It is with great pleasure that the Benedictine University football team announces the promotion of Phil Kleckler to Defensive and Recruiting Coordinator.

Kleckler has been a member of the Benedictine staff since the 2011 season as the Linebackers Coach and Video Coordinator.

"I am very excited to have Phil accept this responsibility," head coach Jon Cooper said. "He has already shown to be extremely capable of handling both roles.  Phil has been an integral part of our defensive effort the past four years and his analytical abilities have been a major factor in our defensive success. He has earned this opportunity, and I am excited to work with a coach that is highly organized and efficient in both roles. His work in many areas behind the scenes the last few years has been essential to our success and his work with the linebackers the last couple of years has helped develop a long list of outstanding players."

During his time at Benedictine, Kleckler has coached nine All-Northern Athletic Collegiate Conference (NACC) performers. Over the past two seasons, Benedictine led the conference in pass defense (2014), total defense (2013), scoring defense (2013) and rushing defense. Kleckler became the NACC representative on the American Football Coaches Association Assistant Coaches Committee in 2013.  He is also a student service representative for the athletic department that focuses on academic progress and retention.

"I've enjoyed being a member of the Benedictine Coaching staff for the past four years and I'm excited for the opportunity to lead our defensive unit," Kleckler said. "I look forward to continuing the tradition of NACC leading defenses that Coach Cooper established here 10 years ago. I would like to thank Coach Cooper, Mark McHorney and the entire BenU administration for selecting me for this role."
 
Kleckler joined the BenU staff after serving as the Defensive Line Coach and Recruiting Coordinator at Occidental College in Los Angeles, Calif. Before Occidental, he was the Linebackers Coach and Strength and Conditioning coach at Averett University in Danville, Va.
 
Kleckler is no stranger to the Midwest. He attended Rockton (Ill.) Hononegah High School and Monmouth College. During his time at Monmouth, he was a two-time all-conference selection and helped lead his teams to a 39-12 record, a Midwest Conference championship and a trip to the NCAA playoffs. Kleckler graduated from Monmouth College in 2006 with bachelor's degrees in History and Physical Education and owns a master's in Business Administration from Averett. 

Kleckler resides in Chicago with his wife Randi and son Rory. Kleckler takes over for Jim Schroeder.