37 Facts About Dana Holgorsen

Dana Carl Holgorsen was born on June 21,1971 and is an American college football coach.

Dana Holgorsen is currently the offensive coordinator at the University of Nebraska.

Dana Holgorsen served as the head football coach at West Virginia University from 2011 to 2018 and the University of Houston from 2019 to 2023.

Dana Holgorsen attended Mount Pleasant Community High School in Mount Pleasant, Iowa, graduating in 1989.

Dana Holgorsen was an all-conference selection at wide receiver both his junior and senior years.

Dana Holgorsen was nominated to the Iowa Shrine Bowl all-star south team where he had one reception for 20 yards.

Dana Holgorsen was all-conference in basketball and on the track and field team.

Dana Holgorsen played one season at St Ambrose University in Davenport, Iowa, where he was a contributor as a freshman.

Dana Holgorsen then transferred to Iowa Wesleyan University in Mount Pleasant, where he finished his career with 145 receptions and 1,711 yards.

Dana Holgorsen spent time at Valdosta State as the quarterbacks, receivers, and special teams coach under head coach Hal Mumme.

Dana Holgorsen then served at Mississippi College as the quarterbacks, receivers, and special teams coach and at Wingate as the quarterbacks and receivers coach.

Dana Holgorsen was a member of the coaching staff at Texas Tech from 2000 to 2007, serving as the inside receivers coach from 2000 to 2004, before being elevated to co-offensive coordinator alongside Sonny Dykes from 2005 to 2006 and offensive coordinator in 2007.

The move reunited him with head coach Mike Leach, whom Dana Holgorsen had previously coached with at Valdosta State under Hal Mumme.

The Red Raiders were No 7 nationally prior to Dana Holgorsen becoming offensive coordinator and raised their yardage total to No 4 in 2005, his first season directing the offense.

Dana Holgorsen's offense ranked No 3 in total offense in 2008 with a duo of freshmen quarterbacks and No 1 in 2009 behind the arm of Heisman finalist and All-Conference quarterback Case Keenum.

Dana Holgorsen ranked among the top 10 nationally in pass efficiency both years.

At Houston, Dana Holgorsen demonstrated his own brand of the Air Raid offense that often used motion to confuse opposing defenses, as well as wearing them down.

In 2009, Dana Holgorsen developed a set called the "diamond formation," which features multiple diverging running backs in the backfield who use spread formations to gain yards after catching short passes.

Houston's fast wide receivers were ideal to the style of spread Dana Holgorsen ran, and Houston continued using much the same offense after Dana Holgorsen departed to lead the NCAA with over 50 points per game, and 600 yards of offense per game in 2011.

At Houston, Dana Holgorsen mentored not only Case Keenum but offensive coaches including Kliff Kingsbury and Jason Phillips, who continued running a Dana Holgorsen-inspired Air Raid offense at Houston.

When Dana Holgorsen was hired at Oklahoma State, the Cowboys' offense was ranked No 61 nationally in total offense.

Dana Holgorsen was a finalist for the Manning Award, given to the top quarterback in the nation.

Dana Holgorsen was a 2010 finalist for the Broyles Award, given annually to the nation's top assistant coach.

On December 22,2010, Dana Holgorsen moved to West Virginia as offensive coordinator.

At that time, athletic director Oliver Luck announced that Dana Holgorsen would replace Bill Stewart as head coach in 2012, saying that he didn't think Stewart was capable of leading the Mountaineers to a national championship.

The relationship between Stewart and Dana Holgorsen was strained from the start and finally came to a head when Colin Dunlap, a former reporter from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, claimed Stewart had asked him and another reporter from the Charleston Gazette to dig up negative information about Dana Holgorsen's behavior.

Dana Holgorsen did apologize for an early morning incident when he was asked to leave a West Virginia casino; no further negative information came forth.

Dana Holgorsen's contract stated that his salary would be prorated at $1.4 million for the remainder of the season should he become head coach before 2012.

Dana Holgorsen coached the Mountaineers to a share of the Big East Conference crown in his first season at WVU and a Bowl Championship Series berth in the 2012 Orange Bowl, WVU's first appearance in the Orange Bowl.

Dana Holgorsen received $2.3 million in the first year, with raises bringing his salary to $2.9 million at the end of the contract.

Dana Holgorsen was eligible for up to $600,000 in bonuses each year.

Dana Holgorsen resigned from his West Virginia job on January 1,2019, to accept the head-coaching position at Houston, where he previously was the offensive coordinator under head coach Kevin Sumlin.

Dana Holgorsen was fired on November 26,2023, following a losing season in the team's first year as part of the Big 12 Conference.

On November 11,2024, Nebraska head coach Matt Rhule announced that Dana Holgorsen, who was initially hired as an offensive consultant, will serve as the Cornhuskers' offensive coordinator for the remainder of the 2024 season.

Dana Holgorsen is a native of Mount Pleasant, Iowa, where he graduated from Mount Pleasant Community High School in 1989.

Dana Holgorsen played wide receiver at Iowa Wesleyan College, earning a degree in 1993 and a master's in health and physical education from Valdosta State University in 1995.

Dana Holgorsen had been recruited to Iowa Wesleyan by head coach Hal Mumme and offensive coordinator Mike Leach, both of whom he coached with later in their careers.