NDSCS names Engen Athletic Director and Head Men's Basketball Coach Posted on 5/29/2012
North Dakota State College of Science President John Richman announced today that Stu Engen has been named the new Athletic Director and Head Men’s Basketball Coach for the College effective immediately.
Engen replaces Scott Schumacher, who announced in May his plans to step down as Athletic Director and Head Men’s Basketball Coach after four years, to assume the men’s basketball coaching position at Blinn College in Brenham, Texas.
Engen has compiled 306 head collegiate coaching victories, and last October was inducted into the Augsburg College Athletic Hall of Fame. Eight of Engen’s former assistants have now become head collegiate basketball coaches. Engen most recently worked at Northland College, a Division III school in Ashland, Wis. He also served as Northland’s Assistant Director of Athletics.
“Stu Engen’s 24 years of coaching, comprehensive teaching and administrative experience at various collegiate levels will prove invaluable to NDSCS,” said Richman at a press conference held on the Wahpeton Campus today. “NDSCS’s athletic program will richly benefit from Engen’s leadership.”
Engen, a graduate of a two-year college, said he looks forward to the opportunity at NDSCS. “Not many Athletic Directors are given the opportunity to serve under a College President that was a former Athletic Director and a Collegiate Head Coach,” said Engen. “Considering everything President Richman has done in moving NDSCS forward, I am grateful and humbled he has awarded me this opportunity.”
“It was a two-year college that gave me my first experience as a student-athlete, my first head collegiate coaching job, and now my first experience serving as the athletic director,” commented Engen. He went on to say, “Opportunities are what we in the athletic department want to provide to our student-athletes. I believe at NDSCS we are able to reach out and serve the needs of more students and student-athletes than most colleges or universities.”
Prior to his time at Northland College, Engen coached at Minnesota State University Moorhead (MSUM) for eight seasons. Previously, he held head coaching positions at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse (2000-2002); Upper Iowa University (UIU) (1992-2000); and Western Wisconsin Technical College (1990-1992). Engen also served as an assistant coach at both the University of South Dakota and Augsburg College.
During his time at MSUM, Engen’s 2003 team achieved the best record for the Dragon’s basketball team in 28 years, just missing a trip to the NCAA Division II Tournament. They finished second in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Tournament. Engen’s MSUM team also experienced great regional success going 1-1 against North Dakota State University, 3-2 against the University of North Dakota, and 7-1 against Concordia College.
While at UW-La Crosse, Engen was men’s head basketball coach for two seasons. It was here that Engen was named the 2002 Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Coach of the Year after his team finished as runner-up in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.
Engen also achieved great success during his tenure at UIU, a NCAA Division III school. With Engen’s guidance, UIU won three Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (IIAC) Championships and also captured the first annual IIAC Conference Tournament Championship. He was also presented with the IIAC Coach of the Year award on three separate occasions.
In 1994, Engen’s team achieved the largest turnaround in the history of the IIAC. His teams made two NCAA Division III National Tournament appearances and compiled the best season record in school history, twice. In eight seasons, Engen amassed an overall record at UIU of 135-70.
Engen also coached at the NJCAA level, where in 1992, he led Western Wisconsin Tech to a school record of 25 victories, capturing the NJCAA Division III Regional Championship title and advancing to the NJCAA National Tournament in Delhi, NY.
Engen, 49, received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Adapted Physical Education from Augsburg College in 1986, where he was a two-time first team all MIAC forward, and MIAC Champion in 1985. Engen also attended Normandale Community College where he was also a first team all MCCC selection. He earned his Master of Arts at the University of South Dakota in 1990. Engen and his wife, Mary, have three daughters, Mikkel, Alyse and Tierza, and a son, EJ.
Share
