Tim Lester (American football coach)

Tim Lester
Iowa Hawkeyes
TitleOffensive coordinator
Personal information
Born (1977-02-08) February 8, 1977
Wheaton, Illinois, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Listed weight208 lb (94 kg)
Career information
PositionQuarterback (No. 13)
High schoolWheaton Warrenville South
CollegeWestern Michigan (1996–1999)
NFL draft2000: undrafted
Career history
Playing
* Offseason or practice squad member only
Coaching
Awards and highlights
Head coaching record
Postseason2–3 (.400) (NCAA D-III playoffs/bowl games)
CareerNCAA: 67–55 (.549)

Timothy Frederick Lester (born February 8, 1977) is an American football coach who is the offensive coordinator at the University of Iowa football. He was previously on the Green Bay Packers coaching staff. Prior to that, Lester was the head football coach at Western Michigan University from 2017 to 2022. He played quarterback at Western Michigan from 1996 to 1999 and professionally for the Chicago Enforcers of the XFL in 2001. He then served as the head football coach at Saint Joseph's College in 2004 and at Elmhurst College from 2008 to 2012.

Early life

Lester attended Wheaton Warrenville South High School in Wheaton, Illinois.[1] As a senior, Lester threw for 1,732 yards and 17 touchdowns (TDs) with two interceptions before succumbing to a knee injury in the playoffs. He was subsequently named second-team all-state by the Chicago Tribune.[2] In two years as a starting quarterback, he completed 60 percent of his passes for 3,632 yards and 38 TDs with six interceptions. Prior to his injury, Lester had been considered a blue chip prospect and planned on committing to Florida and head coach Steve Spurrier.[3][4]

College career

Lester threw for 11,299 passing yards with 87 TDs during his career, setting 17 school records after being recruited to WMU and winning MAC Freshman of the Year under head coach Al Molde and subsequently Gary Darnell and offensive coordinator Bill Cubit. Lester finished his career ranked fourth all time in NCAA Division I for passing yards and sixth in touchdowns.

Following his senior season, Lester participated in the 1999 Blue-Gray Classic.[5]

In 2011, Lester was named to the Western Michigan University Athletic Hall of Fame.[6]

Professional career

Although Lester was scouted by several professional teams in college, he went undrafted in the 2000 NFL draft.

Chicago Enforcers

On October 28, 2000, Lester was drafted by the Chicago Enforcers in the sixth round of the 2001 XFL Draft, 41st overall.[7] He won the starting quarterback job over Kevin McDougal and Paul Failla.[8] In Week 1 against the Orlando Rage, Lester completed 12 of 20 passes for 134 yards, three touchdowns, and two interceptions in a 33–29 loss. The following week against the eventual XFL champions, the Los Angeles Xtreme, he went 11 of 19 for 220 yards with two touchdowns in a 39–32 double-overtime loss. Lester and the Enforcers' offense struggled over the next two weeks against Birmingham and New York/New Jersey, scoring a combined three points in the losses, and he was ultimately benched during the fourth game of that stretch.[9] He appeared in four games, completing 40 of 76 passes for 554 yards with four touchdowns and five interceptions, as the Enforcers lost all four of his starts.

Nashville Kats

At the conclusion of the XFL season, Lester signed with the Nashville Kats of the Arena Football League (AFL) on April 25, 2001, but did not appear in a game or record any statistics during his tenure with the team.[10]

Memphis Xplorers

On May 15, 2001, Lester signed with the Memphis Xplorers of af2.[11][12] He made his first appearance with the team against the Bossier City Battle Wings.[13] During the 2001 season, he played in 10 games, completing 170 of 322 passes for 1,961 yards with 37 touchdowns and nine interceptions.

Following the season, Lester signed with the Carolina Cobras on November 29, 2001, but was later granted his release on March 13, 2002, amid a competitive quarterback situation and his desire to continue playing.[14] He subsequently re-signed with the Xplorers and returned as the team’s starting quarterback.[15] In the 2002 season, Lester completed 315 of 538 passes for 3,817 yards with 65 touchdowns and 27 interceptions, while also rushing for seven touchdowns.

