Longtime-Greyhound Casey Gillin begins his third season as the team's Passing Game Coordinator and 11th as the Quarterbacks Coach in 2019. The UIndy grad has spent the last two seasons calling plays for the Hounds offense, helping the Crimson and Grey to a 21-3 record, two GLVC titles and two NCAA Division II playoff appearances.
Last season, UIndy ran off 10 consecutive wins, including a first-round playoff victory, on the way to a 10-2 mark. The
38-27 win against No. 19 Fort Hays State marked the program's second-ever postseason triumph.
Since UIndy football joined the GLVC in 2012, Gillin has helped the Hounds to six conference titles and five NCAA playoff appearances, a span that includes a stellar 66-17 (.795) overall record.
In his first season calling plays for the UIndy offense in 2017, Gillin helped guide the Greyhounds to program records for wins in a season (11), consecutive wins (15) and scoring offense (38.2 ppg).
No stranger to the UIndy campus, Gillin was a graduate assistant in 2009 after a successful three-year career as the Greyhound signal caller from 2005-07. He has since served as the team’s video and recruiting coordinator at various points in his coaching tenure.
A high school coach’s son, Gillin has mentored some of the best quarterbacks in school history. Four of his proteges rank first, second, third and fifth in program history in career completion percentage, respectively, with Gillin himself ranking fourth. His most-recent pupil, Jake Purichia, set the school record for passing efficiency in 2017 before being named the GLVC Offensive Player of the Year as well as earning candidacy for the prestigious Harlon Hill Award, giving annually to Division II’s top football player.
Previous Gillin mentees include Connor Barthel (led DII in completion percentage in 2015) and Chris Mills (2011 GLIAC Offensive Player of the Year and Harlon Hill candidate).
Gillin first came to UIndy as a student-athlete in the fall of 2005 after spending one year at Division I Ball State University. The Mooresville, Ind., native captained the Greyhounds to three straight winning seasons, capped by a senior campaign that included 2,475 passing yards and 20 touchdowns.
At the time of his graduation, Gillin was the school’s all-time leader in pass efficiency (135.4), while ranking third in completions (521), passing yards (6,542) and passing TDs (47). All those marks remain in the top six.
Arguably his best collegiate performance came in the 2007 Homecoming tilt against Hillsdale, where Gillin rallied the Hounds in the closing seconds for a 34-30 come-from-behind win. The senior gunslinger completed 33 of 49 attempts while producing a career-high 402 yards passing and four touchdowns in the thrilling victory.
As a prep, Gillin was a standout at nearby Indian Creek High School. He set the state’s single-season passing TD mark (60) in 2002, besting the previous record held by 1990 NFL No. 1 draft pick Jeff George. An Indiana Mr. Football finalist, Gillin guided Indian Creek to a 34-4 mark over four seasons, including four straight conference titles. He finished his career ranked fourth in state history in career passing yards; his total of 8,806 yards is currently good for 12th all-time.
