John Lyons

Who is John Lyons?

John Lyons is an American football head coach best known for his 13 years as head coach of Dartmouth College. He is currently the defensive coordinator at the University of New Hampshire.

Lyons was an all-Ivy defensive back while playing for the University of Pennsylvania. After graduating in 1974 he worked as an assistant at Penn for the next 11 seasons, eventually riding up to become defensive coordinator. In 1988 he was brought to Dartmouth by then-coach Buddy Teevens. When Teevens moved on, Lyons was promoted to head coach in 1992.

During his time as head coach, Lyons was successful during his first six seasons, winning two Ivy League titles and posting five winning seasons. He also coached future NFL quarterback Jay Fiedler. However, the program tailed off after 1997 and the school would finish in last place four times in the next seven years. His later years saw increasing criticism from fans and the local media as his decision-making was called into question. He was dismissed by the school after the 2004 season.

After being fired by Dartmouth he coached in NFL Europe for the Cologne Centurions.