Ehlen has 22 years of Division I head coaching experience, posting a 362-279 overall record in stints at Toledo (1995-08) and Xavier (1986-95).

Ehlen, one of the winningest coaches in Mid-American Conference history, earned four MAC Coach of the Year awards at Toledo and led the Rockets to eight MAC titles and six postseason berths. In February of 2016, he was inducted onto the Toledo Athletics Hall of Fame.

A two-time Women's Basketball Coaches Association District 4 Coach of the Year, Ehlen posted a 240-149 record and finished his career at Toledo second in MAC history in conference wins and fifth in overall winning percentage. His 1998-99 team was ranked No. 25 in the final Associated Press poll.

Ehlen teams have also performed well in the classroom. At Toledo, his players were selected first-team Academic All-MAC eight times and Academic All-District IV first-team seven times, including one CoSIDA Academic All-America pick. The Rockets' success in the classroom was recognized by the WBCA's Academic Top-25 Team Honor Roll four times during his tenure. In 2001-02, the Rockets posted a 3.465 overall team GPA to finish second nationally among more than 300 Division I programs. The Rockets finished in the top eight on three other occasions and posted a 100 percent graduation rate for four-year players during Ehlen's tenure.

At Xavier, Ehlen won 122 games and led the Musketeers to the first NCAA Tournament appearance in school history in 1993. He helped XU to the Midwestern Collegiate Conference regular-season title in 1992 and the conference tournament title in 1993. His players held above a 3.0 grade point average during his nine-year tenure and achieved a 100 percent graduation rate for four-year players during that span.

Prior to Xavier, Ehlen spent one season as an assistant coach at Dayton, helping the Flyers to an 18-12 record and a second-place finish in the North Star Conference in 1985-86.

He also spent time as an assistant coach at Miami (Ohio) from 2011-13 and Cincinnati (2009-11).

Ehlen was an accomplished high school coach before joining the college ranks, spending five seasons (1979-85) at Forest Park HS in Cincinnati. He compiled a 100-18 overall record and led Forest Park to the 1984 state championship, the first state title for a Cincinnati-area girl's basketball team. He twice earned Ohio High School Coach of the Year honors and was inducted into the Greater Cincinnati Basketball Hall of Fame in 2002. A four-time Hamilton County High School Coach of the Year, he also earned Cincinnati High School Coach of the Year honors in 1983 and 1984.

A 1975 graduate of Ohio State, Ehlen received a bachelor's degree in communications education. He also earned a master's degree in broadcast communications from Bowling Green in 1979.

Ehlen and his wife, Mimi, have a daughter, Eliza.