university can offer the athletes. After we achieve that, sharing and advertising sprint football on every possible platform we can in hopes to expand the growing knowledge of sprint football. 

– Building a program from the ground up can be a challenging process, but what do you want Hawk fans to know about your vision for this program?

"Anytime a program is going through a change, there will be challenges that take time to overcome. With that being said, our Sprint Football program will be built on four core values: commitment, effort, attitude, and trust.  Each of these values will be sprinkled in EVERYTHING we do daily. We will be a program that takes pride in our university and community with hard work, dedication, and a commitment to success. Our goal is to win each day in every task presented to us, but we have to win the right way."

Original source can be found here.