Tom Kanka enters his third year on the varsity coaching staff, working with the defensive linemen and bringing a legendary football background to the program. A 1980 All-State defensive lineman at Columbia Central High School in Brooklyn, Michigan, Kanka went on to a stellar collegiate career at Hillsdale College, where he was named an NAIA All-American (Division 1), a Kodak All-American (Division 2), and served as team captain in 1983. His playing career continued at the professional level with stints as a defensive lineman for the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1984 and the Detroit Lions in 1985.
Kanka brings extensive coaching experience at both the high school and collegiate levels, having served as a Defensive Line and Strength Coordinator at Ferris State University (1986–1990) and Hillsdale College (1991), as well as coaching at Columbia Central High School (1985–1986) and in the Hamburg Youth Football program (2013–2020). Tom has also built a successful 33-year executive career in the transportation and logistics industry. Tom and his wife of 22 years, Beverly, have three children: Bobby, a sophomore football player at the University of Michigan; Emma, an incoming freshman on the track and field team at EMU; and Frank, a junior football player at Howell.
“Get Off – Hands – Effort.”