In 2017, Will Healy was hired as the head football coach for the Austin Peay Governors. Healy, a former standout quarterback at the University of Richmond, brought a new energy and enthusiasm to the program.

In his first season as head coach, Healy led the Governors to a 7-4 record, marking the team’s first winning season in seven years. The team’s success was built on a high-powered offense that ranked second in the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) in scoring, and a defense that improved significantly over the course of the season.

The highlight of the season came on September 16, 2017, when the Governors upset the nationally-ranked University of Tennessee at Martin by a score of 7-0. The win marked the team’s first victory over a top-25 opponent in over two decades and set the tone for the rest of the season.

Healy’s impact on the program was immediate and far-reaching. In addition to leading the team to its first winning season in years, he also helped to revitalize the fan base and attract top-tier talent to the program.

Under Healy’s leadership, the Austin Peay football program continued to thrive, winning an OVC championship and making two appearances in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) Playoffs in the years that followed.