The senior member of the UMD football family, John Steger embarks on his 25th season -- in his second tour of duty -- with the Bulldogs in 2024.
After an rewarding 18-year run as UMD's defensive coordinator, Steger was promoted to associate head coach in February 2019. In this role, he continues to serve as the team's linebackers coach in addition to working with the special teams.
Steger coached one first team All-NSIC selection in 2024 -- linebacker Mac Strand to add to three All-NSIC selections the year prior in 2023 between kicker Curtis Cox and punter Logan Kubus, as well as NSIC First Team selection lineback Andrew Klopp. In fact, over the past five seasons since Steger made the move, he has had nine All-NSIC selections under his tutelage.
In 2019, the Bulldogs ranked seventh among all NCAA II schools in punt return yards (17.16 yards per return), while sophomore Dain Hudson turned in the seventh-highest highest punt return average (15.0 yards) in the nationally. In addition, three UMD linebackers -- senior Isaac Erdmann, junior Nate Pearson and sophomore Cole Refsnider -- all collared 2019 All-Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference first team status while junior Joe Kordus was second team pick.
Steger was the first-ever winner of the NSIC Assistant Coach of the Year Award, earning that honor in 2018. Under his expert watch, UMD had consistently finished among the NCAA II leaders in a number of defensive statistical categories. That includes lin 2018 when the Bulldogs paced the country in total defense (205.7 yards per game), rushing defense (59.2 yards per game) and third down conversion defense (22.5 percent) -- all program firsts -- and finished second in pass efficiency defense (93.25), third in scoring defense (12.4 points per game) and fifth in passing defense (146.5 ypg). In 2017, his troops topped the NSIC -- and were second nationally -- in third down conversion defense (24.8 percent) as well as fewest first downs allowed (155, which ranked third among all NCAA II clubs) and red zone defense (.600, the second-best mark in the country). Over the course of that season, UMD also went over 16 consecutive quarters without giving up a point, a school-record run that stretched from Oct. 7 to Nov. 4. In 2008, Steger was chosen as a finalist for the footballscoop.com NCAA Coordinator of the Year Award after the Bulldogs allowed just four defensive touchdowns over the course of their four-game NCAA II national title run. During UMD tenure as defensive coordinator, he worked with 15 All-Americans and 44 different All-NSIC/North Central Conference first team selections.
Steger came to UMD in 1999 and spent 11 years presiding over the team's ball-stopping efforts before departing for Southern Illinois University in 2009. He served as the Salukis’ inside linebackers coach and special teams coordinator for a pair of years, before to returning to the Bulldog fold.
Prior to enlisting his services with the Bulldogs, Steger worked the previous 11 seasons as a defensive coordinator at two NCAA III schools. He did a seven-year stint at University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, and in his final year there, the Blugolds topped the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) in total defense, rushing defense, and scoring defense. For his efforts, the Wisconsin High School Coaches Association chose him as their 1998 College Assistant Coach of the Year.
Steger began his coaching career at Sul Ross State University where, for four seasons (1988-91), he was employed as the Lobo’s defensive coordinator after doing two years of graduate assistantship duty at that Texas institution.
A native of Dubuque, Iowa, Steger started a pair of seasons at linebacker while attending Loras College (Iowa) and co-captained the Duhawks as a senior in 1984.
Steger received a B.A. degree in both physical education and business from Loras College in 1985 and a Master’s degree in education from Sul Ross State three years later. He and his wife, Barb, make their home in Duluth.
