Lehigh Football Announces Named Head Coach Endowment
12/6/2025 5:55:00 AM | Football
Following an amazing year on the gridiron that included an undefeated regular season, Rivalry victory, Patriot League championship, FCS national ranking, and a second round home playoff game, Lehigh Football adds another accomplishment as the university announces the program's first named coaching endowment.
A commitment made through the lead gift from Andy '79 and Marybeth Vandergrift for $2.5 million will support the head coach and be formally named the Vandergrift Family Head Football Coach.
Their gift builds on more than $1 million previously raised for a $5 million coaching endowment that will provide essential funding for the position held by Kevin Cahill. Annual income from the fund shall be used in perpetuity to support this role through salary, benefits, and discretionary resources to advance the strategic priorities of the football program.
Coaching endowments, offered across many NCAA and Patriot League programs, ensure student-athletes have consistent top-tier leadership for their development on and off the field. Endowed positions help us attract, develop and retain the exceptional coaches who are foundational to our mission of developing scholar-athletes, fostering leadership and building champions.
"Athletics at Lehigh is a key component of the student experience. Many proud alumni define their time on campus through the focus, determination, friendships, and competition shaped as players and teammates," says President Joseph J. Helble '82. "Coaching staff are integral to their learning and growth, and coaching endowments help position Lehigh, like many of the nation's top FCS programs, as an institution that cares deeply about that bond."
Vandergrift's bond with his Lehigh coach began around his kitchen table when the legendary John Whitehead met with the family to recruit the offensive tackle. Vandergrift, who played high school football at Louis E. Dieruff in Allentown, received a need-based scholarship to make his Lehigh dreams come true. As the first in his family to attend college, Vandergrift relished the academic and athletic demands during his Lehigh experience. The team won the Lambert Cup during his first season and a national championship during his junior year. He graduated with a degree in civil engineering and went on to great professional success with a 40-year career in medical imaging with DuPont, Fujifilm, and NVIDIA. The family heard many tales from his Lehigh days and championship win. Together, they often returned to watch football games.
"Someone was generous to Lehigh when I needed it as a recruit," says Vandergrift. "It's part of what motivates us now." The other motivation is the approach Cahill has brought to the program that begins with the Nest and involves alumni engagement– open practices, open team meetings, and alumni-player events, like a career networking night.
"Marybeth and I feel fortunate to be able to give back. We both see a clear picture of what the coach and dean are working to accomplish with the team and athletics at Lehigh. And we understand first hand the impact that giving can have on lives and the change it can bring years down the road," says Vandergrift.
Cahill has had a tremendous impact on the program since his arrival. He has taken a player-led approach that demands clear passion, deep brotherhood, and shared accountability. It has led to consecutive Patriot League championships and FCS playoff appearances. This season alone Cahill and his staff earned the league's Dick Biddle Coaching Staff of the Year award. He was recognized as the Region 1 Coach of the Year by the American Football Coaches Association and won the Eddie Robinson Award, presented to the national coach of the year in FCS football.
"As a team, our culture is built around the Nest," says Cahill. "As a former player, Andy knows what the Nest represents, that place where men are forged into the best versions of themselves, where leaders are tested, and where brothers support each other in victory and in defeat. The nest is where each player, whether from today and years ago, discovers who he is. Today's players look up to men like Andy. They hear about the records, watch the highlights, and see the trophies and accolades. Andy like so many football alumni have built legacies and serve today as connectors, mentors, and inspirations. I am honored as a coach to bear his family's name."
With so many alumni and former players coming back to the nest, the team will make a special announcement about the Vandergrift gift at the second-round home playoff game against Villanova.
"Lehigh's mission is to provide talented students with a rigorous, life-changing university experience that prepares them to be leaders, innovators, and visionaries," says Murray H. Goodman Dean of Athletics Jeremy Gibson. "Athletics is deeply integrated into and a vital component of that mission. Lehigh Football and Coach Cahill continue to raise our visibility to highlight this institution's academic and athletic strengths on a national stage. We are proud and deeply grateful to have the Vandergrifts' support at this level."
