Dave Clawson was a good hire for Wake Forest. (Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports)
Bowling Green coach Dave Clawson was hired as the next football coach at Wake Forest on Tuesday. A press conference in Deacon Tower at BB&T Field will be held later Tuesday to make the news official.
The announcement comes after Clawson led Bowling Green (10-3) to an upset of then-No. 18 Northern Illinois in the Mid-American Conference championship game on Friday night. The Falcons were invited to the Little Caesars Pizza Bowl.
Clawson’s hiring caps Wake Forest’s weeklong search to find Jim Grobe’s successor. Grobe resigned Dec. 2 after a 4-8 season in 2013 and a 13-year stay that included five bowl games, but ended with five straight losing seasons. Grobe’s record at Wake Forest was 77-82.
“We are very pleased to have Dave Clawson leading our football program,” Wake Forest athletic director Ron Wellman said in an official statement. “Dave is a proven winner and leader and has had great success at every institution he has coached. Dave has rebuilt every program that he has coached and has led each institution to a conference championship. He has developed a national reputation as a builder of programs.
“Dave’s expectations for our program and players are extremely high. We have much to look forward to with his leadership of our program.”
Before arriving at Bowling Green, Clawson was the head coach at Fordham, Richmond and offensive coordinator at Tennessee for one season (2008). Clawson had a 32-31 record at Bowling Green, with two previous bowl appearances (2009, 2012) and 18 wins in the last two seasons.
Bowling Green also confirmed the hiring on its website and announced that Adam Scheier will serve as the Falcons’ interim head coach.
