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| The Auggies won just 57 games in 15 seasons under Frank Haege, but it made him the second-winningest coach in program history. Augsburg athletics photo by Don Stoner |
Augsburg football coach Frank Haege has submitted his resignation, after leading the Auggie program for the past 15 seasons, the university announced on Monday.
After serving as an assistant coach at Augsburg from 1996-98 and as a successful head coach in arena football, Haege returned to Augsburg in 2005 as the 14th head coach in school history. He won 57 games in his 15 seasons at Augsburg, the second-most wins by any Augsburg football coach, behind his predecessor, Jack Osberg, who had 62 wins.
The Auggies were 57-93 during Haege's tenure.
"I would to thank the entire Augsburg University community for giving me the honor of being the head football coach over that past 15 years," Haege said. "It has been an amazing ride, full of great experiences and relationships. I raised my family here and Augsburg will always have a special place in our hearts. I look forward to coming back to events and being a part of the Augsburg family."
Haege will complete his coaching responsibilities at Augsburg, and he said that his last day on the Minneapolis campus will be Dec. 31. A national search will begin immediately for Haege's replacement, according to Augsburg athletic director Jeff Swenson.
"We want to thank Frank for his leadership of our football team over the last 15 years. He embraced Augsburg's culture and its mission," Swenson said. "Frank, his wife Michele and their children, Junior, AJ and MJ, have been an important part of the Augsburg athletics family, and the Haeges will always be a part of our Auggie family."
At 15 seasons, Haege was the third-longest active tenured coach in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, behind Bethel's Steve Johnson (30 years) and Concordia-Moorhead's Terry Horan (19 years). During a nine-season stretch from 2007 to 2015, Haege coached the Auggies to 45 victories, including a 6-4 record in 2011 and 7-3 record in 2012, tied for the second-most wins in a season in program history. Haege finished his Auggie career second to Osberg's 62-75 record for career victories by an Augsburg football coach.
In Haege's tenure, Augsburg players earned 10 D3football.com Division III All-America honors and 32 D3football.com All-West Region honors, along with two All-America and seven All-West Region honors from other organizations. A total of 39 Auggies earned All-MIAC first-team honors, 42 Auggies earned All-MIAC second-team honors and 36 Auggies were named All-MIAC honorable mention under Haege. Thirty-eight Auggies earned MIAC Athlete of the Week honors and 18 earned national athlete of the week honors since 2005.
Haege coached two players who earned MIAC Most Valuable Player honors (Royce Winford, 2008, and Ayrton Scott, 2015), a MIAC Mike Stam Award winner for best offensive/defensive lineman (Chris DeVet, 2014), a D3football.com West Region Offensive Player of the Year (Winford, 2008) and a Gagliardi Trophy finalist for Division III Player of the Year (Jordan Berg, 2008).
Haege created longstanding relationships between his team and the overall Augsburg community, and was well-known for having coaches, players and staff come to his home for special events several times each year.
Academic standards also consistently improved under Haege's leadership. Augsburg football players have earned nine College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Academic All-America honors and 25 CoSIDA Academic All-District honors over the past 15 seasons, with at least one player earning Academic All-District honors every year since 2006. Augsburg has had 81 Academic All-MIAC honorees in football over the last 15 seasons.
Haege's head coaching tenure was marked by a number of firsts for Augsburg's football program, including its first dedicated strength and conditioning program, the first completely online film editing program in the MIAC, a summer camp program for youth and high school players, a spring football program, and the team's first international trip program, where it plays a game in Winnipeg, Manitoba, once every three years. The coaching staff size has been increased, and Augsburg's football fundraising numbers have consistently improved.
Haege also established a traveling trophy game, "The Hammer," with the Auggies' closest MIAC rival, Hamline, in 2005. Augsburg was 11-4 in games for "The Hammer" during Haege's tenure, including a 12-9 win at Hamline last Saturday.
In addition to his coaching duties at Augsburg, Haege also helped to develop a corporate sales program for Augsburg's athletic department, which now boasts multiple sponsors and generates significant revenue to support athletic initiatives.
Haege has also served as a coach for the Aztec Bowl, a Division III senior all-star game in Mexico, for the past several seasons, and has been a volunteer youth sports coach for the Minneapolis Parks and Recreation system since 2008.