Eric Hehman is the new head football coach at Olivet Nazarene University. 

A college head coach since 2004, Hehman arrives at Olivet after six seasons at Malone University in Canton, Ohio, where he was instrumental in transitioning the program from NAIA to NCAA Division II. 

From 2005 to 2009, he coached at NCAA Division III Greenville College (Illinois), where he led the Panthers to their first National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA) postseason, playing in the Victory Bowl in 2009. The same season, the Panthers captured their first-ever Upper Midwest Athletic Conference South Division title, and Hehman earned Coach of the Year honors.

"I'm excited that Coach Hehman is coming our way," said Gary Newsome, Olivet’s director of Athletics. "His experience at Malone in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference prepares him to be successful at ONU and in the Mid-States Football Association.”

Before becoming a head coach, Hehman was an assistant coach at Trinity International University (Illinois) and Taylor University (Indiana), both in the Mid-States Football Association affiliated with the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics. 

As Trinity’s offensive coordinator, Hehman helped lead the team to the 2003 MSFA co-championship and an NAIA post-season appearance in 2004. He was named 2004 MSFA Assistant Coach of the Year. At Taylor, the team captured the MSFA title in 1998 and earned a trip to the postseason with Hehman as offensive line coach.

In addition to his head coach role at Olivet, Hehman joins the teaching faculty in the Department of Exercise Science. A native of Columbus, Indiana, he earned a bachelor’s degree at Taylor University and a master's degree in sports administration from Ball State University (Indiana). Hehman and his wife, Liz, have two sons, Matthew and Micah.

"My family and I are incredibly excited to join the Olivet family," Hehman said. "It was apparent to me after spending time on campus that ONU is a special place. I firmly believe God has prepared me, with all the unique experiences I have developing football programs, to lead the Tiger program to new heights. I look forward to the challenge and the opportunity to take this program to an NAIA championship level. I am confident that we will build a program that the ONU community will be proud of, on and off the field."

--Olivet Nazarene University