Coaching career

Immediately following his playing career at WMU, Lester returned to his alma mater Wheaton Warrenville South high school as a math teacher. He also served as offensive coordinator for the varsity football team for one season. He continued to hold that job while playing for the XFL, effectively playing as a semi-professional.

Lester then spent one season as the head coach of NCAA Division II Saint Joseph's College in 2004. Following the season he was named the 2004 Independent Football Alliance (IFA) Coach of the Year.

Lester returned to WMU to serve as quarterbacks coach from 2005 to 2006. The move reunited him with new Broncos head coach Bill Cubit. The two had previous success with Lester as quarterback and Cubit as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach from 1997 to 1999. Lester was instrumental in recruiting quarterback Tim Hiller, an All-MAC performer that surpassed several of Lester's previous school passing records. Lester voluntarily left his position following the 2006 season in order to find employment closer to his family in the Chicago area.[16] He found that at NCAA Division III North Central College, where he served as defensive coordinator for the 2007 season.

Elmhurst

In 2008, Lester was named the head coach of the Division III Elmhurst College Bluejays. In 2012 Lester was named the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) Coach of the Year after leading the Bluejays to their first NCAA Playoff appearance in school history. The conference championship was the first for the football program since 1980. The 2012, the Bluejays featured running back Scottie Williams, the Gagliardi Trophy award winner as the most outstanding player in Division III.

Syracuse

In 2013, Lester resigned from Elmhurst to accept an offer to be the quarterbacks coach and recruiting coordinator at Syracuse.[17] The move reunited him with Orange head coach Scott Shafer and offensive coordinator George McDonald, all of whom had previously served on the same Western Michigan staff from 2005 to 2006. On October 6, 2014, McDonald was demoted from offensive coordinator to wide receivers coach by Shafer. Lester was promoted from quarterbacks coach to offensive coordinator and play caller.[18] He was let go after new athletics director Mark Coyle fired head coach Scott Shafer.[19][20]

Purdue

On December 28, 2015, Purdue hired Lester to become its quarterbacks coach.[21] Lester coached David Blough,[22] and Purdue averaged 294.9 passing yards a game, ranking 21st in the country. He was not retained by incoming head coach Jeff Brohm.[23][24]

Western Michigan

On January 13, 2017, Lester was hired as head coach at Western Michigan.[23][25] Lester's base contract pays him $800,000 per year.[26] Western Michigan fired Lester following the 2022 season, in which the team finished 5–7.[27][28] In six seasons, Lester's teams compiled a 37–32 record.[29]

Green Bay Packers

On March 10, 2023, Lester was hired by the Green Bay Packers as their senior analyst.[30] Lester and Packers head coach Matt LaFleur had been teammates at Western Michigan in 1998 and 1999.[31]

Iowa

On January 31, 2024, Lester was hired as offensive coordinator by Iowa.[32]

Career statistics

Professional

XFL

Year Team Games Passing Rushing
GPGS RecordCmpAttPctYdsY/ATDIntRtgAttYdsAvgTD
2001CHI 440–4407751.95817.54567.112342.81
Career44 0–4407751.95817.54567.112342.81

AF2

Year Team Games Passing Rushing
GPGS RecordCmpAttPctYdsY/ATDIntRtgAttYdsAvgTD
2001MEM 1092–717032252.81,9616.137988.5630.51
2002MEM 16165–1131553858.63,8177.1652690.529130.47
Career26257–1848586056.45,7786.71023589.935160.58

Sources:[33][34][35][36]

College

Season Team Games Passing Rushing
GPGSRecordCmpAttPctYdsY/ATDIntRtgAttYdsAvgTD
1995Western Michigan 00—Redshirted Redshirt
1996Western Michigan 11112–920336355.92,1896.0149114.359–30–0.52
1997Western Michigan 1096–315426857.52,1608.11711137.956–102–1.80
1998Western Michigan 11117–423640658.13,3118.22216136.670–49–0.71
1999Western Michigan 12127–528247060.03,6397.73413143.4551542.81
Career444322–218751,50758.111,2997.58749133.6240–27–0.14

