PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – Carnegie Mellon has named the replacement for a Hall of Famer.
Columbia University assistant Ryan Larsen is the new football coach at CMU after 36-years of head coach Rich Lackner, who retired after the season.
"We are thrilled to welcome Ryan, his wife Megan and their daughters Charlotte and Ellis to the Carnegie Mellon family," said Carnegie Mellon Director of Athletics Josh Centor in a statement released by the university. "Ryan emerged from a national search with an incredibly talented field of coaches. He met with student-athletes, coaches and staff members, alumni, members of the Tartan Athletics Club Board of Directors, leaders from the Office of Admission and senior leaders of the university. He has demonstrated a consistent commitment to the values that we hold dear – leading with integrity at the forefront and providing a holistic approach to student development."
The 35-year-old Larsen was most recently the quarterbacks coach and passing game coordinator at Columbia University (7-3 in 2021) as part of 13 years of coaching experience. He previously worked at Stevenson University, Rhodes College, Wabash College and Indiana University.
"I am extremely grateful to be selected as the next head football coach at Carnegie Mellon University. The opportunity to work with some of the finest student-athletes in the country, while representing CMU and its alumni, is an incredible opportunity," Larsen said in a statement. "I want to thank Dr. Centor and the entire search committee for giving me the opportunity to lead the Tartan Football program. My wife, daughters, and I are excited to join the CMU and Pittsburgh communities.
I cannot wait to get to work."
"I am very excited to welcome Ryan as the next football coach at CMU. Ryan is extremely thoughtful, creative and dedicated," said Tartan Athletics Club President and football alum Mark Weinsten '85. "He understands Xs and Os, but more importantly, he appreciates the important balance that CMU football players need to achieve in order to successfully navigate the rigors of the CMU curriculum, while maintaining championship aspirations on the field."
Larsen was a two-year starting quarterback at Claremont-Mudd-Scripps with a master’s degree in athletic administration from Indiana.