New Gardner-Webb football head coach built Division II powerhouse

BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. (CHARLOTTE SPORTS LIVE) — Gardner-Webb University has named multi-time conference champion Cris Reisert as the new head football coach.

Reisert joins the Runnin’ Bulldogs with 13 years of experience coaching in Divisions I and II. He most recently spent five seasons as the head coach at D-II Tiffin University in Ohio, where he compiled an overall record of 40-11 and a Great Midwest Conference record of 32-4.

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At Tiffin, Reisert led his team to three GMAC championships (2019, 2020, 2023) and was named GMAC Coach of the Year in each of those championship seasons. This past season, the Dragons went undefeated in the regular season before losing in the second round of the playoffs.

“In Coach Reisert, we’ve found our guy,” Downs said in a statement. “He sees no ceiling for Gardner-Webb football. He clearly knows how to win, how to build and sustain a program, and — most importantly — how to keep the focus on the student-athletes who he is charged with leading. I’m eager to support Coach Reisert as he builds on our proud football tradition and takes it to new and impressive heights.”

Resiert takes over a team that went 7-5 last fall and won a Big South/Ohio Valley conference championship each of the past two seasons.

University President Dr. William M. Downs said the school had a truly national search to find the successor to Tre Lamb. Lamb was hired by East Tennessee State Nov. 27 after four seasons with GWU.

This not Reisert’s first stop at a North Carolina school. He was the tight ends coach and recruiting coordinator at Elon from 2014 to 2016.

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“We wanted our next head football coach to be someone who would come in with successful experience as a head coach, someone who consistently fields an up-tempo high-scoring offense, and someone with the confidence to take on (and beat) anybody, anywhere, any time,” Downs said.

With Reisert also handling offensive coordinator duties, Tiffin ranked in the top 25 nationally last season in scoring offense (43.7 PPG, sixth), total offense (482.9 fourth), scoring defense (16.2 PPG allowed, T-16th) and total defense (281.2 YPG allowed, 22nd).

Reisert also guided Tiffin to the program’s first two Division II playoff berths in school history (2019 and 2023), the highest national ranking in school history (No. 9), and the program’s first win over its primary rival (University of Findlay) in 22 years.

An introductory news conference is scheduled for Thursday, Dec. 14, at 11 a.m. in the Gardner-Webb Football Center.

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