Bob Nielson (born September 28, 1959) is an American former

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

coach. He served as the head football coach at Ripon College (1989–1990),

Wartburg College Wartburg College is a Private college, private Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Lutheran Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Waverly, Iowa. History Wartburg College was founded in 1852 in Saginaw, Michig ...

(1991–1995), the

University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire The University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire (UW–Eau Claire, UWEC or simply Eau Claire) is a public university in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, United States. It is part of the University of Wisconsin System and offers Bachelor's degree, bachelor's and ...

(1996–1998),

University of Minnesota–Duluth The University of Minnesota Duluth (UMD) is a public university in Duluth, Minnesota, United States. It is part of the University of Minnesota System. UMD offers 17 bachelor's degrees in 87 Academic major, majors, graduate programs in 24 differen ...

(1999–2003, 2008–2012),

Western Illinois University Western Illinois University (WIU) is a public university in Macomb, Illinois, United States. It was founded in 1899 as Western Illinois State Normal School. As the normal school grew, it became Western Illinois State Teachers College. Once West ...

(2013–2015), and the

University of South Dakota The University of South Dakota (USD) is a public research university in Vermillion, South Dakota, United States. Established by the Dakota Territory legislature in 1862, 27 years before the establishment of the state of South Dakota, USD is t ...

(2016–2024). His

Minnesota–Duluth Bulldogs The Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs are the athletic teams that represent the University of Minnesota Duluth. They were first named Bulldogs in 1933. Their colors are maroon and gold. The school competes in the NCAA's Division II and the Northern Sun ...

won the NCAA Division II Football Championship in 2008 and 2010. Nielson grew up in

Marion, Iowa Marion is a city in Linn County, Iowa, United States. The population was 26,294 at the 2000 census and was 41,535 in 2020, an increase of 58%. The city is located next to Cedar Rapids and part of the Cedar Rapids Metropolitan Statistical Area ...

, and is a 1982 graduate of Wartburg College in

Waverly, Iowa Waverly is a city in Bremer County, Iowa, United States. The population was 10,394 at the time of the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Bremer County and is part of the Waterloo-Cedar Falls metropolitan area. The sister city of Waverly is ...

. He received his master's degree from the

University of Northern Iowa The University of Northern Iowa (UNI) is a public university in Cedar Falls, Iowa, United States. UNI offers more than 90 majors across five colleges. The fall 2024 total enrollment was 9,283 students. The university was initially founded in 1 ...

in 1988. He began his coaching career in 1981 as an assistant at Wartburg and was promoted to

defensive coordinator A defensive coordinator (DC) is a coach responsible for a gridiron football team's defense. Generally, the defensive coordinator, offensive coordinator and special teams coordinator represent the second level of a team's coaching structure, wit ...

in 1986. Nielson retired from coaching after the 2024 season, and was succeeded by Travis Johansen as head coach of the

South Dakota Coyotes football The South Dakota Coyotes football program is the intercollegiate American football team for the University of South Dakota located in the U.S. state of South Dakota. The team competes in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FC ...

program.

Head coaching record

References

External links

South Dakota profile
1959 births Living people Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs football coaches Ripon Red Hawks football coaches South Dakota Coyotes football coaches Wartburg Knights football coaches Wartburg Knights football players Western Illinois Leathernecks football coaches Wisconsin–Eau Claire Blugolds football coaches Wartburg College alumni University of Northern Iowa alumni People from Marion, Iowa Sportspeople from Linn County, Iowa Sportspeople from Cedar Rapids, Iowa Long stubs with short prose {{1980s-collegefootball-coach-stub

Head coaching record

See also

References

External links