The University of Sioux Falls is proud to announce the hiring of
Jed Stugart as the Cougars head football coach. Stugart is only the third head coach in the last 27 seasons and 20th head coach in program history.
"After a thorough and extensive search, we have found our guy in Jed Stugart" said athletic director William Sanchez. "In terms of exposure within the different levels of the NCAA and NAIA, Jed will be the most experienced football coach to ever walk the University of Sioux Falls sidelines. With the success that our program has achieved, that speaks volumes," said Sanchez.
Stugart comes to the University of Sioux Falls from the University of Central Missouri where he served as Defensive Coordinator until yesterday. USF was fortunate to hire him away from UCM during a two-month transitioning process where he had not yet moved his family from Las Vegas to Missouri. Last season, Stugart was the linebackers coach for the University of Nevada-Las Vegas (UNLV). He accepted the position at UNLV last spring and only served one season before the entire coaching staff was let go. In December UNLV fired head coach Mike Sanford after five seasons even though the Rebels were only one win away from being bowl eligible. Last fall UNLV went 5 and 7 with key wins over Hawaii, New Mexico, Colorado State, and San Diego State. Of UNLV's seven losses, all seven were to teams that made it to a major bowl game last season including TCU and Oregon State.
Prior to coaching at UNLV, Stugart was head coach of Mid-America Nazarene for three seasons where he compiled a 26-7 overall record. Stugart went 7-3 in his first season in 2006 at Mid-America and followed that with a 9-3 record in 2007 and 10-1 record in 2008. Although Stugart wasn't at Mid-America this past fall, the team he built went 10-2 and eventually lost to Carroll in the quarterfinal round. Stugart was named the 2008 NAIA Region 3 Coach of the Year by the American Football Coaches Association while coaching the Pioneers to a Heart of America conference championship.
Stugart spent a total of seven seasons at the University of Northern Colorado (UNC) in Greeley, Colo., serving as defensive line and linebackers coach for four seasons, from 1999-2002. After the 2002 season Stugart was promoted to defensive coordinator, a position he held through the 2005 season. With the Bears, Stugart was on the coaching staff of a team that won two North Central Conference Championships and made two postseason appearances.
"We were looking for a person who could bring much more to the table than just the ability to coach football. As our athletic program transitions from NAIA to NCAA, it is imperative that our football team serve as a catalyst for our overall success. I am thrilled that we found a multi-talented coach, teacher, and mentor and someone who has a passion for Christian higher education to lead that institutional effort" said Mark Benedetto, USF President.
Stugart spent his playing days and started his coaching career as a graduate assistant at Azusa Pacific University, in Azusa, Calif. He earned a bachelor's degree in communication at APU and later received a master's degree in communication at UNC. Stugart and his wife, Angie, have a son, Gunner (9), and a daughter, Gracie (7).
Media and fans are invited to the Stewart Center on Monday, February 22 at 3:00 p.m. for a press conference, which will serve as the formal introduction of Stugart.
