HOUSTON - HBU head football coach
Vic Shealy has accepted an extension of his contract, Houston Baptist University administration announced Friday.
"The addition of football to HBU athletics has been a huge plus to the entire university family," HBU President Robert Sloan said. "The successes of our team this season brought very positive national attention to us. We are truly happy with the direction and progress this team has made under Coach
Vic Shealy. While wins, scores, media exposure and polls are quantifiable data, what cannot be measured or overstated is the Christian influence Vic has on the lives of these young men."
"We are very excited to be able to work out an extension with Coach Shealy," HBU Director of Athletics
Steve Moniaci said. "We have been very pleased with what he has done with this program from the beginning, both on and off the field. Under his leadership, we made some great strides as a program this past season, even becoming nationally-ranked for the first time; and we look forward to making further progress as we seek to get to a level where our football program is in the hunt for a playoff spot every year."
Shealy, 58, is the longest-tenured head coach in the Southland Conference, starting the Huskies' football program in Spring 2012. HBU played a developmental season in 2013, before beginning NCAA Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) competition as a member of the Southland in 2014.
"I'm excited about the pace of growth and the continuity of our staff," Shealy said. "We've seen great improvement in the maturation of talent and the leadership on our roster. The stability provided by Dr. Sloan and
Steve Moniaci is a great encouragement with this extension, plus the current years I have remaining on my contract. We are looking forward to continue to grow and flourish and build this program into a perennial Southland Conference contender and FCS playoff team."
HBU recorded a program-best five wins in 2019 and achieved its first-ever national ranking when it entered the American Football Coaches Association Poll at 25th on Sept. 30. The Huskies rank 15th nationally and second in the league with 35.8 points per game, lead the nation in first downs, rank third in passing offense with 334.3 yards per game and rank 12th with 462.6 yards of total offense per game.
Five players were named to the Southland All-Conference Teams, with senior defensive end
Andre Walker and senior kickoff returner
Gamar Girdy Brito earning first-team honors. Walker leads the FCS with 15.0 sacks and Girdy Brito ranks second in the nation in kickoff return yards with 28.2 per game and is one of only seven players with two returns for touchdowns. Sophomore receiver
Jerreth Sterns leads the nation with 105 catches and junior wide receiver
Ben Ratzlaff leads the conference with 1,139 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns. Junior quarterback
Bailey Zappe led the nation in completions, attempts and touchdowns and ranked second in passing yards during the regular season. Sophomore linebacker
Brennan Young and junior
Caleb Johnson rank one and two, respectively, in the Southland in tackles per game. Freshman safety
Tra Fluellen also recorded more than 100 tackles and had five takeaways.
Zappe is a finalist for the Walter Payton Award, which honors the top offensive player in the FCS, while Fluellen is a finalist for the Jerry Rice Award, which honors the top freshman in the FCS.
HBU will announce its early signees later this month, followed by its National Signing Day class in February. The Huskies are scheduled to open the 2020 season against FBS foe North Texas Sept. 5 at Apogee Stadium in Denton.
