Report: Austin Peay to name Cannon football coach

Clarksville, TN – Austin Peay University reportedly will name Central Michigan defensive backs coach Kirby Cannon as its new head football coach.

Footballscoop.com reported on Sunday that Cannon is the choice among five finalists who interviewed on campus in the last two weeks.

Cannon, the first for an on-campus interview, has spent the last three seasons at Central Michigan. Previously, he was the head coach at Missouri S&T for the prior 11 seasons and was named Great Lakes Football Conference Coach of the Year in 2008 after leading the Miners to their first conference title since 1983.

The 1981 graduate of Missouri State began his coaching career in 1983 as a graduate assistant at Iowa State. He also has been an assistant at North Central, Truman State, Northern Michigan and Western Illinois.

If named Austin Peay's new coach, Cannon would inherit a team coming off a 2-9 record and a last-place finish in the Ohio Valley Conference along with Tennessee Tech.

Rick Christophel stepped down as the Governors' head coach after six seasons to become the tight ends coach with the Arizona Cardinals.

Other finalists to interview for the position were Austin Peay interim head coach and defensive coordinator Granville Eastman; Mike Markuson, a former offensive line coach at Wisconsin, Mississippi and Arkansas; Navy offensive line coach Ashley Ingram; and Wisconsin-Whitewater head coach Lance Leopold.