DaMarcus Ganaway has officially been named the football head coach at Evansville Bosse after stepping down from the same position at Ohio County. The announcement came Monday night, and he will be introduced Wednesday.
“It wasn’t an easy decision to step down at Ohio County at all,” Ganaway said. “It just all came about as a good opportunity football-wise to go over to Evansville and be a part of that tough (Southern Indiana Athletic Conference) and try to compete.”
Ganaway guided the Eagles to a 12-20 record in three seasons. They went 7-4 in his first year at the helm — marking the first winning season for Ohio County since 2011 — and finished 4-6 in 2019.
Ganaway will replace former Bosse head coach Eric Schnur, who stepped down in early December. The Bulldogs went 9-43 record during Schnur’s five-year tenure, going 2-8 in 2019.
Ganaway is a graduate of Kentucky Wesleyan College, where he was a four-year starter. He later signed an NFL deal with the New York Jets, but an injury ended his pro career after one year.
Beyond the product on the field, Ganaway thinks he left the Ohio County program in a better place and headed in an upward direction.
“I feel like one thing that I might have helped instill is a little bit higher expectations overall within the program,” he said. “We harp on attitudes and effort. I think that going forward the guys there are going to carry the torch. They should be okay this season and going forward because they’ve got some good young talent.”
He’s hoping to take that same mentality to the Bulldogs — combining the right attitude with a good game plan to find a path to success.
“That’s my style — high energy, great effort, great attitude,” Ganaway said. “Then diving into the Xs and Os and being prepared in that aspect are going to help you compete. I’m hoping to be able to take my style and build some relationships and keep the energy and win a few more ball games.”
The last winning season for Bosse came in 2013 when they went 7-5, and before that was in 2000 at 6-5. Ganaway said while it’s important to find success on the field, his first goal will be developing strong connections with the players and community.
“For me it’s going to be more about getting in there and learning those kids and that community and starting first by building relationships and trust,” he said. “One thing I know, and everybody has said as well, is Bosse is not struggling when it comes to having athletes.”
Ganaway — who has resided in Owensboro with his family for several years now — has used his desire to develop deep relationships to build a strong foundation and following across the region.
In addition to serving as a coach for the Kids Football League, Ganaway — along with business partner Tim Davis — co-founded Dynasty Sports Performance, where he trains and helps young student-athletes.
“That really established us in the community as some good people and trainers who were for the kids rather than just being there about the sport,” Ganaway said. “Being invested in sports in Owensboro has kind of entangled me and DSP and my partner in all different areas.”
Ganaway isn’t worried about what the past has looked like at Bosse and is instead focused on the road ahead. He said if the players and everyone involved in the program can reciprocate that mindset, the Bulldogs’ future looks good.
“For me, it’s not about what previous coaches did or where they’ve been before,” Ganaway said. “It’s figuring out what’s the best fit for me to get through to them and put them in position to have some success. If they buy in, it seems like it could be a great marriage.”
