FOOTBALL: JUSTICE NAMED NEW HEAD COACH

SOUTHERN WEST VIRGINIA NATIVE & FORMER WVU MOUNTAINEER TAKES HELM AT CONCORD

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Concord didn't have to look very far or very long to find its next Football coach.

CU's Department of Athletics is pleased to announce that Garin Justice is the Mountain Lions' new Head Coach.

Justice, the 18th Head Coach in Concord history, takes over for Mike Kellar, who earlier this week accepted a position at California University of Pennsylvania after two years in Athens.

Justice, a native of Gilbert, WV, was one of the first assistants Kellar brought with him to Concord.  As the Mountain Lions' Offensive Line Coach and Strength & Conditioning Coordinator, Justice played a prominent role in engineering the program's stunning turnaround.
Concord finished 0-11 in 2008. In 2009, Justice's first year on the CU staff, the Mountain Lions went 6-5. Last fall, Concord was 8-3 – the first eight-win season in 19 years.

“It's an honor and a privilege to be named head coach,” Justice said following his hiring Friday afternoon. “I have a great sense of pride to be able to coach at the university my mother and brother attended. I'm thrilled and excited for the opportunity. Now the real work begins.”

Justice's work at Concord has already paid dividends.
Concord's average points per game went ballooned from 11.2 in 2008 to 33.2 in 2009, then rose to 36.4 in 2010.

CU's rushing yards per game improved from 79.8 to 227.0 in '09. Yards per carry jumped from 2.6 to 5.6.
The Mountain Lions' passing rocketed from 106.1 yards per game to 234.0 in 2009, and went up to 303.0 this past fall.
In total offensive yards per game, Concord went from 185.9 to 461.0, then to 498.2 in 2010 – the 4th-best in the nation.

As Strength & Conditioning Coordinator, Justice supervised a demanding training program that earned accolades as the Mountain Lions climbed to the ranks of contender in the rugged West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.

Concord Director of Athletics Kevin Garrett the university had hoped to hire from its own ranks. “Staying within our staff was very important to us, in terms of continuity and going forward with what we already have in place,” Garrett noted. “We already have a very good staff, and our players know our offensive and defensive philosophies will stay the same.
“Garin has a plan in place that will build on the accomplishments of the last two years and take the program to the next level.”

Justice rose to prominence in his home state as three-year starting offensive tackle at West Virginia University. He was captain of the 2005 Mountaineer team which went 11-1, defeated Georgia in the

Sugar Bowl and ended the season with a top-five national ranking.
That season, Justice earned All-Big East honors and was a Sporting News 2nd-Team All-American.
He was also the Big East Football Scholar-Athlete of the Year.

Justice began his coaching career in 2006 as a Graduate Assistant at WVU and helped the Mountaineers' Dan Mozes win the Rimington Award as the nation's best center.

From there, Justice went to Florida State for two seasons as the Seminoles' Offensive Graduate Assistant, Offensive Videographer, and Weight Room Graduate Assistant. Justice helped develop four freshmen All-Americans and two All-ACC performers.

“Garin's pedigree in college football is fantastic,” Garrett said. “He played at West Virginia for Rich Rodriguez and Rick Trickett. He worked for Bobby Bowden, Jimbo Fisher and Trickett at Florida State. He had a chance to learn from some outstanding coaches and he's done great work here.”

As Head Coach, Justice, 28, says he has no plans to overhaul the CU program.
“As of now, I don't see any changes,” he said Friday. “I've talked with all the other coaches, and if there are going to be any changes in the staff, it's up to them. On the field, we're not going to do anything different that's going to be visible to the fans. We're excited to get started.”

Garrett says Justice's roots– he grew up in Mingo County, roughly 80 miles away from the Concord campus – and his connection to the university are significant to the Mountain Lion community.
“A young man who grew up in southern West Virginia, coaching in southern West Virginia, means a lot to everyone here,” said Garrett. “Garin Justice and Concord Football have a bright future. A Mountaineer is coming home.”

Justice's hiring Friday capped a whirlwind week for the Gilbert native. On top of that, Justice and the rest of the Concord staff is set to leave for Dallas, TX Saturday, for the American Football Coaches Association's annual convention.

Next week also marks the NCAA's annual convention, in San Antonio, TX.

Justice will be formally introduced as head coach at a press conference in the Carter Center at 11:00 am on Monday, January 17.

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