Kutztown University Athletics

Jim Clements completed his 10th season as Kutztown University's head football coach in 2024.

Clements has guided the Golden Bears to winning records in all 10 of his seasons with the program and is the only coach on record in more than 100 seasons of Kutztown football to open his career with consecutive winning seasons.

Just five games into the 2022 season and 86 into his tenure with the Maroon and Gold, Clements moved past George Baldwin to become the program's all-time winningest coach following a dramatic 24-20 comeback win at East Stroudsburg, Oct. 1, that required the Golden Bears to go 87 yards in the final six minutes. The win was Clements' 62nd, surpassing Baldwin's 61 victories over 14 seasons.

For all the success Kutztown has enjoyed under Clements, the 2024 season brought a number of firsts and milestones to the program. The Golden Bears completed their first-ever unbeaten regular season with a 21-14 PSAC Championship game victory at No. 17 California (Pa.) to move to 11-0. In the process, the Maroon and Gold repeated as PSAC champions for the first time, while claiming their third conference title in the last four seasons. KU also won its fourth PSAC East championship in the last five seasons and fifth overall with Clements at the helm.

The Golden Bears, who appeared in their fifth NCAA DII Championship playoffs since 2018 after earning Super Region 1's top seed, earned a program-record No. 3 ranking in the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Division II Poll during the 2024 season and finished the year with a program-best No. 5 ranking. Clements received his second straight PSAC East Coach of the Year and AFCA Division II Region 1 Coach of the Year honors, while also claiming both awards for the fourth time in the last five seasons. He's a five-time PSAC East Coach of the Year and five-time AFCA Regional Coach of the Year.

Clements led the Golden Bears to a school-record 12 wins in 2023, which included PSAC East and PSAC championships, along with the program's first Super Region 1 championship. Kutztown defeated a program record five nationally ranked opponents during the 2025 season, including four in a row on its way to the national semifinals. The Bears took down a top five opponent for the first time when they dominated No. 4 Slippery Rock, 31-7, in the PSAC Championship game. KU went on to defeat No. 13 Virginia Union, 38-14, came from behind for a dramatic 32-31 victory at No. 24 Charleston (W.Va.) and went on the road to down No. 15 Slippery Rock, 28-16, in a rematch of the PSAC title game to win Super Region 1 in the NCAA quarterfinals. Clements' team ended the season with the No. 7 ranking in the AFCA DII Poll, at the time a program record.

In 18 seasons as a collegiate head coach, the first eight of which were spent at NCAA Division III Delaware Valley, Clements is 156-53 (.746) with .500 or better records each year. He also has six 10+ win seasons to his credit, four with the Golden Bears (2019, 2021, 2023, 2024) and two with the Aggies (2009, 2011). Clements led KU to its fifth unbeaten season in the PSAC East in 2024 (7-0), improving to 60-11 (.845) against league opponents. He is the program's top coach in overall and conference winning percentage.

Clements quickly turned a Kutztown program with pockets of success over the course of its history into a consistent PSAC power. By his fifth season, in 2018, the Golden Bears were back in the NCAA DII Championship tournament for just the third time ever. They returned to the national playoffs in 2019, 2021 and 2023, while the 2020 season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The 2021 season went down as one of the most successful in program history. KU matched a program single-season record with 11 wins, earned its second PSAC crown and won a NCAA second round game to reach the national quarterfinals, advancing further than any team in the program's 105-season history ever had. Clements earned his second consecutive PSAC East and American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Division II Region 1 Coach of the Year honors.

In 2019, the Maroon and Gold won their first 10 games to finish the regular season 10-0, before earning a spot in the PSAC championship game, a 37-35 defeat to No. 8 Slippery Rock. Kutztown, which was ranked as high as 13th in the national poll, defeated Tiffin University, 33-31, in an NCAA first round game for the program's first playoff victory since 2011.

During the 2018 season, Clements became the first coach in program history to defeat every team in the PSAC. Two years earlier, he led the Golden Bears to the 2016 PSAC East title with a perfect 7-0 divisional record, a first for the program, to earn PSAC East and KU Coach of the Year honors. After starting the season 0-3, Kutztown rattled off seven straight wins to play in the PSAC championship game for the third time in program history. It was the biggest turnaround in a season in program history.

Clements' players have combined to earn 123 All-PSAC East honors, led by a program record 15 in 2024. His rushing defense has been the best in the modern era at Kutztown, holding opponents to a record 68.4 yards per game in 2024. They allowed just 78.3 yards per game in 2021, 81.0 ypg in 2022 and 86.7 ypg in 2017. The Golden Bears yielded just 10.17 points per game in 2024 while pitching three shutouts. KU didn't allow a touchdown during a three-week stretch while picking up wins over Lock Haven (24-0), Shippensburg (31-2) and Shepherd (24-0). They have posted 10 shutouts during Clements' time with the program, including a school-record 74-0 win over Cheyney in 2014. His defense led the PSAC in red zone defense in 2014 (19th in the nation) and ranked in the top three in the PSAC in total defense and turnover margin. KU ranked fifth in Division II in sacks in 2016 at 3.82 per game. His defense held opponents to 19.5 points per game in 2017, the best mark for the program since 1996, and less than 200 passing yards per game for the first time in 10 years.

