 | |
| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | May 24, 1946 Springfield, South Dakota, U.S. |
| Alma mater | Southern State College (SD) |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1976–1983 | Northwestern (IA) (OC) |
| 1984–1993 | Austin |
| 1994–2010 | Northwest Missouri State |
| 2011 | United States national team |
| Administrative career (AD unless noted) | |
| 2013–2018 | Northwest Missouri State |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 246–82–4 |
| Tournaments | 0–2 (NAIA D-II playoffs) 32–10 (NCAA D-II playoffs) 4–0 (IFAF World Cup) |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Championships | |
| 3 NCAA Division II (1998–1999, 2009) 3 TIAA (1984–1985, 1988) 12 MIAA (1996–2000, 2002–2003, 2006–2010) 1 IFAF World Championship (2011) | |
| Awards | |
| 4× AFCA Division II COY (1997–1998, 2008–2009) Liberty Mutual Division II COY (2009) Amos Alonzo Stagg Award (2022) | |
| College Football Hall of Fame Inducted in 2018 (profile) | |
Mel Tjeerdsma (/ˈtʃɜːrtʃmə/ CHURCH-mə; born May 24, 1946) is a retired American football coach and athletic director at Northwest Missouri State University in Maryville, Missouri. He 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.[1] In his 27 years as a head coach, Tjeerdsma compiled a career college football record of 242–82–4. He led the Northwest Missouri State Bearcats to three NCAA Division II Football Championship titles (1998, 1999, and 2009) and four additional NCAA Division II titles games (2005, 2006, 2007, and 2008).
- ^ Kerkhoff, Blair (December 29, 2010). "Northwest Missouri State coach Mel Tjeerdsma retires". The Kansas City Star. Retrieved December 29, 2010.