1. Mel Tjeerdsma is a retired American football coach and athletic director at Northwest Missouri State University in Maryville, Missouri.
18 Facts About Mel Tjeerdsma
1. 2.
Mel Tjeerdsma served as the head coach at Austin College in Sherman, Texas from 1984 to 1993 and at Northwest Missouri State University from 1994 until his retirement after the 2010 season.
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Mel Tjeerdsma led the Northwest Missouri State Bearcats to three NCAA Division II Football Championship titles and four additional NCAA Division II titles games.
4.
Mel Tjeerdsma was born and grew up on a farm in Springfield, South Dakota.
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Mel Tjeerdsma graduated from Springfield High School in 1964 and attended Southern State College in Springfield where he participated in several sports.
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Mel Tjeerdsma earned his bachelor's degree in physical education from the college in 1967.
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Mel Tjeerdsma was a teacher and assistant football coach in Akron, Iowa in 1968.
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Mel Tjeerdsma received his master's degree in physical education at Northwestern College in 1977.
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Mel Tjeerdsma coached at Sioux Center High School and in 1972 won the very first Class 2A State football championship.
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Mel Tjeerdsma earned Northwest Iowa Football Coach of the Year honors in 1972 and was the Northwest Iowa Track and Field Coach of the Year in 1973,1974 and 1975.
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Mel Tjeerdsma was the offensive coordinator at Northwestern College in Orange City, Iowa for eight years.
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Mel Tjeerdsma was the head track and field coach at Northwestern.
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The Red Raiders earned four trips to the NAIA Division II Playoffs while Mel Tjeerdsma was there, including a national championship in 1983.
14.
Mel Tjeerdsma was the head coach at Austin College in Sherman, Texas from 1984 through 1993.
15.
Mel Tjeerdsma guided Austin College to three Texas Intercollegiate Athletic Association championships in 1984,1985 and 1988 and made two trips to the NAIA Division II playoffs.
16.
When Mel Tjeerdsma began his run, Northwest could not play some home playoff games to which it was entitled because of poor conditions at Rickenbrode Stadium.
17.
In 2006, Mel Tjeerdsma was elected president of the American Football Coaches Association.
18.
On March 21,2013, Mel Tjeerdsma was named the new athletic director at Northwest Missouri State University.