At an institution where 40 percent of the student body is involved with athletics, the football team is among Lebanon Valley College’s most popular and impactful sports programs. That success has always been based in stability and consistency.
Currently, the Flying Dutchmen are working through an interruption in that uniformity.
On Feb. 27, head coach J.R. Drake threw the LVC football program for a loop when he abruptly resigned. Drake stepped away from a football team that he had coached for two seasons during a face-to-face meeting with Lebanon Valley athletic director Pat Ratke.
Ratke said that he had no prior knowledge of Drake’s intention to resign.
Later that same evening, offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Chris Thompson was named Lebanon Valley’s interim head coach.
Drake had been the Flying Dutchmen’s acting head coach before being named the permanent full-time head coach in October 2023.
Read More: Players’ coach J.R. Drake has LVC’s football program headed in right direction
“It was an open and honest conversation,” said Ratke, who’s been Lebanon Valley College’s athletic director for two years. “He let us know he was looking to other opportunities. I want the best for him. I’m always going to support my head coaches and help them as human beings.”
Read More: With Patrick Ratke at helm, Flying Dutchmen seek to navigate change
Ratke said the explanation Drake provided for his departure was “personal reasons.”
Drake publicly announced his resignation on the social media platform X, formerly Twitter, saying, “After careful consideration, I have made the decision to resign from my position as head coach at Lebanon Valley College for personal reasons. I want to express my deepest gratitude to the entire athletic and student affairs staff — including the athletes, athletics staff, and loyal supporters — for the incredible experiences and opportunities I’ve had during my time here. I am proud of the exponential growth and achievements of our program, and I am grateful for the relationships we’ve built along the way. Working with such dedicated athletes and talented staff has been a rewarding experience, and I will always look back fondly on my time here. As I step away, I am excited for my next chapter and to spend some much-needed time with my children. With gratitude, J.R. Drake.”
Drake declined to be interviewed, but in a message to LebTown said, “I preach mental health in our program, and I need to work on being a dad of my children who are four and six and felt it was best to step away from the program to be a dad and work on my own mental health. I have nothing but gratitude for LVC, the staff, players and administration. I felt I had to step away for myself and for the program. LVC is a great place and deserves the best. I built a culture on love, appreciation and caring about each other’s mental health. I have to practice my what I preach. LVC gave me an opportunity I’ll be forever grateful for and sorry I couldn’t continue to build the rich tradition that Jim Monos and Joe Buehler helped build.”
In announcing his resignation on X, Drake also said he was looking for an institution that genuinely values growth in athletics, but later took that post down.
“Coach Drake built one of the most positive cultures I’ve seen in a football program,” said Ratke. “Our athletes are very successful in the classroom and in their communities. Over the last two season, the football team was right around .500 (11-10), but we were right there in all of our games.”
When asked about possible upgrades to the football program’s facilities, Ratke said that the football field and track at Arnold Field will be replaced this summer.
Also under consideration in the athletics master plan are the addition of bleacher space to the football team’s 2,000-seat capacity home stadium and upgrades to the program’s home and away locker rooms, according to Ratke.
“We’re always looking at the master plan,” he said. “We’re looking at all the various options in the master plan. We’re looking at what’s possible and what might not be possible. We’re certainly looking at some of these changes. We’re going through that process now.”
“Lebanon Valley College’s Football program prides itself on succeeding on and off the field by developing its student-athletes into ethical people and successful adults,” said LVC president Dr. James MacLaren. “The time spent off the field in team study hours has translated to the most Academic Honor Roll selections in the MAC (Middle Atlantic Conference). Community service projects at Stoever’s Dam Park and the Union Canal Tunnel Park teach players to care about the local community. Family values and community are displayed every home game when you see the number of tailgate tents lining Arnold Field for postgame gatherings.”
Drake took over for Joe Buehler, who retired in 2022 following seven seasons at the Flying Dutchmen’s helm. Buehler had served as the offensive coordinator during Jim Monos’ 12-year tenure as LVC’s head coach.
Read More: People ahead of wins: Joe Buehler retires as Lebanon Valley College football coach
“Generally, you want consistency,” said Ratke. “You want coaches to get into battle rhythm. But that’s true of any program, not just football.”
The Flying Dutchmen football program is expecting 96 returning players from last year’s team. Currently, Lebanon Valley has 22 committed recruits for next season.
“I think we’re in a really good spot,” said Ratke. “I think our lifeblood is our assistant coaches. They have a passion for Lebanon Valley College, and they share it with our student-athletes.
“We’re competitive on the field and developing good world citizens. We’re a big family. We’re in it together. LVC is a welcoming place. It’s very comfortable. When they’re done at LVC, we want student-athletes to be contributing members of society.”
Lebanon Valley College will open its 2025 football season in early September.
“We asked Coach Thompson if he was interested in that role, he was and we moved him into the interim slot,” said Ratke. “We’re going to perform a national search. Timing is a little off with the timing of football. We’re still trying to figure those details. Either way, the program is in a good spot. With Coach Thompson, the program is in good hands.”
As to whether Thompson could be made permanent head coach, Ratke said that’s hard to say.
“That could be part of the process,” he said. “I don’t know how that’s going to shake out right now.”
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