Football
- Title:
- Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks Coach
- Email:
- dtreadwe@kent.edu
- Phone:
- 330-672-3350
Entering his 32nd season of coaching and fourth at Kent State, Don Treadwell was promoted to offensive coordinator in January of 2015 and also serves as quarterbacks coach. Treadwell joined the Golden Flashes just prior to the 2014 spring season as running backs coach.
The 2016 season saw six Golden Flashes on offense earn Academic All-MAC honors, while two quarterbacks (Nick Holley, George Bollas) earned MAC Distinguished Scholar Athlete honors. After two quarterbacks suffered season-ending injuries in the first four weeks, Treadwell sparked the unique success story of Nick Holley, who made a midseason transition to quarterback. Going four years without playing the position, Holley went on to earn MAC East Offensive Player of the Week honors three times in a six-game span.
In 2015, four Flashes on the offensive side of the ball earned Academic All-MAC honors, while redshirt freshman quarterback George Bollas was named a MAC Distinguished Scholar Athlete. In his first career start, Bollas helped the Flashes to a victory at UMass.
While coaching the running backs in 2014, Treadwell helped the development of running back Nick Holley, who converted from wide receiver. Holley had a pair of 95-yard rushing performances in his final three games. He and running back Anthony Meray each earned spots on the Academic All-MAC Team.
A veteran of the Mid-American Conference, Treadwell was the head coach at Miami University from 2011-2013. He also served as a coordinator at five other Division I programs over 12 seasons.
Now in his 12th season in the MAC as either a coach or player, Treadwell’s coaching resume includes nine bowl appearances, four Division I-AA playoff appearances and a national championship.
In his first two years as Miami’s head coach, the RedHawks combined for nine All-Mid-American Conference honors and had two players selected in the NFL Draft (Brandon Brooks, Zac Dysert). Miami also ranked among the top two in the MAC in passing offense, in his first two seasons.
Prior to returning to his alma mater, Treadwell spent four years as the offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach at Michigan State where he engineered one of the most explosive offenses in the Big Ten.
Nominated for the Broyles Award in 2010, given to the nation's top assistant coach, Treadwell led the day-to-day team activities during Coach Mark Dantonio's absence with an illness. Without Dantonio in attendance, Treadwell, who normally coached in the booth, coached on the sidelines in MSU's wins over Northern Colorado and No. 11 Wisconsin. He also coached on the sideline in victories against Michigan and Illinois while Dantonio was in the press box.
Treadwell was also Dantonio’s offensive coordinator at the University of Cincinnati from 2004-06 and served under Brady Hoke as offensive coordinator at Ball State in 2003.
During his first stint at Michigan State, from 2000-02, he tutored several top receivers, including Charles Rogers, the 2002 Biletnikoff Award winner and the No. 2 pick of the 2003 NFL Draft.
Treadwell went to Michigan State following one season at North Carolina State (1999) where he coached the running backs. He previously spent two years at Boston College (1997-98) where he served as the pass game coordinator while also working with the quarterbacks and wide receivers.
Treadwell coached running backs under Tyrone Willingham at Stanford from 1995-96, directing a Cardinal rushing attack that racked up 1,819 yards in 1995 -- the ninth-best single-season total in school history.
His coaching credits also include one season as a wide receivers coach at Cincinnati (1994), a two-year stay with Miami (1992-93) and a six-year stint at Youngstown State (1986-91). Treadwell spent all of those seasons under former YSU and Ohio State head coach Jim Tressel. Dantonio was YSU’s defensive coordinator from 1986-90, while Treadwell worked with the wide receivers, running backs and quarterbacks during his time at Youngstown State. While serving as the offensive coordinator in 1991, he helped guide the Penguins to the NCAA I-AA National Championship.
Treadwell was a four-year starter at wide receiver at Miami (1978-81). He earned All-MAC First-Team honors as a junior and captained the team as a senior. With 73 career receptions for 1,540 yards, Treadwell averaged a school-record 21.1 yards per catch. He earned his bachelor's degree in physical education from Miami in 1982. Born June 10, 1960, Treadwell graduated from Oberlin High School in 1978 where he played quarterback.
Married to the former Lola Pinskey of Fostoria, Ohio, Treadwell and his wife have three children: Whittney, Blake and Spencer. Whittney is a doctoral student at Michigan State. Blake played offensive line at Michigan State, while Spencer was a running back at Miami.
