ELMHURST COLLEGE NAMES HENRY STANFORD OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR FOR BLUEJAY FOOTBALL TEAM

ELMHURST, Ill. June 9, 2004 -- Henry Stanford has been named offensive coordinator for the Elmhurst College football team. Stanford, who most recently served as an assistant coach at Tiffin (Ohio) University, takes over for Tim Lester, who became the head coach at NCAA Division II St. Joseph's College earlier this year.

"We're very excited to have Henry Stanford on board with our coaching staff," said Elmhurst's first-year Head Football Coach Tom Journell. "Henry's a perfect fit for Elmhurst College; he shares my vision of our players being great people, great students and great players. Students are at the center of Henry's philosophy. Our players were very excited about the announcement. They knew how important this decision was for the further development of this program toward a College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) championship."

Stanford spent three seasons at Tiffin serving as an assistant football coach from 1999-2000 and rejoining the team before the 2003 season. At Tiffin, he was charged with coaching the running backs and the kick-off return game while also assisting with the team's strength and conditioning program. He coached four all-conference players at Tiffin, three of them during the 2003 season.

Sandwiched in between his two stints at Tiffin, Stanford spent a season at Division III Kenyon College (2002) and two seasons at Otterbein College (2000-01). While at Kenyon, he helped guide linebacker Casey McConnell to All-American honors from D3Football.com, while coaching the team's linebackers and serving as an assistant to the defensive coordinator. While at Otterbein, he mentored two all-conference players while coaching the running backs in 2000 and the defensive line in 2001.

An all-area tight end at Muskegon (Mich.) High School, Stanford's college playing days were cut short before he was ever able to take the field. A knee injury forced him to the sidelines at the Ohio State University where he gained valuable experience by serving as a student assistant coach working with the running backs. While at Ohio State, Stanford assisted Tim Spencer, who now serves as the running backs coach of the Chicago Bears. There he helped coach four Buckeyes to all-Big Ten honors. In his four years as a student assistant coach, the Buckeyes won a pair of Big Ten title (1996 and 1998) while also winning the Rose Bowl (1997) and the Nokia Sugar Bowl (1999).

Stanford earned a bachelor of arts in psychology from the Ohio State University and a master of business administration degree from Tiffin University.

Stanford joins a Bluejay team that's coming off its most successful season in 16 years. The Bluejays finished the 2003 season with a 6-4 overall record. In the four games the Bluejays lost, Elmhurst was outscored by an average of fewer than seven points. Elmhurst returns eight starters on offense and six starters on defense from last season's 6-4 team that shattered multiple school records.

"I'm confident Henry will be very successful as our offensive coordinator," said Journell. "He has brilliant ideas that will attack defenses. He has studied the (NFL coaches') Bill Walsh and Brian Billick approach to game planning. He will put defenses in binds with his analytical abilities."