Sources:[37][38]

Head coaching record

Year Team Overall ConferenceStanding Bowl/playoffs
Saint Joseph's Pumas (NCAA Division II independent) (2004)
2004 Saint Joseph's 7–4
Saint Joseph's: 7–4[39]
Elmhurst Bluejays (College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin) (2008–2012)
2008 Elmhurst 7–34–34th
2009 Elmhurst 4–61–67th
2010 Elmhurst 6–43–4T–5th
2011 Elmhurst 6–44–34th
2012 Elmhurst 0–2 (10 wins vacated)[a]0–1T–1stL NCAA Division III Quarterfinal
Elmhurst: 23–19[41]12–17
Western Michigan Broncos (Mid-American Conference) (2017–2022)
2017 Western Michigan 6–64–44th (West)
2018 Western Michigan 7–65–3T–2nd (West)L Famous Idaho Potato
2019 Western Michigan 7–65–32nd (West)L First Responder
2020 Western Michigan 4–24–2T–2nd (West)
2021 Western Michigan 8–54–4T–4th (West)W Quick Lane
2022 Western Michigan 5–74–43rd (West)
Western Michigan: 37–3226–20
Total:67–55
      National championship         Conference title         Conference division title or championship game berth
  1. ↑ In 2017 the NCAA forced Elmhurst to vacate 10 wins (6 conference) from the 2012 season because of financial aid violations.[40]

