Mike Gardner
Michael Norman Gardner (born March 9, 1967, in Concordia, Kansas) is the current head college football coach for the Malone College (Ohio) Pioneers located in Canton, Ohio. He has held that position since the 2006 season and is the fifth football coach at the school. His coaching record at Malone is 15 wins, 8 losses, and 0 ties. As of the conclusion of the 2007 season, this ranks him second at Malone in total wins and second at Malone in winning percentage. [1]
Coaching career
Gardner began in coaching as Special Teams and Recruiting Coordinator at Hastings College from 1990 to 1993. He later held assistant coaching positions at Bethel College (Kansas), Lindenwood University, and Tabor College. In 2004, he became the head coach at Tabor College and held that position until 2006, when he was named head coach at Malone College following the 2006 season. His team at Malone began the 2008 season ranked #24 in the NAIA pre-season poll.[2]
Coaching resume
| Year | Position | School |
|---|---|---|
| 2006-Present | Head Coach | Malone College |
| 2004-2005 | Head Coach | Tabor College (Kansas) |
| 2001-2003 | Defensive Coordinator | Tabor College (Kansas) |
| 2000 | Defensive Coodinator | Lindenwood University (Missouri) |
| 1996-1999 | Special Teams Coordinator | Lindenwood University (Missouri) |
| 1993-1996 | Quarterbacks Coach Tight End Coach Wide Receivers Coach |
Bethel College (Kansas) |
| 1990-1993 | Special Teams Coach Recruiting Coordinator |
Hastings College (Nebraska) |
Head Coaching record
| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | NAIA Coach's Poll# | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tabor College (NAIA) (Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference) (2004–2005) | |||||||||
| 2004 | Tabor | 9-2 | 8-1 | 1st | 6[3] | ||||
| 2005 | Tabor | 11-1 | 9-0 | 1st | 6[4] | ||||
| Tabor College: | 20-3 | 17-1 | |||||||
| Malone Pioneers (NAIA) (Mid-States Football Association) (2006–present) | |||||||||
| 2006 | Malone | 7-4 | 4-2 | L Victory Bowl[5] | 19[6] | ||||
| 2007 | Malone | 8-4 | 4-3 | W Victory Bowl[7] | 25[8] | ||||
| 2008 | Malone | 2-1 | 1-0 | ||||||
| Malone College: | 17-9 | 9-5 | |||||||
| Total: | 37-12 | ||||||||
| National championship Conference title Conference division title or championship game berth | |||||||||
| |||||||||
Playing career
Mike played college football for NAIA school Baker University in Baldwin City, Kansas from 1986 to 1990, where he held a school record 53 yard field goal that was broken in 2007[9]. He was an All-American each of his last three years at Baker[10]
Awards
Gardner served as the Defensive Coordinator at Tabor from 2001 to 2003 and helped guide the Bluejays to their first-ever NAIA national playoff appearance in 2003 and a #15 NAIA national ranking. He was named the AFCA NAIA Assistant Coach of the Year and the AFLAC Assistant Coach of the Year for the 2003 season. His 2003 defense ranked 11th in the final NAIA statistics while his 2002 team ranked an impressive second overall. In 2005, Gardner was named Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference "Co-Coach" of the year along with Saint Mary coach Lance Hinson.[11]
As a player, Gardner was a three-time NAIA All-American and a four-time All-Conference selection while at Baker University (KS) and he played for a national championship in 1986. He has been involved in 10 national playoff games as a player and eight as a coach and his 2005 Tabor squad won its first-round playoff contest.
Personal life
Gardner is a 1990 graduate of Baker University with a Bachelor's Degree in Physical Education. He later earned a Master of Arts in Teaching at Hastings College in 1993. Gardner and his wife have two children and live in Canton, Ohio.
He played junior high and high school football at Olathe South High School and Indian Trail Junior High School in Olathe, Kansas plus his seventh grade year at Concordia Junior-Senior High School in Concordia, Kansas.
References
- ^ Malone Coaching Records
- ^ NAIA Pre-Season Rankings
- ^ 2005 Football Postseason Rating :: Football Ratings
- ^ Malone College : Head Coach
- ^ Malone Game by Game Results
- ^ 2006 NAIA Football Postseason Final Rating :: Sioux Falls (S.D.) Claims No. 1 After Win in Title Game
- ^ Malone College : 2007 Schedule/Results
- ^ 2007 NAIA Football Top 25 Coaches' Poll Announced - #10 :: Final regular season poll has Sioux Falls (S.D.) at No. 1 for 11th straight week
- ^ http://signal.baldwincity.com/section/sports/story/6744
- ^ American Football Monthly - Rodeo Circuit - February 2004
- ^ KCAC Sports "2005 Football All-Conference Selections" November 21, 2005