Former WSU linebacker and defensive end Ivan McLennan, affectionately known as “Coach Macc,” shone on the field in his two years in Pullman. Now you can find him in the classroom teaching history at Kamiak High School in Mukilteo, Wash. On Friday nights, he is on the sidelines leading the Kamiak Knights. He is currently in his third season as the head coach of the Knights. 

“I always wanted to inspire the youth; this is my way of inspiring the youth. This is my way to create change within a community, and I enjoy it,” McLennan said. 

McLennan did not discover his love for the game until later than most players. 

“I got into football randomly. One of my buddies, he told me to come to a football practice with him at the end of our eighth-grade year, going into freshman year of high school,” he said. “I went with him and we ended running ten-hundredths. I just kept showing up the next day and the next day.

His journey to WSU was less than linear. He was born in Southern California, and after high school, he attended El Camino Junior College for two years. After his time at El Camino, he found his way to Pullman. 

“It was quite an experience growing up my whole life in South Central LA,” said McLennan. “Personally, my first ever time taking a plane was actually taking my official visit to Pullman. That was the first time I ever got on the plane, so going there seeing the snow… it was Leach’s first year…they took a shot on me. It kind of felt right, so I decided to go there. I believed what Leach was talking about and his coaching staff. I ultimately decided to go there, and it was a great decision.” 

In his time at WSU, he was able to make a name for himself, ending his WSU career with 61 tackles, two passes deflected, a forced fumble, and one block. He did go on to play professionally in the Canadian Football League for three years. He then signed with the Massachusetts Pirates in the Indoor Football League, which was where he finished his career. A year later, he was named the head coach of Kamiak.

“I love coaching at Kamiak,” he said. “I love teaching at Kamiak. It’s an awesome environment. I just want to continue to build on it to add on it, and who knows, create our own legacy football-wise throughout the great city of Mukilteo.”

For McLennan, the most rewarding part of being a coach is allowing his kids to be able to find belief in themselves.

“The most rewarding thing to me is to see a bunch of kids believe, that’s the most rewarding thing to me,” he said. “A lot of it ultimately comes down to me trying to nurture these kids’ belief systems… Football is a sport that forces you to believe in yourself… when you get on the gridiron, you get put in certain situations where in that moment, in that sport, it tests that belief system in that moment and to see a bunch of kids finally believe and see belief it gives me hope.”

This belief system that McLennan has been able to implement into his players has worked, as last season he had five players continue their football career into college.

“I think that we have done an awesome job getting kids recruited in the last three years that I’ve been head coach. I think I’ve done an awesome job creating exposure for my players,” he said. 

There are two players in this year’s class who plan on continuing their football careers in college. McLennan is very confident in the future of the program. 

“I have a great group of kids, 15-year-old sophomores, that’s really coming and I have no doubt that they are gonna be some of the best kids in the state of Washington by the time they are seniors,” He said 

McLennan sees his style of coaching as being someone who holds his kids accountable and gets the best out of them while still being a person that they can talk to.

“It’s connectivity, it’s nurturing, trying to instill in kids’ minds that you can achieve anything you want, and holding them accountable to the goals they set… On the gridiron, I am a passionate coach…I care,” he said. “That’s what kind of coach I am. I’m a caring coach.. I care about my guys.” 

In addition to coaching and teaching, McLennan is a dad navigating what has been another joy in his life. 

“My son, he’s a great kid. I love him… It ain’t easy but it’s so worth it… the boys know him and it’s so awesome,” he said. 

His journey has been full of twists and turns, but he has been able to find his passion. 

“I could be sacking some quarterbacks on Sunday right now, but this kind of beats that,” he said.