KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Bringing more than 40 years of NCAA Division I coaching experience to Kansas City, Avila football is pleased to announce the hiring of Ed Warinner as the university’s head football coach.
A 2014 National Champion as the Offensive Coordinator at Ohio State, Warinner has five total seasons as a Division I assistant coach with 12 or more wins.
“We are looking forward to Coach Warinner joining our Avila University family as our new head football coach, and also as someone who brings a wealth of collegiate coaching experience at some of the finest academic institutions in the country,” said Athletic Director Shawn Summe. “His desire to see young men reach their full potential – not only on the football field but in all aspects of life – really showed throughout the interview process. Coach Warinner has been around some of the best minds in football and we look forward to having him share the lessons he has learned along the way!”
“My family and I would like to take this opportunity to thank Avila University, Dr. Andy Jett, Shawn Summe, Curtis Burton and the hiring committee for this great opportunity to lead the football program into the future,” Warinner said. “I’m excited to work with the current players and the new players we bring in. I’m excited about the vision we have for taking this program to new heights and make our faculty, students and alumni proud of football at Avila.”
Warinner returns to the local area where he spent five seasons as an assistant coach at the University of Kansas, including three years as the Assistant Head Coach and Offensive Coordinator, where he helped the Jayhawks win the 2008 Orange Bowl. Warinner was the architect of an offensive in Lawrence that averaged 479.8 yards per game, which still stands as the program’s record.
The 2007 Jayhawk offense that Warinner led still holds nearly every single-season total yardage, passing and scoring record in program history and the 12 wins in 2007 are a school record.
Following his time presiding over many of the best offensive seasons in Kansas history, Warinner took his talents to South Bend, where he spent two seasons as Notre Dame’s offensive line coach and run game coordinator. Warinner and the rest of the new coaching staff improved the program by five wins – including a victory in the Sun Bowl – in his first season.
With the Buckeyes, Warinner’s offenses set numerous school and conference record. The 2014 Ohio State offense put up 7,674 yards of total offense, a Big Ten record. Additionally, its 672 points scored are the second-highest single-season total in Big Ten history, trailing only Minnesota’s record set in 1904.
In three of his six years at OSU, Warinner’s offense led the conference in total offense and scoring offense. Additionally, Warinner coached three Big Ten Offensive Players of the Year in Braxton Miller (twice) and Ezekiel Elliot as the Offensive Coordinator. Offensive linemen Taylor Decker and Pat Elflein were both selected as consensus All Americans under his tutelage.
One year before the National Championship season of 2014, Warinner’s Buckeye rushing offense put up the second-most yards in a single season in Big Ten history.
No stranger to the Midwest, Warinner has spent 13 seasons in the Big Ten and in his five decades spent at the Division I coaching level, Warinner has had stops at Michigan State, Illinois, Minnesota, Michigan, Florida Atlantic and 15 years at the service academies, including 13 seasons as an assistant coach at the United States Military Academy West Point and three seasons at the Air Force Academy.
At Army and Air Force, Warinner helped produce a rushing offense that led the NCAA in five different seasons.
In total, Warinner has two College Football Playoff Appearances, 18 bowl trips, six Big Ten rushing titles to his name and has developed more than 25 players to the NFL since 2010.
Throughout his coaching career, Warinner has worked alongside Jim Harbaugh, Brian Kelly, Mark Mangino, Ron Zook, and College Football Hall of Famers Urban Meyer and Jim Young.
A Mount Union graduate, Warinner also holds a Master’s degree in sports administration from the University of Akron. Originally from Strasburg, Ohio, Warinner and his wife, Mary Beth, have three children and two grandchildren. Warinner’s two daughter’s live in the Kansas City area and his son is the current safeties coach at Indiana State.
Avila will open the 2026 season at home against McPherson on August 29 at The Z.
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