Wildcats add former head coach
9/6/2010 4:52:33 PM | Football
ABILENE – Former ACU head football coach Jack Kiser has returned to the Wildcat coaching staff as a defensive assistant coach, head coach Chris Thomsen announced Monday.
Kiser was the Wildcats' head coach from 1996-99, compiling a record of 21-20 with records of 6-4 in 1996, 7-4 in 1997 and back-to-back 4-6 records in 1998 an 1999. Kiser – a 1971 graduate of Abilene Christian – joined the ACU coaching staff in 1993 as the defensive coordinator and then was named the 16th head coach in school history prior to the 1996 season.
After graduating from ACU in 1971, Kiser joined the University of Texas coaching staff as a graduate assistant coach. He then moved on to high school coaching jobs in Palestine, Lockhart, Midland and Abilene before returning to ACU as a volunteer assistant coach from 1980-82.
After a short stint in private business, Kiser returned to coaching in 1986 at Texas Tech then went from Tech to Texas in 1987 when David McWilliams was named the Longhorns' head coach. He was at Texas from 1987-91 as a defensive assistant and then spent one season (1992) at Southwest Texas State as the defensive coordinator before returning to ACU.
Kiser gave Thomsen his start in coaching, hiring him as a graduate assistant in 1994 and eventually promoting him to offensive coordinator.
"We're excited to have Coach Kiser and the experience he'll bring to our coaching staff," Thomsen said. "He's been at the NCAA Division I level and obviously been a head coach at the Division II level. The experience he has will be very valuable to what we're doing."
