PELLA—Central College Football Coach Jeff McMartin will serve as president of the American Football Coaches Association for 2024.
           
McMartin, who joined the AFCA board of trustees in 2015 and served as first vice president this past year, was elected to the post Monday at the AFCA Convention in Nashville, Tennessee.
           
McMartin is just the ninth NCAA Division III head coach to serve as the organization's president, and the second from Central, following his mentor, College Football Hall of Fame coach Ron Schipper, who was a trustee from 1984-94 and president in 1994.
Other 2024 AFCA officers include first vice president Bobby Hauck of the University of Montana, second vice president Neal Brown of West Virginia University and third vice president Jim Catanzaro of Lake Forest College (Ill.).

"It's a tremendous honor to have this opportunity to be a part of the leadership of this organization," McMartin said.

Athletics director Eric Van Kley said the honor is emblematic of the respect McMartin carries in the profession.
 

"Coach McMartin provides a great model for how to lead a college football program," Van Kley said. "He is not only a winner on the field but in how he develops young men and conducts his daily life. We congratulate him on this honor and are tremendously proud to have him represent Central College."
           
Founded in 1921, by Amos Alonzo Stagg, John Heisman and others, the AFCA is the only national organization solely dedicated to improving football coaches through ongoing education, interaction and networking. Its primary goal is to provide resources for personal and professional development amongst the football coaching profession. The organization includes more than 12,000 members from the high school, junior college, college, international and professional coaching ranks.
           
McMartin actively sought involvement when he first joined the AFCA as a first-year assistant coach.
           
"When I was a student coach for Coach Schipper, I could see early on how important the AFCA was to him and the coaching staff at Central," he said. "It provided educational and leadership opportunities and helped set the direction of where football coaches and the sport of football were going. So I realized it was an important organization to be involved with."
           
His passion for the organization quickly grew.
           
"As a graduate assistant at Wake Forest, I went to my very first convention and was awakened to the opportunities that were available to the AFCA, to learn about the game and learn from other coaches," he said.
           
Prior to joining the board, McMartin spent six years on the AFCA's 31-member Division III Head Coaches Council and he remains the council chair. He is also a member of the Assistant Coach of the Year Committee, previously served for three years on the Rules Committee and was a Publicity Committee member. McMartin has also been a convention presenter and speaker.
           
McMartin assumes his presidential duties at the close of this year's convention Wednesday. He'll lead trustees meetings and serve as AFCA liaison for multiple committees while working closely with the AFCA executive director, among other responsibilities.
           
The 2021 AFCA Division III Coach of the Year, McMartin is one of the winningest coaches in Division III. He's posted a 155-48 (.763) record since taking over as head coach in 2004. He's led the Dutch to six conference championships and six NCAA Division III playoff berths. A five-time conference coach of the year, McMartin is a two-time AFCA Division III regional coach of the year. Like Schipper, McMartin has never had a losing season at Central.

 "This is a good thing for Central College and a good thing for Division III," he said. "It's good that we have representation."