By MATT PIKE
St. Joseph Post
The Northwest Missouri State football team has their new head coach, after announcing the firing of Rich Wright.
Northwest Athletic Director Andy Peterson has named John McMenamin as the new head coach of the Bearcat football program, making McMenamin, a Bearcat alum, the 21st head coach in program history.
“I feel so fortunate and grateful for the opportunity that Dr. Lance Tatum and Athletic Director Andy Peterson have extended to lead this storied Bearcat football program,” McMenamin says in a news release. “There is no other football program like this in the country. It’s the university, the students, the community and especially the alums throughout the country that really make this such a special place to be."
"Until you’ve been a part of it, I don’t think you can fully appreciate what it means to be a part of Bearcat football and this community. Once a Bearcat, Always a Bearcat truly hits home.”
McMenamin, a native of Omaha, Neb., served as the offensive co-coordinator/pass game coordinator/wide receivers coach at Tulane University in New Orleans, La., from December 2021 to July 2023. He helped orchestrate the biggest one-year turnaround in NCAA history as the Green Wave went from 2-10 to 10-2.
Tulane scored a 2023 Cotton Bowl Classic victory over USC, 46-45. The Green Wave ranked No. 9 in the nation in team passing efficiency (160.48), No. 18 in scoring (36.0 points/game) and No. 20 in red-zone offense (86.8 scoring percentage).
"I am thrilled to be able to bring Coach McMenamin back to lead our football program," Peterson says. "His energy and passion for coaching and leading young men through the game of football just consumes you when you talk to him. I cannot wait to get him in front of our athletes, recruits, and all our stakeholders to cast his vision for the next iteration of Bearcat football. I know Coach McMenamin is focused and eager to quickly get connected to build meaningful relationships on behalf of Bearcat football."
Northwest will be McMenamin's second head coaching job. He was the head coach at Wayne State College in Wayne, Neb., from December 2019 to December 2021 when he left to go to Tulane. McMenamin delivered the program's first seven-win seasons in 11 years with a 7-4 record that included victories over nationally-ranked foes in Minnesota-Duluth and Minnesota State.
McMenamin was the offensive coordinator at the University of Central Missouri from January 2015 to December 2019. He also served as the offensive coordinator at Midland University in Fremont, Neb., in 2009-2010 where he helped turn around a Warrior program that went 8-3 in 2010 while finishing No. 22 nationally in NAIA.
McMenamin played football at Northwest from 1998 to 2002 and was a part of two national championship squads in 1998 and 1999. He was a member of four MIAA championship squads and was voted a team captain in 2002.
He was a first-team all-MIAA quarterback in 2002. McMenamin set 27 Northwest and MIAA passing records during his playing days. He still holds the Northwest school records for passing yards in a game (473 vs. Central Missouri) and total offense in a game (475 vs. Central Missouri).
A formal press conference to announce McMenamin as the Bearcat head coach will be scheduled at a later date.
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