Education
A native of Beloit, Ohio, Heacock graduated from West Branch High School in 1979 and earned a bachelor"s degree in health and physical education from Muskingum College in 1983.
A native of Beloit, Ohio, Heacock graduated from West Branch High School in 1979 and earned a bachelor"s degree in health and physical education from Muskingum College in 1983.
He was the head coach at the Youngstown State University from 2001 to 2009, where he compiled a record of 60–44. Heacock served as an assistant coach at Youngstown State for seven seasons (1991–1996, 2000) under Jim Tressel before Tressel left to assume the head coaching position at Ohio State University. He participated in both football and track and field at Muskingum.
Assistant coach
After graduating from Muskingum in 1983, Heacock accepted a position as a graduate assistant defensive line coach at the University of Toledo.
In 1984, he served on the football coaching staff at Steubenville High School, where he helped the team to an Ohio Division II State Championship. Heacock then served as the defensive coordinator, defensive line coach, and secondary coach at West Liberty University from 1985 to 1987.
Heacock then moved on as an assistant coach at the United States Military Academy before joining the coaching staff at Youngstown State in 1991. During the next five seasons (1992–1996) he was promoted and served as the defensive coordinator.
Youngstown State advanced to the I-Associate of Arts title game for four consecutive years, winning in 1991 over Marshall, losing to Marshall in 1992, rebounding with a victory over Marshall 1993, and beating Boise State in 1994.
Youngstown State finished 3–8 in 1995 and 8–3 in 1996, bringing the Penguins" record to 61–19–2 during Heacock"s six-year stint as an assistant. Heacock left YSU for a period of three years to serve as the defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach at Indiana University. He returned to Youngstown State in 2000 as the defensive coordinator.
His defense was ranked 15th in the nation in scoring allowed and the Penguins finished 9–3.
In 2013, Heacock left Kent State to take the Safeties Coach position at Purdue, following Darrell Hazell. In 2014, Heacock returned to the MAC when he was named the defensive coordinator for Toledo.
Head coach
Heacock was named Youngstown State"s fifth head football coach on January 25, 2001 when Jim Tressel left to coach at Ohio State University. The Penguins finished 8–3 in 2005, with a 5–2 record in conference that earned the program its first-ever Gateway Conference title, in a tie with Northern Iowa University and Southern Illinois University.
Foreign the seventh time in school history, the Penguins advanced to the National Collegiate Athletic Association semifinals, defeating foes James Madison University and Illinois State University before falling to top-ranked Appalachian State University.
They finished with an 11–3 overall record. On November 22, 2009, Heacock announced his resignation as head coach at Youngstown State.