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Sep. 6—MITCHELL — When the opportunity came along to lead a defense again, Chris Bessler couldn’t pass it up.
Bessler was brought in to be Dakota Wesleyan football’s defensive coordinator and linebackers coach back in January following a long coaching tenure at his alma mater Doane University (Neb.). He served as the defensive coordinator at Doane from 2007 to 2017 and head coach from 2018 to 2023, compiling a 23-36 record in six seasons. He resigned as head coach after a 2-9 season in 2023.
While appreciative of the opportunity to be a head coach of a college program, being able to coach on one side of the football presented Bessler the ability to work on an individual level with the players, making DWU the perfect fit.
“When you’re a head coach, you kind of get torn and you’re not able to do as much on one side of the ball,” Bessler said. “I’m really excited about having the chance to coordinate a defense and work with the kids a bit more individually, one-on-one … Mitchell is a very nice, welcoming town. It was a great opportunity.”
Coaching the Tigers is just the latest stop in a career that’s spanned three decades, beginning back in 1995 as a student coach at Doane, which followed a four-year playing career as an all-conference linebacker. Bessler was on the Doane Tigers when they made the NAIA playoffs in 1993.
Following stops between the high school and college ranks, including a year as an assistant coach at Northern State in 2000, Bessler turned Doane’s defense into one of the best in the country, as the Tigers allowed just 16 points per game in 2015, which was the fourth-best in the NAIA.
Bringing along a wealth of experience and pedigree into the DWU coaches room, along with a different perspective having coached in the Great Plains Athletic Conference since 2007, has helped head coach Alex Kretzschmar…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/returning-roots-gpac-veteran-chris-235000412.html
Author : The Daily Republic, Mitchell, S.D.
Publish date : 2024-09-06 23:50:00
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