It’s the dawn of a new era for Albion College football. The athletic program announced on Jan. 17 that Travis Rundle will be taking over as the new head coach following the departure of Dustin Beurer.
Interim Director of Athletics Andrew Lawrence said the program is excited to have Rundle as head coach.
“We are extremely excited to have Coach Rundle on board to continue the success of the program both academically and athletically,” Lawrence said.
You may recognize the last name Rundle.
Rundle’s father, Craig Rundle, coached the Britons for 22 seasons from 1997-2018. He led Albion to seven MIAA Championships and is currently the winningest coach in program history.
Much like his dad, Travis Rundle held coaching positions at other institutions. His latest head-coaching job was at Sewanee: The University of the South, but he was also the defensive quality coach at Penn State University from 2004-11, helping the Nittany Lions appear in the Orange Bowl, Alamo Bowl, Outback Bowl and Rose Bowl.
Rundle is returning to the place where his collegiate football journey started. Being under center for the Britons from 1998-2002, he led Albion to three MIAA Championships and was named a captain and all-conference player in 2001.
He was incredibly successful during his first stint as a Briton. He said his favorite memory as a quarterback came during the final game of his senior year when Albion defeated Hope College for the league championship.”
“That was a complete team effort. The defense caused turnovers and the offense scored a touchdown on the first play for 77 yards,” he said. “It was as perfect of a game that we could’ve played.”
Rundle said having the opportunity to learn from his father’s philosophy as a coach influenced him to follow in his footsteps.
“I played for my dad and even before that, I watched him coach as I was growing up,” Rundle said. “Seeing the relationships my dad had with his players outside of football just shows how big of an impact you can have on somebody.”
Rundle is ready to take the next step, but is always going to put the players first before anything else. One of his biggest objectives is to give his athletes the same experience he had: being connected to the greater community.
“I want guys being involved as much as they can be on campus. It reflects the college life I had here and I learned so much from it,” Rundle said. “We want a first-class program here at Albion.”
Finding players that are willing to become better men off the field is something Rundle will be looking for with incoming players. Dedication is a quality that’s most important to him.
“Do you love playing football? Are you a high-quality individual? Those are the most common questions I ask in the recruiting process,” Rundle said.
According to Rundle, his goals are simple when it comes to competing in the MIAA. He feels lucky to have the honor of wearing the headset for a college that has given him and his family great fortune.
“Being in a place that loves winning and has the desire to keep doing that is a great culture to be a part of,” Rundle said. “We’re gonna work hard by having goals, and we’re gonna fight like crazy to make sure we accomplish them.”
Rundle understands what it takes to win in a tough conference like the MIAA, and will put forth his best effort to rise Albion above everyone else, especially after a tough loss in last season’s finale against Alma.
He said his main goal “is being 1-0 at the end of every week,” adding he wants to continue a winning tradition at Albion, a place he considers to be “a football championship factory.”
Keep an eye out for an explosive and highly anticipated fall in the coming months, because the name Rundle is back on the sidelines bleeding purple and gold.
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