References

  1. ↑ "Tim Lester". www.cuse.com. Syracuse University. Retrieved January 13, 2017.
  2. ↑ Bob Sakamoto (November 24, 1994). "All-stars Fill All-state Teams". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved January 13, 2017.
  3. ↑ "How Syracuse OC Tim Lester nearly played QB for Florida". July 10, 2015.
  4. ↑ "Western Michigan coach Tim Lester learned major recruiting tip from unlikely source". February 2, 2017.
  5. ↑ "WT defender Larrimore chosen for Blue-Gray Game". www.amarillo.com. Amarillo Globe-News. December 17, 1999. Retrieved January 13, 2017.
  6. ↑ Jared E. Smith (January 15, 2013). "Syracuse Football: Tim Lester To Be Named New QB Coach, Per Report". Nunesmagician.com. Retrieved September 10, 2013.
  7. ↑ Scott Merkin (February 2, 2001). "Will Public Buy Xfl? Players Are Trying To". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved January 16, 2017.
  8. ↑ "Chicago Enforcers". Orlando Sentinel. February 2, 2001. Retrieved April 8, 2026.
  9. ↑ "Not-so-fantastic finish sends Enforcers home 0-3". Chicago Tribune. February 19, 2001. Retrieved April 8, 2026.
  10. ↑ Paul Kuharsky (April 27, 2001). "Kats look to stretch streak vs. Florida to seven in a row". The Tennessean. Retrieved January 16, 2017.
  11. ↑ "Memphis Xplorers press release". Internet Archive Wayback Machine. Arenafootball2 (archived). Archived from the original on March 29, 2002. Retrieved April 8, 2026.
  12. ↑ "Xplorers Sign Former XFL Quarterback". Internet Archive Wayback Machine. Memphis Xplorers af2. May 16, 2001. Archived from the original on July 22, 2001. Retrieved April 9, 2026.
  13. ↑ "Week 9 arenafootball2 news & notes". OurSports Central. af2 Press Release. May 24, 2001. Retrieved April 8, 2026.
  14. ↑ "Carolina Cobras historical transactions". ArenaFan.com. Retrieved April 9, 2026.
  15. ↑ "Tim Lester Leads Xplorers Into Training Camp". www.oursportscentral.com. OurSports Central. March 18, 2002. Retrieved January 16, 2017.
  16. ↑ Graham, Couch (October 18, 2011). "There's still plenty of WMU in (and on) former Broncos star QB Tim Lester". mlive.com. Retrieved September 10, 2013.
  17. ↑ Nolan Weidner (January 18, 2013). "Tim Lester added to Syracuse football staff as quarterbacks coach". syracuse.com. Retrieved September 10, 2013.
  18. ↑ Stephen Bailey (October 8, 2014). "George McDonald wishes that he could hate longtime friend, replacement Tim Lester". www.syracuse.com. Syracuse Media Group. Retrieved January 13, 2017.
  19. ↑ Schneidman, Matt (November 28, 2015). "Offensive coordinator Tim Lester: 'The one thing I know is that I don't know anything'". The Daily Orange. Retrieved November 29, 2022.
  20. ↑ Mink, Nate (August 28, 2018). "Tim Lester knows all about SU team he's trying to beat". syracuse.com. Retrieved November 29, 2022.
  21. ↑ Chris Carlson (December 28, 2015). "Former Syracuse offensive coordinator Tim Lester lands at Purdue as QB coach". www.syracuse.com. Syracuse Media Group. Retrieved December 29, 2015.
  22. ↑ Nathan Baird (September 22, 2016). "Purdue QB David Blough learning from Tim Lester". www.jconline.com. Lafayette Journal & Courier. Retrieved January 10, 2017.
  23. 1 2 Graham, Andrew (September 19, 2019). "After getting fired twice in 13 months, Tim Lester is now at his dream job". The Daily Orange. Retrieved November 29, 2022.
  24. ↑ Baird, Nathan (December 6, 2016). "Purdue's Brohm will bring WKU assistants". Journal and Courier. Retrieved November 29, 2022.
  25. ↑ "Western Michigan hires Tim Lester as football coach". Detroit Free Press. January 13, 2017. Retrieved January 13, 2017.
  26. ↑ Paul, Tony (January 14, 2017). "'Row the Boat' probably won't float in new WMU era". Detroit News. Retrieved January 15, 2017.
  27. ↑ Thamel, Pete (November 28, 2022). "W. Michigan fires coach Lester after 5-7 season". ESPN. Retrieved November 29, 2022.
  28. ↑ Paul, Tony (November 28, 2022). "WMU 'didn't feel confident moving forward,' fires football coach Tim Lester". The Detroit News. Retrieved November 29, 2022.
  29. ↑ Vannini, Chris (November 28, 2022). "WMU fires HC Lester after 6 seasons". The Athletic. Retrieved November 28, 2022.
  30. ↑ "Packers finalize 2023 coaching staff". packers.com. March 10, 2023. Retrieved March 10, 2023.
  31. ↑ Schoch, Matt (October 13, 2019). "Made in Michigan: Roots helped shape first-year Packers coach Matt LaFleur". The Detroit News. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
  32. ↑ "Tim Lester Hired as Offensive Coordinator". hawkeyesports.com. January 31, 2024. Retrieved June 26, 2024.
  33. ↑ "2001 af2 Team Statistics – Team ID 3400". Internet Archive Wayback Machine. Arena Football 2 (archived). Archived from the original on September 5, 2001. Retrieved April 8, 2026.
  34. ↑ "af2 2002 Game Statistics". Internet Archive Wayback Machine. Arena Football League via archive. Archived from the original on August 6, 2002. Retrieved April 7, 2026.
  35. ↑ "2002 af2 Team Statistics (af2)". Internet Archive Wayback Machine. Arena Football League (archived). Archived from the original on November 13, 2002. Retrieved April 7, 2026.
  36. ↑ "Week 12 arenafootball2 news & notes". OurSports Central. OurSports Central. Retrieved April 8, 2026.
  37. ↑ "Welsh Brothers Pass Test". Chicago Tribune. November 1, 2000. Retrieved April 7, 2026.
  38. ↑ "2011 Hall of Fame Spotlight: Tim Lester". Western Michigan University Athletics. October 25, 2011. Retrieved April 7, 2026.
  39. ↑ "Saint Joseph's College Football Guide" (PDF). Saint Joseph's College. Retrieved September 10, 2013.
  40. ↑ Nothaft, Patrick (November 14, 2017). "NCAA finds major infractions at WMU football coach Tim Lester's former school". Mlive.com. Retrieved November 18, 2020.
  41. ↑ "Elmhurst College Football All-Time Coaching Records" (PDF). Elmhurst College. Retrieved December 21, 2017.
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