Cross & Crescent

On June 15, 2007, Bill Lynch (Butler 1977) was named Indiana University’s 27th head football coach.

Previously an assistant coach, he assumed the top job after Terry Hoeppner, the previous head coach, bravely fought and eventually lost a long battle with cancer.

“We’ve been through a tough time here,” Lynch says. “But we are excited about the upcoming season,” which began September 1, 2007.

During the last few years, Indiana’s football program has been in a rebuilding mode and Lynch says the hard work is beginning to show, which he hopes to translate into wins this season.

“I think there is a buzz and enthusiasm that we need to carry through the fall,” he says.

Successful Coach and Player

With 30 years of coaching, Lynch has 14 seasons of head coaching experience, compiling an 81-67-3 record during stints at Butler University, Ball State University, and DePauw University.

He has won or shared seven conference or division titles during his previous years as a head coach.

Before joining Indiana, Lynch directed DePauw to an 8-2 record, and was named the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference Co-Coach of the Year in 2004.

A star quarterback at Bishop Chatard High School in Indianapolis, Indiana, he passed for 4,257 yards and 48 touchdowns, and guided his team to an undefeated season in 1971.

After deciding to attend Butler, Lynch soon made a big impact on the football team there, too. As the quarterback, he was named an All-American for three of his seasons, setting 15 conference and school passing records, and leading the nation in passing completion percentage in 1975.

He also played varsity basketball at Butler and was the captain and assist leader during the 1975-76 season.

Fraternity Days and Teamwork

When Lynch was growing up, he had two uncles who had attended Butler and played varsity sports so he was very familiar with the university.

After he made the commitment to attend Butler, the Lambda Chi Alpha chapter members didn’t waste any time recruiting him.

“I was recruited to the Lambda Chi house coming out of my senior year of high school,” he says. “They invited some guys over and I got sold right away.”

Once he joined Lambda Chi, Lynch says he had many great experiences and made many lifelong friends.

“Many of [the brothers] are ones I stay in touch with to this day,” he says. “I had a great experience there, from day one.”

Unlike today’s demands on college athletes, Lynch says he had time for both athletics and Fraternity.

“It was 30 years ago so the time commitment for athletics probably wasn’t what it is today,” he says. “What we ask a kid today to do is incredible. We worked hard at it but it wasn’t year-round like it is today.”

As an undergraduate member, Lynch also enjoyed serving as recruitment chairman, going out and recruiting new members.

“My experience at the Lambda Chi house, and with the guys I went to school with, was as big a part of my education as anything else,” he says.

Whether it’s athletics or our Fraternity, Lynch says he knows the concept of “team” is critical to any organization’s overall success.

“Team is more important than individual,” he says. “And I think there is a lot of that in the Fraternity. The good of the group supersedes what one person wants. And I learned that at the Lambda Chi house.”

He says that the value of respect and trust are critical lessons that the Fraternity can help teach undergraduates.

“When you mention coaching, I just think so many of the values of a fraternity and fraternity life is very similar to what you do in a team sport,” he says.

Other Notable Athletes

Ironically, during his Lambda Chi Days, Lynch was fortunate to be a part of a very interesting group of members with roots in Butler varsity athletics.

One of the most notable was Barry Collier (Butler 1976), who played on the varsity basketball team, and later became a successful head basketball coach at Butler and the University of Nebraska.

Today, Collier is Butler’s athletic director, and he has very profound memories of the important role Lynch has played in his life.

“My initial impression of Butler and Lambda Chi was incredibly favorable because of Bill Lynch,” Collier says.

After making his decision to transfer from a junior college and attend Butler, Collier says he received a letter from Lynch welcoming him and inviting him to visit the Lambda Chi house.

“This simple act of kindness and inclusion made for a smooth transition to Butler, into our Fraternity, and began a 30 plus-year friendship,” Collier says. “I have come to know Bill Lynch as one of the very best people on God’s green earth.”

Interestingly, in 1989, Collier’s first year as Butler’s head basketball coach was Lynch’s last year as Butler’s head football coach.

“I was lucky, both of us were lucky, to have opportunities to be head coaches at Butler,” Lynch says. “We had great mentoring in athletics, which I think motivated us to get into that profession to start with.”

Two other notable Butler chapter alumni and varsity athletes were John Dunn (Butler 1977) and Chuck Schwanekamp (Butler 1978).

A varsity basketball player, Dunn was named two-time, all-conference performer and Butler’s Most Valuable Player. He led the team in assists in 1974-75, and in free throw shooting in 1976-77.

Today, Dunn lives in Denver, Colorado, and is the president and owner of Cummins Rocky Mountain, Inc., as well as the chair of the Butler Board of Trustees.

Schwanekamp played varsity football and helped lead Butler to three conference championships, earning First Team All-Heartland Collegiate Conference honors as a senior.

Following graduation, he began a very successful Indiana high school football coaching career, and is one of just three coaches to lead two different teams to the Indiana state high school football finals. This past summer, Schwanekamp was inducted into the Indiana Football Hall of Fame.

Just X’s and O’s

Lynch is frequently asked about the pressure and expectations of having his first opportunity to coach a Division I team in the Big Ten Conference, and being thrust into the national media spotlight.

“It’s the same as when I was coaching Butler,” he says. “I’ve got 110 guys coming in and I’ve got to coach them….It’s just coaching football.”