A former four-year starter for the Vulcans and a veteran offensive coordinator at the FCS level, Gary Dunn enters his second season as head coach at Cal U.
Dunn enjoyed instant success in his return to his alma mater as head coach. Last year, the Vulcans registered an undefeated regular season that was capped by the program’s first PSAC Championship since 2008. Cal U also advanced to the third round of the NCAA Playoffs while making its first post-season appearance in five years. Dunn was selected the AFCA Region 1 Coach of the Year after leading the program to an 11-1 overall record with four wins over top-25 opponents.
The Vulcans boasted the highest scoring offense in NCAA Division II last year at 49.6 points per game and also ranked among the top 10 in the country in scoring defense. Cal U featured a school-record 19 honorees on the All-PSAC West Teams and Garry Brown became only the second wide receiver in the last 25 years to be selected the PSAC West Offensive Player of the Year. Brown was a national finalist for the Harlon Hill Trophy and also was a consensus First-Team All-American as a senior while shattering multiple single-season and career school records.
Dunn previously spent six seasons as the offensive coordinator at nearby Duquesne following a 13-year stint at Morehead State (Ky.), where he spent the last 11 seasons as offensive coordinator. He played at Cal U from 1991-94 before starting his coaching career as a graduate assistant with the Vulcans.
In 2015, the Dukes finished with an 8-4 overall record and made the program’s first appearance in the FCS Playoffs. Dunn worked with the top-ranked offense in the Northeast Conference (NEC), as Duquesne led the league with 30.7 points, 416.5 yards of total offense, 171.8 rushing yards and 244.8 passing yards per game. The Dukes boasted seven All-NEC selections on offense, including three first-team honorees (two offensive lineman, wide receiver).
Dunn helped Duquesne post a winning season five times in his six years with the program, while earning at least a share of three NEC titles (2011, 2013, 2015). He mentored a total of 26 All-NEC selections with the Dukes, including three-time honoree Larry McCoy, who holds the all-time school record with 4,549 rushing yards. Additionally, wide receiver Chris King earned All-NEC laurels in each of his last two years behind consecutive 1,000-yard seasons and a combined 22 receiving touchdowns.
In 2011, the Dukes registered their winningest season in nearly a decade with a 9-2 mark. Duquesne led the NEC with 212.8 rushing yards per game and ranked second in the league with 33.7 points and 415.3 yards of total offense per game. McCoy finished ninth in the country with 125.6 rushing yards per game, while wide receivers Isaac Spragg and Connor Dixon paced the league in receptions and receiving yards, respectively.
While at Morehead State, Dunn served as the offensive coordinator for 11 seasons after spending two seasons as the offensive line and tight ends coach. In 2000, the Eagles led the FCS with 41.6 points and 523.9 yards of total offense behind the play of quarterback David Dinkins, a native of Pittsburgh. MSU matched the winningest season in school history in 2002, finishing with a 9-3 overall record behind an offense that ranked ninth in the country with 425.7 yards of total offense per game.
Dunn was a four-year starter on the offensive line for the Vulcans from 1991-94 and played for head coaches Jeff Petrucci and Kevin Donley. He was a team captain and earned All-PSAC West First-Teams honors at center as a senior before spending two seasons working with the offensive linemen and tight ends with the Vulcans under Donley.
A native of Pittsburgh, Dunn earned his bachelor’s degree from Cal U in political science in 1995 and completed his master’s degree in geography and regional planning from Cal U in 1997. He and wife, Melissa, reside in nearby Belle Vernon, Pennsylvania, with their daughter, Sydney.
