Not retained as part of the transition from Joe Paterno to Bill O’Brien at Penn State last year, Bill Kenney has finally landed on his coaching feet.
First-year Western Michigan head coach P.J. Fleck announced Tuesday that Kenney has been hired as his new offensive line coach. Kenney did not coach in 2012 after his long-time ties to the Nittany Lions were severed.
In a statement, Fleck said that a recommendation from a former Rutgers head coach went a long way in bringing Kenney on board.
“He is a great recruiter and when Greg Schiano says that he is not only a great coach but a better recruiter and a better person, that speaks volumes to me,” Fleck said. " When you look at his resume and see all of the All-Americans and Academic All-Americans, but then hear that about him and his character it is a no brainer. He is a wonderful person and we are very happy to have him, his wife Kathryn and his family (Joseph, Matthew and Jacqueline) here in town. ...
“He has an incredible amount of experience and he brings an incredible amount of knowledge, passion and energy to this program. He’s a true professional and we couldn’t be happier to have him here.”
Kenney began his coaching career at Penn State in 1988, and worked with the offensive line from 1989-2011. He served in the role of recruiting coordinator from 1992-95 and worked directly with offensive tackles and tight ends from 2000-11. In addition to his time in Happy Valley, he was a grad assistant for two years (1986-87) at Nebraska under Tom Osborne.
(Photo credit: WMU athletics)