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Northland College names Stu Engen as new men's head basketball coach

April 23, 2012

Northland College Director of Athletics Bill Wilson has announced the hiring of Stu Engen as men's head basketball coach for the Northland LumberJacks. Engen will begin coaching at Northland College this week. He will also carry out additional duties as Northland's Assistant Director of Athletics.

"We are very pleased to welcome Stu Engen to the Northland College family," said Wilson. "He is the perfect fit to lead us into the new era of LumberJack Basketball. Stu is a proven winner who has had a great deal of success at the NCAA Division III level. It is rewarding to see how excited Stu is to be a part of Northland College and the momentum we are experiencing on our campus."

Engen most recently coached at Minnesota State University-Moorhead (MSU-Moorhead) for eight seasons. He previously held head coaching positions at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse (UW-L) (2000-2002), Upper Iowa University (UIU) (1992-2000) and Western Wisconsin Technical College (1990-1992). Engen also served as an assistant coach at the University of South Dakota and Augsburg College. Engen's experience extends beyond the basketball court. At each of his coaching stops, he has taught classes as well as performed administrative duties.

"Good coaching positions are sometimes about timing. Under the new leadership of Northland College President Michael A. Miller and new athletic leadership of Coach Wilson, I don't think the timing could be any better to be the men's head basketball coach at Northland College," Engen stated. "The most rewarding experiences for me originate from serving others and creating positive change. I look forward to working with this transitional team in serving the best interest of Northland College students both academically and athletically."

A 1986 graduate of Augsburg College, Engen has a career head coaching record of 306-228. He has also received six collegiate Coach of The Year Awards. In 2011, he was inducted into the Augsburg Athletics Hall of Fame and the Iowa Basketball Coaches Association recognized Engen with the Paul Maaske Memorial Award in 1999.

During Engen's tenure at MSU-Moorhead, his 2003 team achieved the best record for MSU-Moorhead's basketball team in 28 years. The 2003 team just missed a trip to the NCAA Division II Tournament - finishing second in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) Tournament. While at UW-L, Engen's 2002 team finished as runner-up in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC). For his efforts, Engen was named WIAC Coach of The Year. He also achieved unprecedented success during his tenure at Upper Iowa University, a NCAA Division III school. In eight seasons, Engen compiled an overall record of 135-70. Under Engen's leadership, UIU won three Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (IIAC) Championships and one Conference Tournament Championship during the first year of the tournament. Engen was also presented with the IIAC Coach of The Year Award on three occasions. His 1994 UIU team achieved the largest turnaround in the history of the IIAC (last to first). In 1996 and 1999, Engen's UIU teams reached the peak of their performance by participating in the NCAA Division III Tournament, hosting both of those games.

Engen and his wife, Mary, have four children: daughters Mikkel (18), Alyse (17), Tierza (14) and son E.J. (12).