JACKSON - Aaron Pelch, a National Football League assistant coach, who from 2006 until 2009 coached at Millsaps College, has been named the newest head football coach at Millsaps College. 

An assistant special teams coach for the NFL's Oakland Raiders, Pelch coached linebackers, the defensive line and special teams at Millsaps beginning in 2006 before taking over as associate head football coach from December 2007 to March 2009.

He succeeds Mike DuBose who concluded four years as head football coach before joining the University of Memphis coaching staff in December 2009. Pelch will assume his duties effective immediately.

Pelch was a member of the Millsaps College coaching staff during the 2006-2008 seasons in which the Majors won three consecutive Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference titles and had a pair of NCAA Division III national playoff appearances.

During his years at Millsaps, Pelch coached six All-SCAC defensive line selections, a First Team All-SCAC linebacker, a SCAC Co-Defensive Player-of-the-Year and a defensive All-America honoree. The team's defensive line ranked second in rushing defense in the conference in 2006 and improved to first in 2007.

Millsaps gained Special Teams Player-of-the-Year nods for three consecutive years under Pelch's leadership and had the SCAC's best net punt average in 2007 (8th nationally) and 2008 (5th nationally). The Majors were also the top SCAC punt return team in 2007 and 2008. Pelch also saw his team receive an All-America selection at special teams.

He has a bachelor's degree from Weber State University and has coached at New Mexico Highlands University in Las Vegas, N.M., and Everett Alvarez High School in Salinas, Calif.

Pelch's coaching philosophy is this: “I believe to be a great coach you must be a great teacher. A great football coach is someone that can guide his group of young men to victory on the field and by doing so, have a profound positive effect on their lives.”

Brit Katz, vice president for student life and dean of students, said he welcomes Pelch's return to Millsaps football and campus life. “Aaron built a significant network of support among scholar-athletes, parents, supporters, and colleagues during his three years at the college,” he said. “He is familiar with our regional and national student recruitment goals and will quickly re-acclimate to our campus culture.”

Tim Wise, Millsaps athletic director, said individuals and groups who met the finalists for the job considered Pelch the top choice. “He knows our programs, our scholar-athletes, and our mission for placing academics as our highest priority,” Wise said. “We look forward to his immediate start during the important student-athlete recruiting season.”

Acting President Howard McMillan said Millsaps is committed to the lessons of discipline and integrity modeled for its scholar-athletes by its athletic staff. “I believe we have in Aaron Pelch an outstanding coach and leader who is dedicated to the successes of this program on and off the field,” he said.