Merry Christmas from Goon's World, UND has a new football coach...
GRAND FORKS, N.D. – Athletics Director Brian Faison announced on Tuesday that Kyle “Bubba” Schweigert has been named head football coach at the University of North Dakota.
GRAND FORKS, N.D. – Athletics Director Brian Faison announced on Tuesday that Kyle “Bubba” Schweigert has been named head football coach at the University of North Dakota.
Schweigert will be formally introduced as the 26th
head coach in UND history at a press conference on Friday, Dec. 27 at 10 a.m.
at the Alerus Center. The Zeeland, N.D., native returns to Grand Forks after 10
years away from a program that he helped lead to the 2001 NCAA Division II
national title as defensive coordinator.
Most recently, Schweigert was the defensive
coordinator at Southern Illinois for the previous six seasons (2008-13) and served
as associate head coach for the last five of that stretch. His 2010 defense led
the Missouri Valley in total defense and his unit finished in the top half of
the league in four of his six campaigns at SIU.
In
his six seasons at SIU, Schweigert has had three first team All-Americans and
20 all-conference selections (10 first team, six second team, four honorable
mention). His defensive standouts have included linebacker and 2012 graduate Jayson DiManche, currently playing for Cincinnati
Bengals, and cornerback Korey Lindsey, a three-time All-American and a
2011 draft pick of the Bengals. In 2013, SIU linebacker Bryan Presume earned first team All-MVFC honors after
ranking third in the league with 104 tackles. His 55 solo stops were tops in
the conference.
“It is truly an honor and a privilege to serve
the University of North Dakota as its head football coach,” said Schweigert. “I
am looking forward to hiring a staff and building a program that will represent
UND in a first-class manner, both on and off the field.
“We will put forth great effort to facilitate
positive relations with fans, alumni, the community and the student body,”
Schweigert added. “We look forward to playing exciting championship football in
front of thousands of loyal fans as we strive to win the Big Sky Conference
championship and, ultimately, reach the pinnacle of FCS football.”
Prior to reuniting with head coach Dale Lennon at
SIU, Schweigert took on his first head coaching job at the collegiate level,
leading the Division II program at Minnesota Duluth from 2004-07. He guided the
Bulldogs to a 21-20 overall record during his tenure, including the program’s
first North Central Conference title in 2005. The NCAA playoff berth that
season was the program’s second in four seasons. That same season, Schweigert
was also named the D2football.com Northwest Region Coach of the Year and the
AFCA Division II Coach of the Year for Region 5.
Schweigert was elevated to defensive coordinator at
UND prior to the 1999 season and left for Duluth after the 2003 UND team
finished as national runner-up. Schweigert was named the American Football
Coaches Association Division II Assistant Coach of the Year in 2000.
“Coach
Schweigert brings a wealth of coaching experience, is a proven recruiter, an
effective communicator and has an incredible passion for the game and for the success
of his student-athletes on the field and in the classroom,” said Faison. “From
defense to offense to special teams, his philosophy is great: ATTACK.”
Schweigert began his coaching career at his alma
mater, now Jamestown University, from 1985-1988. He earned a bachelor’s degree
in business administration from Jamestown and a master’s degree from UND. In
2002, he was honored with Jamestown’s Rollie Greeno Award for outstanding
commitment in the field of education and coaching.
Schweigert
and his wife, Laura, have two sons, Alex and Cooper.
Friday’s press conference will be held on suite level
at the Alerus Center
