James Monroe Christopherson (born February 17, 1938) is an
American football player and coach. He played professional football for the
Minnesota Vikings in 1962 and was the head coach at
Concordia College in
Moorhead, Minnesota from 1969 to 2000. He was inducted into the
College Football Hall of Fame
The College Football Hall of Fame is a hall of fame and interactive attraction devoted to college football. The National Football Foundation (NFF) founded the Hall in 1951 to immortalize the players and coaches of college football that were vote ...
in July 2007.
He has a wife (Sandra (Sandy) Christopherson) and two children: Reid Christopherson and Heather Teigen. Reid, his wife April, and their four children reside in Colorado Springs, CO. Heather has a husband, Troy, and three children living with her at home in Lake Park, Minnesota.
Christopherson coached the Cobbers for 32 seasons, from 1969 to 2000. During that time he amassed a 217–102–7 record. He helped guide the Cobbers to NAIA national championships in 1978 and 1981 and won 11
Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) titles during his tenure.
When Christopherson retired in 2000 he was third in wins among active NCAA Division III coaches. He was also fifth in winning percentage among active Division III coaches with more than 15 years of experience and 16th in winning percentage among all active Division III coaches. He was also among an elite group of coaches who have coached for over 30 years at the same school.
Christopherson, who played for the Minnesota Vikings for two seasons, is the first player or coach from Concordia to receive the college game's highest honor. He became only the second player or coach from the MIAC to be enshrined in the Hall of Fame.
During his tenure at Concordia, Christopherson guided 16 players to All-American honors. He also produced over 120 athletes that were named to the MIAC All-Conference Team, including
Barry Bennett
Barry Martin Bennett (December 10, 1955 – August 19, 2019) was a professional American football defensive tackle who played eleven seasons in the National Football League (NFL) for the New Orleans Saints, New York Jets and the Minnesota Vikings. ...
, Sr. and Barry Bennett, Jr.
As a player for the Cobbers, Christopherson was the team captain in 1959 and was named the MIAC Most Valuable Player during that season.
In addition to coaching football, Christopherson also taught sailing at Concordia.
Head coaching record
See also
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List of college football coaches with 200 wins
References
External links
*
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1938 births
Living people
American football halfbacks
American football linebackers
American football placekickers
American players of Canadian football
Canadian football placekickers
Concordia Cobbers football coaches
Concordia Cobbers football players
Minnesota Vikings players
Toronto Argonauts players
College Football Hall of Fame inductees
People from Otter Tail County, Minnesota
People from Wadena, Minnesota
Coaches of American football from Minnesota
Players of American football from Minnesota
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