Walsh University Men's Football

Coach Fankhauser has led the Cavs, as Head Football Coach since 2018. Previously, he spent 19 years serving as Associate Head Coach/Co-Defensive Coordinator, handling all aspects of the Cavs' special teams and the defensive line. Hired under Walsh's first football head coach Jim Dennison, Fankhauser has coached both offensive and defensive positions as well as serving as the program's longtime special teams' coordinator. In 2024, the Walsh Football program climbed to new heights and made a new mark on over 35 categories in the programs record book. The season had many highlights including two first time wins over both Hillsdale and Ashland. Ashland, at the time, was ranked 4th in the region. The team also was featured in 2 National rankings: T18th in turnovers lost and 19th in turnover margin. On an individual level, 4 Cavs were named All-Conference, including 2 time G-MAC Defensive Player of the Year, Cam Hollobaugh.  The most decorated student-athlete in recent football history, Hollobaugh's career at Walsh included 2 G-MAC Defensive Player of the Year titles, 2 time G-MAC First Team All-Conference, 2 time D2CCA All-Region First Team Defense, AFCA All-American First Team, and a Cliff Harris award finalist. The Cavs also had a Co-Freshman of the Year in 2023 with Anthony Harris. During his assistant coach tenure at Walsh, Coach Fankhauser was an integral part of the program as it transitioned from the NAIA to the NCAA, and from the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) to the Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC), where the team finished 4-3 during its inaugural year in 2017. Coach Fankhauser has been willing and able to assume a multitude of roles throughout his tenure, always ready to take on new challenges and responsibilities to help the program be successful. Before joining Walsh in 1998, Coach Fankhauser served as a student assistant at Youngstown State University where he was a member of the 1992 national runner-up team and the 1993 and 1994 championship teams. John coached special teams (1995-96) and graduated with a B.A. in history and a minor in psychology. In addition to his coaching duties at Walsh, Fankhauser has served 17 years as Walsh's head athletics groundskeeper and was an assistant coach for the women's basketball team from 1998 to 2004. John's commitment to mentorship and service extends beyond the athletic field. He has been active in coordinating Cavalier athletic service opportunities in the local community, YMCA Youth Football Training Camp and, for the past ten years, he has been an active volunteer with Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Stark County.  John earned his master's degree in education from Walsh in 2006 and resides in North Canton with his wife, Walsh alumna, Christine (Anderson), daughter Emilia, and son Anderson.

Defensive Line Coach, Mike Harris, has been with the Cavaliers since March of 2025. Coach Harris brings in many years of experience from local schools in northeast Ohio including Tuslaw, Field, Springfield, and Norton.  Harris played football and earned a Bachelors of Education from Ohio University in 1986 and then his masters from Ashland University.  Coach Harris has 3 adult children, Lauren, Rachel, and Evan and resides in North Canton with his wife, Karen. 

James Curtis has been a full time member of the Walsh coaching staff since June of 2025 previously serving serving as the Defensive Graduate Assistant and Corners Coach in 2024. Previously, James earned his bachelors degree in Special Education as well as playing football at Capital University. There, he was a four year starter. All OAC his senior year, 2nd in the conference and in the top 20 in DIII in total tackles with 105. James is from Zanesville, Ohio and was a three time varsity letterman and named All Ohio Defense his senior year. 

A native of LaGrange, Ohio, Michael Paris has been apart of Walsh Cavaliers Football since 2022, coaching the quarterbacks. In 2024, Coach Paris was promoted to full-time Quarterbacks Coach. As part of the offensive staff, he helped guide the team to break eight team offensive and scoring records, along with 36 individual records. Notable accomplishments included setting new marks for most passing touchdowns in a season (19), highest touchdown-to-interception ratio (19:3), second-most passing yards in a season (2,540), and third-most passing yards per game (230.9). Paris mentored quarterback T.C. Molk to become the most efficient passer in the G-MAC in 2024 and the 11th most efficient in the nation (164.16). Molk also recorded the 12th-highest completion percentage in the NCAA (65.9%). That season, Molk set Walsh’s single-game records for passing yards (436) and passing touchdowns (6). In 2023, Paris was elevated to Quarterbacks Coach. In his first year in that role, Walsh quarterbacks improved by scoring four more touchdowns and throwing 12 fewer interceptions compared to the previous season. Paris began his Walsh coaching career in 2022 as a Graduate Assistant working with tight ends. In his first season, he guided tight end Mark Primer earn All-G-MAC honors. Before joining the Walsh staff, Paris served as an Assistant Wide Receivers Coach at Kent State University. During his time with the Golden Flashes, he contributed to the program’s 2019 Frisco Bowl Championship and its 2021 MAC East Division title. He also earned his Bachelor of Science in Sports Administration while fulfilling his coaching duties. Before beginning his coaching career, Paris served in the United States Marine Corps and deployed as part of Operation Inherent Resolve. He is responsible for recruiting the following Ohio counties: Ashland, Crawford, Cuyahoga, Delaware, Erie, Franklin, Huron, Lorain, Marion, Medina, Ottawa, Richland, Sandusky, Seneca, and Wyandot.

Coach Jim Purtill has served as the Offensive Coordinator and OL Coach for the Walsh Cavaliers since 2023. He has the recruiting areas of Ashtabula, Columbiana, Mahoning, Portage, and Trumbull Counties. Coach Purtill is a football coaching veteran who has experienced a wide range of experience at all levels of the collegiate game. The majority of his career has been spent in the Midwestern and Eastern parts of the country. He has had the good fortune to learn his craft from some of the most outstanding football coaches in the country. Names such as Don James, Lavell Edwards, Maxie Baughan, Bo Schembechler, Joe Paterno, and Gary Pinkel have either had a direct or indirect influence on his coaching philosophy.  Purtill has head coaching and offensive coordinator experience. He served as head coach at Salem College and St. Norbert College. He is the winningest coach in St. Norbert College history, going 130-30. In 2016, he ranked #50 on the list of winningest coaches in college football history (DI,DII, and DIII). As of recent, he served as offensive coordinator at Wesley College, in Dover, DE and Davenport University, in Grand Rapids, MI. He also was the QB and Pass Game Coordinator at UW Oshkosh, where he coached in the 2016 DIII National Championship game. Over a 21 year span, his offensive units averaged 36 points per game and he has had eight Conference Offensive Player of the Year selections.  Coach Purtill says, "It is my belief that the ideal college environment is one in which a strong academic curriculum is demanded and is balanced by a highly competitive and rewarding athletic experience. The team - the team - the team! Within the team concept, the players come first. Excellence is the common goal!"  Purtill was born and raised in Ohio. He is a graduate of Miami University, Ohio has a degree in education. He received his Master's Degree from Salem College in West Virginia. 

Jeremy Hamilton joined the Cavs in 2024 as Wide Receivers Coach. Previously, Hamilton coached at Notre Dame College and Lindsey Wilson College.  Before getting into coaching, Jeremy played football at Notre Dame College from 2018-2022. He was apart of 5 MEC Championships and earned All-MEC Second team his senior year.  From Pittsburgh, PA, Jeremy has a bachelor's degree in Sports Management from Notre Dame College.