Gustavus Adolphus College will be interviewing two candidates for its vacant head football coaching position on campus this Thursday, Dec. 4 and Friday, Dec. 5. The two candidates are Minneapolis Washburn High School Head Coach Peter Haugen and current Gustavus Assistant Coach Tom Brown. Haugen will be on campus all day on Thursday, while Brown will be on campus all day on Friday. The College hopes to announce its new coach as soon as possible after the interviews.
Haugen, a 1991 graduate of Bethel University, is currently the Intern Assistant Principal and Head Football Coach at Washburn High School in Minneapolis. Since becoming the head coach in 1994, Haugen has compiled a record of 111-44 overall, while winning 11 league championships and posting a league record of 76-8. He directed the Millers to the Class AAAA quarterfinals in 2007 finishing with a mark of 9-3. This past season, Haugen’s squad posted a mark of 10-2. He is presently the chair of the Minneapolis Football Conference and an active clinician working at many local and regional clinics including the NIKE Coach of the Year clinic. He also was a member of the Metro coaching staff for the Minnesota All-Star game in 1998. A two-sport standout at Bethel, Haugen was a starting tight end on the football team and a starting forward on the hockey team from 1988 to 1991.
Brown, a 1987 graduate of Augustana College in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, is currently the Assistant Head Football Coach and Offensive Coordinator as well as an instructor in the health and exercise science department at Gustavus. Since joining the Gustavus coaching staff in June of 1991, Brown has served the football program in many different capacities including wide receivers coach (1991-present), recruiting coordinator (1999-2006), special teams coordinator (1994-2006), assistant head football coach (2005-present), and offensive coordinator (2007-present). Prior to coming to Gustavus, Brown was a graduate assistant working with the wide receivers at the University of Iowa (1988-1991) and an assistant coach working with wide receivers at Augustana College (1986). A two-time All-Conference wide receiver at Augustana in 1984 and 1985, Brown played professional football with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1986 and the Cincinnati Bengals in 1987.
The new head football coach will be replacing Jay Schoenebeck, who announced he was stepping down after 15 years as the head coach just prior to the 2008 season to pursue other interests and spend more time with his family. The Golden Gustie football team finished the 2008 season with a record of 6-4 overall and 4-4 in the MIAC.