MACOMB, Ill. - Western Illinois University Leatherneck Football Acting Head Coach Mark Hendrickson has been named head coach of the Leatherneck squad, according to Tim Van Alstine, director of Western Illinois Athletics.

Prior to being named acting head coach in September, Hendrickson served as offensive coordinator for 11 seasons. He also served as acting head coach for the first seven games of the 2008 season while former Head Coach Don Patterson was on medical leave. Hendrickson joined the Leatherneck coaching staff in 1999 after serving as assistant coach at the University of Iowa for six years. He has also coached football at Southeast Missouri State University, Georgia Tech, Clinton (IA) High School and Cedar Falls (IA) High School.

During his tenure as Western's offensive coordinator, Hendrickson produced seven of the top 10 scoring teams in the modern era, five of the top six offensive teams and five of the top 11 passing teams, along the way tutoring the program's all-time leading rusher and the all-time leading receiver.

As acting head coach for the first seven games of the 2008 season, Hendrickson led the Leathernecks to a 5-2 record and a No. 12 national ranking. Hendrickson, who also coached punters and kickers, developed Mike Scifres into just the second player in Western's history to earn three first-team all-conference honors. Hendrickson's 2001 team still owns the top passing mark in program history (285.5 ypg), while three other squads hold modern-era records: 2003 scoring offense (36.3 ppg), 2005 total offense (418.2 ypg) and 2007 rushing offense (251.5 ypg).

In 11 years, Hendrickson has helped produce nine 1,000-yard rushers and two of the program's three 1,000-yard receivers. Most recently, former Leatherneck Herb Donaldson became the fourth of Hendrickson's running backs to lead the league in rushing. Donaldson was a finalist for the 2008 Walter Payton Award, given to the nation's top offensive player in NCAA Division I FCS Football.

"I'm pleased that Mark Hendrickson has accepted the position as the head coach of the Leatherneck football program. He has been a loyal and committed member of the Western Illinois University family. While there have certainly been some challenging times for our football program of late, we have full confidence in Coach Hendrickson's knowledge, enthusiasm and motivation in leading our football student-athletes on and off the field," Van Alstine said.

Hendrickson earned his bachelor's and master's degrees from the University of Northern Iowa, where he was a four-year letterwinner and three-year starter at wide receiver.