A commitment made through the lead gift from Andy '79 and Marybeth Vandergrift for $2.5 million will support the head coach and be formally named the Vandergrift Family Head Football Coach.
Their gift builds on more than $1 million previously raised for a $5 million coaching endowment that will provide essential funding for the position held by Kevin Cahill. Annual income from the fund shall be used in perpetuity to support this role through salary, benefits, and discretionary resources to advance the strategic priorities of the football program.
Coaching endowments, offered across many NCAA and Patriot League programs, ensure student-athletes have consistent top-tier leadership for their development on and off the field. Endowed positions help us attract, develop and retain the exceptional coaches who are foundational to our mission of developing scholar-athletes, fostering leadership and building champions.
"Athletics at Lehigh is a key component of the student experience. Many proud alumni define their time on campus through the focus, determination, friendships, and competition shaped as players and teammates," says President Joseph J. Helble '82. "Coaching staff are integral to their learning and growth, and coaching endowments help position Lehigh, like many of the nation's top FCS programs, as an institution that cares deeply about that bond."
Vandergrift's bond with his Lehigh coach began around his kitchen table when the legendary John Whitehead met with the family to recruit the offensive tackle. Vandergrift, who played high school football at Louis E. Dieruff in Allentown, received a need-based scholarship to make his Lehigh dreams come true. As the first in his family to attend college, Vandergrift relished the academic and athletic demands during his Lehigh experience. The team won the Lambert Cup during his first season and a national championship during his junior year. He graduated with a degree in civil engineering and went on to great professional success with a 40-year career in medical imaging with DuPont, Fujifilm, and NVIDIA. The family heard many tales from his Lehigh days and championship win. Together, they often returned to watch football games.
"Someone was generous to Lehigh when I needed it as a recruit," says Vandergrift. "It's part of what motivates us now." The other motivation is the approach Cahill has brought to the program that begins with the Nest and involves alumni engagement– open practices, open team meetings, and alumni-player events, like a career networking night.
"Marybeth and I feel fortunate to be able to give back. We both see a clear picture of what the coach and dean are working to accomplish with the team and athletics at Lehigh. And we understand first hand the impact that giving can have on lives and the change it can bring years down the road," says Vandergrift.
Cahill has had a tremendous impact on the program since his arrival. He has taken a player-led approach that demands clear passion, deep brotherhood, and shared accountability. It has led to consecutive Patriot League championships and FCS playoff appearances. This season alone Cahill and his staff earned the league's Dick Biddle Coaching Staff of the Year award. He was recognized as the Region 1 Coach of the Year by the American Football Coaches Association and won the Eddie Robinson Award, presented to the national coach of the year in FCS football.
"As a team, our culture is built around the Nest," says Cahill. "As a former player, Andy knows what the Nest represents, that place where men are forged into the best versions of themselves, where leaders are tested, and where brothers support each other in victory and in defeat. The nest is where each player, whether from today and years ago, discovers who he is. Today's players look up to men like Andy. They hear about the records, watch the highlights, and see the trophies and accolades. Andy like so many football alumni have built legacies and serve today as connectors, mentors, and inspirations. I am honored as a coach to bear his family's name."
With so many alumni and former players coming back to the nest, the team will make a special announcement about the Vandergrift gift at the second-round home playoff game against Villanova.
"Lehigh's mission is to provide talented students with a rigorous, life-changing university experience that prepares them to be leaders, innovators, and visionaries," says Murray H. Goodman Dean of Athletics Jeremy Gibson. "Athletics is deeply integrated into and a vital component of that mission. Lehigh Football and Coach Cahill continue to raise our visibility to highlight this institution's academic and athletic strengths on a national stage. We are proud and deeply grateful to have the Vandergrifts' support at this level."
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