Concordia University, St. Paul Athletics

Paul Roth scored Concordia’s first touchdown on the first Comet football team in 1969 and would become a Lutheran All-America Second Team performer in 1970 as he averaged 6.8 yards per carry. In the same year, he led the baseball team in RBI as a two-sport star for the Comets. He’d also play semi-pro baseball in Arkansas during his Concordia years. By 1971, Roth would be an All-Tri State Conference Second Team performer as he led the Comets in rushing, averaging 100-plus yards per game with a 5.4 average per carry. He set records for longest pass play (82 yards), longest run from scrimmage, yards per carry and yards per game averages.

Roth’s career as a student-athlete paved the way for a long, successful career in coaching, notably at the high school and collegiate levels. His coaching career began with an internship in 1974 in Little Rock, Ark., coaching football and basketball where he was an All-Star Football Coach and led the basketball team to an undefeated campaign while earning a city championship. After graduation, he remained at Concordia in 1976 as the Comets’ offensive coordinator and by 1977 helped guide a record-setting offense to a 9-1 record in 1977. In that memorable season, the Comets set team records for most points in a game and season while leading Minnesota Colleges in points per game average. They set a club record for most touchdown passes and rushing touchdowns and rushing average.

The following year, 1978, Roth’s legacy would return to the baseball diamond as a successful two-sport coach for the Comets. As the baseball team’s head coach, he led the Comets to a region championship as the team finished third place at the National Small College (NSCAA) World Series. The following year, 1979, Roth was named the UMAC Coach of the Year.

He would coach two seasons of football at Hamline University (1979-80) and then returned to the high school level at DeLaSalle for a good part of the next decade (1981-88).

His coaching then took him to the Southeast region where in 1993 he led his baseball team to an undefeated regional championship and finished the year 25-3 overall, earning Clayton County, South Metro and Metro Atlanta Coach of the Year honors. That year, he coached the Player of the Year and was voted Top Coaches in Georgia. His team repeated as undefeated regional champions in 1994 and finished 26-4 overall. He repeated as Clayton County and South Metro Coach of the Year. On the gridiron in the fall of 1994, he was named Assistant Football Coach of the Year in Georgia, with his team posting a 10-1 record and an undefeated regional championship campaign.

More recently, Roth was named 2006 Metro Atlanta Football Coach of the Year and 2010-11 GHSA Assistant Football Coach of the Year once again.

He has coached 10 All-Americans and 12 All-State football players, helping guide 15 players to professional football careers with four active professional players and expects to add to that total in the coming season. On the diamond, he’s coached four players who have reached professional baseball.

He went on to earn his master’s degree at Central Michigan University and would also earn a specialist degree from Lincoln Memorial University.

Born in St. Cloud and a graduate of Janesville High School, Roth now resides in Fayetteville, Ga. and remains a teacher and coach at Lovejoy High School as well as athletic director at Mill Middle School, nearly 40 years after his coaching career began in 1974 in Little Rock, Ark. He is a talent scout for LRS Sports and a host for the National Glazier Clinics. He works as a consultant for football teams, giving coaching clinics on and off the field. He has served on the State Drug committee and Metro Athletic Council, helping create the voting process for the top-10 rankings for high school baseball in Georgia.

Paul and his wife, Denise, have two children, Peyton and Avery. Their daughter, Peyton, was a 3-sport athlete in high school and is a Division II student-athlete on the softball team at Armstrong Atlantic State University. Their son, Avery, is a sophomore in high school and also a 3-sport prep athlete. His wife, Denise, is a successful softball and track & field coach in Georgia.