On Nov. 17, 2016, Director of Athletics Kurt McGuffin announced that football head coach Jerry Partridge ’86 was relieved of his coaching duties.
“Coach Partridge has been a part of Griffon football for most of his adult life as a player, assistant coach and head coach, and I thank him for his hard work, his passion and his loyalty,” McGuffin said. “Our goal is to find a coach who can build on the foundation Jerry established to position our student athletes for continued success on the field and in the classroom.”
Prior to becoming head coach in 1997, Partridge was the defensive coordinator at Missouri Western for five seasons under head coach Stan McGarvey. Partridge was also an assistant at Murray State (Kentucky) University and Austin Peay University in Tennessee. He served as a graduate assistant coach at both the University of Notre Dame and the University of Missouri.
On Dec. 5, McGuffin announced that Matt Williamson ’96 was hired as Missouri Western’s sixth head football coach.
Williamson began his coaching career at Missouri Western in 1997 as a graduate assistant and, in 2000, returned as a defensive line coach before becoming defensive coordinator in 2005, a position he held for two se
asons. Since leaving Missouri Western, Williamson spent 10 seasons at the Division I level, most recently serving as defensive coordinator at Stephen F. Austin (SFAU) University in Nacogdoches, Texas.
“We’re very happy to see Matt come home,” McGuffin said. “Clearly, Matt is familiar with Missouri Western, the region and the MIAA, which is a very important foundation to have as a head coach in this league. Matt will also bring a wealth of knowledge from coaching experiences outside this conference and at various levels of NCAA football.”
“It’s a blessing and an honor, to be selected as the new head coach at one of the top Division II programs in the country,” Williamson said when he was hired. “I’m ready to go black and gold again.”
In three seasons as defensive coordinator at SFAU, Williamson had the Lumberjack defense among the top of the Southland Conference in rushing and scoring defense. He also served as defensive coordinator at the University of Central Arkansas (UCA) during the 2010-13 seasons after serving as defensive line coach and special teams coordinator for three seasons. Williamson’s UCA defenses led the Southland Conference in scoring defense three straight seasons.
The three-time All-MIAA defensive lineman was named honorable mention Don Hansen All-American for the Griffons in 1995. Williamson and his wife, Andrea, have two sons, Zach and Brock.