The current all-time wins leader as head football coach at Evangel, Chuck Hepola has served as Director of Athletics at Evangel University since January 2025. A proud Evangel alumnus, Hepola returned to his alma mater in 2015 and has since returned the Evangel football program back into a consistent championship contender, currently boasting a 70-36 record as head football coach.
In his early years at the helm, Hepola quickly elevated the Valor to national prominence. By 2017, Evangel captured a share of the Heart South Division title, earning Hepola back-to-back Heart South Division Coach of the Year honors in 2017 and 2018. His teams became a fixture in the NAIA Top 20, with the 2018 and 2019 squads breaking into the Top 10 and climbing as high as No. 6 in the nation. The 2018 season stood out in particular, as Evangel opened 7-0 and secured three wins over ranked opponents, including a signature victory over eventual NAIA national runner-up Benedictine.
The 2023 season marked a historic milestone under Hepola’s leadership. The Valor completed their first undefeated regular season since 2001, finishing 11-0 and earning the program’s first postseason appearance since 2005, earning the KCAC and AFCA Region 3 Head Coach of the Year. In his most recent season as head coach (2025), the Valor boasted a 9-3 record, earning the Kessinger division title, their second in the last three seasons, while competing in the NAIA playoffs, also earning KCAC Coach of the Year honors.
Known for building dominant defenses, Hepola has guided multiple players to conference and national recognition. His teams have produced four Heart Defensive Player of the Year and three KCAC DPOY honorees, including standout performers such as Josh Evans, a two-time Cliff Harris Award finalist, and Andreas Moeller, the 2018 recipient. Additional honorees include Sam Morton (2019), Athanie Leeviraphan (2022), Bradley Myers (2023 & 24), and most recently Zach Myers (2025), who was also named the CSC NAIA Academic Team Member of the Year. Under his leadership, numerous players have also earned All-American honors, including Evans—the first Associated Press All-American of Hepola’s tenure—as well as unanimous NAIA selections Moeller, Leeviraphan, and both Myers brothers.
Off the field, Hepola has placed a strong emphasis on academic achievement and the spiritual development of his athletes. Since 2016, 142 players have been named NAIA Scholar-Athletes, with the program setting records with 23 honorees in the 2024 season. His student-athletes have also earned national academic distinctions, including CSC Academic All-America honors. In 2023, 40 student athletes were baptized over the bye week following practice, beginning an annual tradition for the Valor football program.
Before returning to Evangel, Hepola gained extensive coaching experience across multiple levels, including nine seasons in NCAA Division I. He spent five years at Nicholls State, where he served as associate head coach, special teams coordinator, and running backs coach, developing multiple All-Southland Conference players and contributing to notable program victories. His coaching career began in southwest Missouri at the high school level, with stops at Logan-Rogersville, Willard, and Hillcrest.
Hepola earned his bachelor’s degree in Education from Evangel University in 1991 and his master’s degree in Education from Drury University in 2002. He and his wife, Kirstin, have two children: Courtney, a former Evangel soccer player, and Chance, who played football for the Valor.
