CALIFORNIA (June 9) – California University of Pennsylvania head football coach John Luckhardt recently received the Michael Duda Award for Athletic Achievement at the university's Awards of Distinction luncheon.

Luckhardt enters his eighth season as head coach of the Vulcans this fall and is already the winningest coach in program history with a 57-24 overall record (.704). He has guided Cal U to four-consecutive Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Western Division titles and back-to-back NCAA Division II National Semifinal appearances.

The award is named in honor of the Dr. Michael Duda, an educator who had an avid interest in athletics and served as president of California State Teachers College from 1956 until his death in 1968. It is award to members of the university family for outstanding success in the field of athletics.

Since 2005, Luckhardt has compiled an astounding 41-8 overall record (.837) with 23 wins in 25 PSAC West games. Last year, the Vulcans won their first PSAC Championship Game since 1984 after the game was reinstituted after 20 years of only divisional champions.

Before coming to Cal U in May of 2002, Luckhardt served as the head coach at nearby Washington & Jefferson College for 17 seasons, compiling a school-best 137-37-2 record. He guided W&J to 13 Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) titles, 11 appearances in the NCAA Division III Playoffs, five regional championships and two appearances in the Division III National Championship Game. He also served as athletic director at W&J for 12 years.

He started his coaching career at Division I Purdue University, his alma mater, as a graduate assistant. He also coached the secondary and receivers for three years at Northern Illinois University. He was the defensive coordinator and linebackers' coach for 10 seasons at Lehigh University and helped the Mountain Hawks win the 1977 NCAA Division II National Championship.

As a player, Luckhardt was a center on the Boilermakers' 1967 Rose Bowl champion team. At Purdue he earned his bachelor's degree in healthy and physical education and his master's degree in physical education and psychology.

He received the American Football Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award in 1998 before being inducted into the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame in 2001. Two years ago, Luckhardt was inducted as part of W&J Athletics Hall of Fame. From 1994-98, he served on the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Board of Directors.

Luckhardt and his wife, Barbara, reside in Peters Township and have two grown children, Allison Eckenrode and Matt, who works in Cal U's Department of Athletic Development.