Neal Neathery Calls His Final College Game

Eastern Michigan's defensive coordinator will hang up his headset after the Potato Bowl.

Image via Eastern Michigan Athletics

From the offices of Eastern Michigan: The 2022 Famous Idaho Potato Bowl will be the final game coached by defensive coordinator and associate head coach Neal Neathery.

Neathery, who coached with Chris Creighton at Ottawa, Wabash, and Drake, joined Creighton’s staff in 2016 and has coached the team’s linebackers and called defensive plays since then. He’ll leave last he longest-tenured defensive coordinator in the MAC.

"Neal and I began working together 26 years ago," Creighton said in EMU’s press release, released just 30 minutes before the bowl game’s kickoff. “"Today is the end of our 20th season coaching together. He is the best coach I have ever met or worked beside. We have won a ton of games together but that doesn't even come close to comparing to the depth of our friendship. Our families have grown up together, my kids call he and his wife Rebecca, Uncle Neal and Aunt Becca.

“People sometimes ask me who has influenced me the most in my coaching career. It isn't even close. Neal's influence on our program, on my faith, and how we are raising our family is immeasurable. My prayer is that everyone would have a friend in life like I have in Neal Neathery."

Y11 is local, independently run, and is the only sports media hub on the internet (or anywhere) with this much coverage dedicated to Eastern Michigan. This newsletter offers both free and subscriber-only posts. All subscriptions will help pay for the year-round labor and improvements required to make this your favorite place to read and discuss EMU and MACtion.