Chris Weibel, a former All-America quarterback at Clarion, enters his seventh season as head coach of the Golden Eagle football program in 2021. A former professional quarterback and 2010 inductee into Clarion's Sports Hall of Fame, he served an assistant coach for the Golden Eagles for 11 seasons before becoming Clarion's 12th head football coach on February 6, 2015.
The Golden Eagles have flourished under Weibel, especially at the individual level. Clarion has boasted 21 All-PSAC West players since 2015, including six First Teamers and 15 Second Teamers. Brandon Vocco earned Don Hansen Football Gazette All-America Honorable Mention honors in 2018, making him the first Golden Eagles to earn a spot in the publication's honorees since wide receiver Kevin Genevro was a Third Team All-American in 2016. Defensive lineman Saif Khan was also a Don Hansen All-American, earning the honors in 2019. Wide receiver Matt Lehman (2015), offensive lineman Zack Morris (2016-17) and running back Mylique McGriff (2019) were two-time All-Super Region 1 selections by the same publication.
Clarion has excelled in the classroom in that same timeframe, as well. The Golden Eagles have had four different CoSIDA Academic All-Americans since 2015, including Matt Koerper (2015), Kevin Genevro (2016), Jacob Craig (2016) and Sam Fareri (2018-19). Fareri became the first player in program history to earned two CoSIDA Academic All-American honors in his career.
Mylique McGriff and Saif Khan were First Team All-PSAC West selections in 2019, with Khan earning his second straight all-conference honor and McGriff his first. The Golden Eagles claimed early victories against Shippensburg and Lock Haven to start the season, with the former marking their first victory over the Red Raiders since 2000. Clarion also scored a dominant win over Seton Hill on Homecoming, grounding the Griffins to the tune of a 42-16 decision at Memorial Stadium.
The 2018 Golden Eagles got off to a hot start, winning four of their first five games and boasting a dominant run defense until injuries took their toll throughout the season. They finished sixth in the PSAC West with a record of 2-5, winning their first two divisional games against Gannon and Seton Hill. Brandon Vocco was named a First Team All-PSAC selection and was joined on the all-conference squad by linebacker Layne Skundrich, offensive lineman Zack Morris, and fellow defensive linemen Saif Khan and Alec Heldreth. Heldreth earned an invite to the Atlanta Falcons' rookie minicamp after showing well at the PSAC Pro Day in spring 2019.
In 2016, Weibel guided a Golden Eagle squad decimated by injury, rallying the team to wins in two of their final three games for a 4-7 overall record. Clarion defeated Slippery Rock for the first time since the 2010 season and their first in the "Milk Jug" rivalry series. Quarterback Connor Simmons broke the program's all-time passing touchdown record - set by Weibel - with his 66th scoring pass in the win over Gannon, and receiver Matt Lehman tied the program record for career receiving touchdowns with his 25th career score in the same game.
Senior receiver Kevin Genevro hauled in a bevy of accolades in 2016, earning First Team All-PSAC West and Don Hansen Football Gazette Third Team All-American honors. He became just the third player in program history to top 1,000 yards receiving in a season and finished at or near the top of several other all-time lists. He was joined on the All-PSAC West list by punter Scott Ayers (First Team), offensive lineman Zack Morris (First Team), and Lehman (Second Team).
Clarion players excelled in the classroom as well, with Genevro leading the charge. He and linebacker Jacob Craig were both named CoSIDA Academic All-Americans.
Clarion was picked to finish eighth in the PSAC West in 2015, but Weibel shocked the conference by leading Clarion to seven straight wins to open the slate. It was the first time the Golden Eagles opened a season with seven straight wins since 1983. Clarion finished the year with a 7-4 record and four All-PSAC West selections, including First Team selection Matt Lehman (wide receiver) and Second Team nods Phil Esposito (kicker), Matt Koerper (defensive end) and Delrece Williams (running back).
Lehman went on to earn Don Hansen Third Team All-America honors at the end of the year, while Connor Simmons ranked fourth in the nation in passing yards and broke Weibel’s Clarion single-season record for passing yards (3,582) and passing touchdowns (34).
Weibel came to Clarion in 1993 and had a storied career with the Golden Eagles. As a true freshman in 1993 he played in three games, started two, and completed 21 of 44 passes for 280 yards and three touchdowns. He redshirted 1994, and came back in 1995 to lead Clarion to a 6-4 record while hitting on 159 of 268 passes (59.3 percent) for 2,017 yards and 14 touchdowns.
His best season came in 1996 when he led the Golden Eagles to an 11-3 overall record, the PSAC-West title, the NCAA Division II East Region Crown and a berth in the NCAA “Final Four” before losing in the final seconds to Northern Colorado. Weibel earned NCAA D-II All-America honors, completing 208 of 356 passes (58.4 percent) for 2,880 yards and 32 touchdowns. He ranked second in the nation in 1996 in Quarterback Efficiency while also running for 185 yards and four touchdowns. Clarion was awarded the Lambert Cup, signifying the top team in the East.
Headed for a big season his senior year (1997), Weibel played the first five quarters before missing the remainder of the season with an injury. He came back in 1998 to pass for 2,462 yards and 16 touchdowns.
Weibel at one time held all four key career passing records at Clarion including passing attempts (1,065), completions (586), passing yards (7,845). He now ranks second in passing touchdowns with 65 total scoring tosses. His career completion percentage is 55 percent, third best in Eagle history. He also set the records for single season passing yards (2,880 – 1996) and touchdown passes (32 – 1996) which were not surpassed until the 2015 season.
After graduating from Clarion in 1998 with a degree in Marketing, he played nearly five years of professional football including the Erie Invaders (IFL) in 2000, Florida Firecats (AFL 2) in 2001, Greensboro Prowlers (AFL 2) in 2002, Myrtle Beach Sting Rays (NIFL) in 2003 and signed during the 2004 season with Grand Rapids of the AFL. During the 2002 season he had his best game, completing 23 of 25 passes for 330 yards and nine touchdowns.
