ANGOLA, Ind. – The Trine University football program has announced their updated coaching staff for the 2025 season, including a trio of new faces. Matthew Keith and Charles "Doc" Gamble join the staff to work with the offense while Wayne Racine and will work on the defensive side. Gamble and Racine will also both coordinate the special teams.
Keith, a 2015 graduate of the University of Mount Union, comes to Trine having most recently served as the offensive coordinator, recruiting coordinator and tight ends coach at North Park University for the past two seasons. Before that he spent five seasons at North Carolina Wesleyan University serving as offensive line coach and later as offensive coordinator. He has also served in shorter stints at the College of St. Scholastica and Beloit College. Keith will act as Co-Offensive Coordinator, Run Game Coordinator and Offensive Line Coach for the Thunder this season.
Racine, a 1991 graduate of Columbia College, arrives at Trine with ample coaching experience. His two most recent stops were Midland (Neb.) University where he worked with tight ends in 2024 and Cornell (Iowa) College where he worked with the defensive line for a pair of seasons. During his career he has made numerous coaching stops working primarily with the defensive side of the ball. Some more familiar stops include Hanover College and the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology. Racine will coach the linebackers for Trine while also serving as Co-Special Teams Coordinator.
Gamble, a 1995 graduate of the University of Tennessee at Martin, has spent the last two seasons of his long career as the special teams coordinator at Florida A&M University. In 2023 the Rattlers won the HBCU National Championship and the 2023 Celebration Bowl. Before that he made stops at Marshall University, University of Arkansas-Pine Bluff, where he served as head coach, and Kent State University. During his time as head coach at UAPB he was named the 2020-21 HBCU National Coach of the Year and was a finalist for the 2020-21 Eddie Robinson FCS Coach of the Year Award. That 2020-21 season saw UAPB record their first undefeated regular season since 1937 and become the SWAC Western Division Champions. At Trine, he will work with running backs while also serving as Co-Special Teams Coordinator.
In addition to the new faces, the Thunder have also made three promotions from within for this season. Robert Riley and Jonas Williams have taken over as Co-Defensive Coordinators while continuing to work with their respective position groups. Tyler Bolen now serves as the Offensive Coordinator.
In 2024, Trine finished the season with a 6-4 overall record, going 4-3 in Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association play. They placed fourth in the MIAA standings. They will open the 2025 campaign with a trip to face Christopher Newport University on Saturday, September 6. Their home opener is on Saturday, September 13 when they welcome the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology to Angola for a 7 p.m. start.