During Clements' tenure, KU has produced six of the top 10 seasons in program history in total offense per game, highlighted by a school-record 488.8 yards per game in 2015. The 2015 team posted the largest comeback in school-history, overcoming a 21-point deficit at Indiana (Pa.) to earn a 34-33 victory. In doing so, Clements became the only coach in program history to defeat IUP. KU also posted its first-ever 400-yard rushing game under Clements in 2015, and broke that record again in 2016 with 459 yards at East Stroudsburg.

Clements was named the 16th head coach in Kutztown's modern football history on March 19, 2014.

In addition to being Kutztown's all-time wins leader, Clements previously held the same distinction at Delaware Valley with an overall record of 66-24 from 2006-13, including a perfect 10-0 regular season in 2011. He earned four Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) championships (2008-11) and three NCAA second round appearances (2009-11).
 
He was a three-time MAC Coach of the Year (2009-11) and capped his run with an undefeated season in 2011. Clements was named the 2010 AFCA Division III Region 2 Coach of the Year and the 2011 Maxwell Club Tri-State Coach of the Year, when his team went undefeated.
 
In the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC), Delaware Valley won two South Atlantic Bowl titles (2008, 2012) and finished as runner-up in 2006.
 
Clements was promoted to head coach prior to the 2006 season after serving as the team's assistant head coach/defensive coordinator for two years. He continued to handle defensive coordinator duties through the 2013 season. Clements' arrival at Delaware Valley ahead of the 2004 season as assistant head coach/defensive coordinator was one of the key reasons why the team posted back-to-back 12-1 records in 2004 and 2005. The Aggies captured the MAC championship and advanced to the NCAA Division III quarterfinals each season.

Clements played collegiately at Widener University, where he anchored the defensive line as the Pioneers won the conference crown and reached the 1994 South Region final of the NCAA Division III playoffs. He was a three-year starter and registered 154 career tackles.

Clements transitioned from player to student assistant coach in 1995 as Widener successfully defended its conference title and reached the NCAA playoffs. Clements returned to his alma mater two years later as a graduate assistant coach and was elevated to a full-time position in 1998, coaching the defensive line along with the linebackers and special teams before becoming the defensive coordinator in 2003.

Clements received a Bachelor of Arts degree in history with a certification in secondary education from Widener in 1996, and earned a master's in secondary education from Widener in 2001.

Clements and his wife, Sue, reside in Trappe, Pa. They have a son, Hayden, and a daughter, Amelia.
 
 

JIM CLEMENTS YEAR-BY-YEAR COACHING RECORD
		Overall			Conference
Year	School	Wins	Losses	Pct.	Wins	Losses	Pct.	Postseason & Honors
2006	Delaware Valley	8	3	.727	7	2	.778	ECAC South Atlantic Bowl Runner-Up
2007	Delaware Valley	5	5	.500	5	2	.714
2008	Delaware Valley	8	3	.727	5	2	.714	MAC Tri-Champions ECAC South Atlantic Bowl Champions
2009	Delaware Valley	10	2	.833	7	0	1.000	MAC Champions NCAA DIII Second Round MAC Coach of the Year
2010	Delaware Valley	9	3	.750	6	1	.857	MAC Champions NCAA DIII Second Round MAC Coach of the Year AFCA DIII Region 2 Coach of the Year
2011	Delaware Valley	11	1	.917	8	0	1.000	MAC Champions NCAA DIII Second Round MAC Coach of the Year Maxwell Club Tri-State Coach of the Year
2012	Delaware Valley	8	3	.727	7	2	.778	ECAC South Atlantic Bowl Champions
2013	Delaware Valley	7	4	.636	6	3	.667
2014	Kutztown	6	5	.545	5	4	.556
2015	Kutztown	7	4	.636	5	2	.714
2016	Kutztown	7	4	.636	7	0	1.000	PSAC East Champions PSAC Runner-Up PSAC East Coach of the Year
2017	Kutztown	8	3	.727	5	2	.714
2018	Kutztown	9	2	.818	5	1	.833	NCAA DII First Round
2019	Kutztown	11	2	.846	7	0	1.000	PSAC East Champions PSAC Runner-Up NCAA DII Second Round PSAC East Coach of the Year AFCA DII Region 1 Coach of the Year
2020	Kutztown	SEASON CANCELED (COVID-19)
2021	Kutztown	11	2	.846	7	0	1.000	PSAC East Champions PSAC Champions NCAA DII Quarterfinals PSAC East Coach of the Year AFCA DII Region 1 Coach of the Year
2022	Kutztown	8	3	.727	5	2	.714
2023	Kutztown	12	3	.800	7	0	1.000	PSAC East Champions PSAC Champions Super Region 1 Champions NCAA DII Semifinals PSAC East Coach of the Year AFCA DII Region 1 Coach of the Year
2024	Kutztown	11	1	.917	7	0	1.000	PSAC East Champions PSAC Champions NCAA DII Second Round PSAC East Coach of the Year AFCA DII Region 1 Coach of the Year
Coaching Totals
8 Seasons	Delaware Valley	66	24	.733	51	12	.810
10 Seasons	Kutztown	90	29	.756	60	11	.845
18 Seasons		156	53	.746	111	23	.828

Updated 2/8/25