There were handshakes aplenty in the Elkhorn Room of the Kantner Student Center Tuesday morning for a familiar face who has accepted a new role.
Former Wayne State offensive coordinator John McMenamin was named the new coach of the Wayne State football team, replacing Dan McLaughlin, who retired last month after 15 years as the Wildcats’ mentor.
McMenamin, who returns to Wayne after serving as offensive coordinator at Central Missouri University, served as McLaughlin’s offensive coordinator from 2011-14 and built an offense that was ranked among the best in the country before leaving for Warrensburg, Mo.
McMenamin said it didn’t take long to see where Wayne State was going when he made a return trip before the Thanksgiving holiday when he first began discussions with athletic director Mike Powicki and Wayne State’s President, Dr. Marysz Rames.
“After we lost in the second round of the playoffs, that Sunday when we got home I told my wife ‘Let’s make a trip up there,’” he said. “It’s only been five years (since he left), but it’s amazing how much has changed (on campus) and it’s all going the right way.”
In introducing McMenamin, Powicki said the college needed to move quickly to find a replacement for McLaughlin, as the change was coming in the middle of the heart of the recruiting season for football.
“Dr. Rames and I were on the phone constantly over the Thanksgiving break, and she was on the phone with other people to get this moving,” he said.
Finding someone who shares Dr. Rames and Powicki’s vision was important, and McMenamin “checked all the boxes,” Powicki said.
“We wanted someone who shares the vision Dr. Rames and I have, not only for the (football) program but for the athletic department and the institution as a whole,” Powicki said. “We want to build a consistent winner that can not only compete in the NSIC, but compete for NSIC championships and an NCAA playoff berth.”
“We also need an individual who is committed to creating a positive student-athlete experience for our players, who is dedicated to the academic success of our athletes and can also be a mentor to these young men,” Powicki added. “(McMenamin) is a person of high character, has a connection to Div. II as a coach and an athlete and has close ties here in Nebraska.”
McMenamin brings championship-caliber experience back to the Wildcat program. A 2002 graduate of Northwest Missouri State, he played for national championship teams in 1998 and 1999 under legendary coach Mel Tjeerdsma before beginning his coaching career as an assistant at Omaha Central High School and as a graduate assistant at the now-defunct University of Nebraska-Omaha program.
From there, he was an offensive coordinator at Midland University for two years before being hired by McLaughlin and serving for four years as the Wayne State offensive coordinator. Wayne State was ranked in the top 25 in NCAA Div. II in seven different offensive categories during McMenamin’s final season with the Wildcats.
At Central Missouri, the Mules had the top-ranked offense in NCAA Div. II this season, averaging 547.5 yards per game. They were second in passing offense (346.2) and sixth in scoring offense (44.8 points per game) while going 11-2 this season and reaching the NCAA Div. II quarterfinals.
McMenamin said the system he intends to bring to Wayne can be described in three words:
“Fast, physical and relentless. Period and amen,” he said. “My daughter is a wrestling junkie and I’m a Ric Flair fan, and we want that style ingrained here. When you plan and operate that way, there’s no fear and you keep coming and keep working at it.”
McMenamin said he is inheriting a good program that was built by McLaughlin, who was 79-88 overall and finished the 2019 season with a 4-7 record.
McMenamin said he is looking forward to starting work with the returning players a month from now when second semester starts.
“We can’t be afraid to say it and we want to speak it into experience,” he said. “We want to win championships and we expect to win, and we’re going to get there. A lot of things have to happen to get to that point, and we need to have attainable goals to keep climbing and get to that. It won’t happen overnight, but it will happen and we’re going to do it the right way.”
