Assistant coach wins national award
Mike Gardner, assistant football coach at Tabor College, has been selected as one of the 500 scholastic and collegiate assistant coaches to be awarded the second annual AFLAC National Assistant Coach of the Year Award.
A panel of judges from Scholastic Coach and Athletic Director magazine, the nation's leading publication for the team athletic marketplace, made the selections.
Criteria for the program allowed for coaches to win based on longevity, expertise, contributions to the school and community, and special achievements throughout their careers. The selections were based on nominations made by head coaches, athletic administrators, past and current student-athletes, fans and board members.
Gardner, selected from a field of more than 350,000 coaches nationwide, is beginning his 14th year in coaching, and his third year at Tabor College.
"Mike does an outstanding job with our players," said Tabor College head football coach Tim McCarty. "He is a great asset to our program. We are very fortunate to have him with us, and I'm very happy to see him get this fine award."
Gardner's coaching career began at Hastings College from 1990 to 1992. He earned his master's degree and was the special teams and recruiting coordinator at HC. In 1993, Mike accepted a coaching position at Bethel College as the quarterback/wide receiver coach and remained there until 1995.
His coaching tenure also includes five years at Lindenwood University where he coached linebackers, defensive line, tight ends, and was the defensive coordinator and special teams coordinator.
Gardner has been involved in leading two programs to the NAIA national playoffs, including Hastings College in 1991 and 1992. The 1991 appearance marked the first time HC had broken into the playoffs. Lindenwood University went to the playoffs for the first time in 1998.
In his years of coaching, Gardner has recruited or coached 12 All Americans, 15 Academic All Americans, and five players who have played professionally.
"AFLAC is pleased to sponsor the AFLAC National Assistant Coach of the Year Program," said Joe Kuechenmeister, AFLAC senior vice president. "Assistant coaches are the unsung heroes of American sport. So many of us were positively affected by our participation in sports that we wanted to pay tribute to these hard-working, under-recognized coaches who do so much to improve the young people that they work with."
"We were extremely impressed with the quality of the nominees," said Bruce Weber, Publisher of Scholastic Coach and Athletic Director.
