Head Coach

Mike Gardner

In January of 2006, Mike Gardner became the fifth head coach in the history of the Malone University football program.  Gardner brought with him an outstanding track record of success from each of his previous coaching positions and he wasted very little time in instituting a drastic turnaround at Malone, developing a winning attitude for a Pioneer football program that had struggled in recent seasons prior to his arrival.

In Gardner’s first year in Canton, Malone put together a 7-4 overall record, marking the squad’s first winning season since 1998.  The 2006 Pioneers posted four victories over nationally-ranked opponents and ended the year ranked 19th in the final NAIA national poll.

This success continued in 2007 as the squad tallied an 8-4 overall record and concluded the season with a final NAIA national ranking of 25th.  Malone wrapped up its 2007 campaign on a high note by tallying a convincing 45-17 win over Geneva (PA) College in the 11th annual National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA) Victory Bowl.  In addition to this impressive postseason triumph, Malone also set an incredible 38 new team and individual records and had a school-record 20 players earn 2007 All-Conference recognition.

The Pioneers’ strong play did not let up in 2008 as Gardner guided the squad to a 6-4 final mark and a third straight NCCAA Victory Bowl appearance.  Malone was ranked 22nd in the final NAIA National Poll of 2008 and once again boasted numerous postseason award winners as 18 players were named to the Mid-Stats Football Association (MSFA) Mideast League Team.  The Pioneers excelled on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball a year ago as the squad ended the 2008 campaign ranked among the NAIA’s leaders in numerous statistical categories including first downs, (third) total offense (sixth), pass efficiency (eighth) and sacks (14th).

Before arriving at Malone, Gardner had been the head coach at Tabor College in Hillsboro, Kansas for two seasons, garnering Kansas Intercollegiate Athletic Association (KCAC) Coach of the Year honors in both 2004 & 2005 after leading the Bluejays to back-to-back conference titles.  In 2005, Gardner guided Tabor to a school-best 11-1 record with an NAIA national playoff victory and a #6 ranking in the final NAIA poll.  He also led his 2004 squad to the NAIA playoffs and finished the season with a 9-2 record and a #14 final ranking. 

Prior to becoming a head coach, Gardner served as the Defensive Coordinator at Tabor from 2001 to 2003 and helped guide the Bluejays to their first-ever NAIA national playoff appearance in 2003 and a #15 NAIA national ranking.  In addition, he was named the AFCA NAIA Assistant Coach of the Year and the AFLAC Assistant Coach of the Year for the 2003 season.  His ’03 defense ranked 11^th in the final NAIA statistics while his 2002 team ranked an impressive second overall.

He was a three-time NAIA All-American and a four-time All-Conference selection while at Baker (KS) University and he played for a national championship in 1986.  He has been involved in 10 national playoff games as a player and eight as a coach and his ’05 Tabor squad won its first-round playoff contest.

Prior to his five-year stint at Tabor, Gardner spent five years at Lindenwood (MO) University where he served as Special Teams Coordinator from 1996-1999 and then as Defensive Coordinator in 2000.  Gardner also was the quarterbacks, tight ends and receivers coach at Bethel College (KS) from 1993-1996 and the Special Teams and Recruiting Coordinator at Hastings College (NE) from 1990-1993.

Overall, Gardner has tallied a 41-15 career record in five seasons, having coached 30 NAIA All-Americans and 22 NAIA Scholar Athletes.  Two of his former players have reached the NFL, one played in the Canadian Football League (CFL), and 33 have taken the field in some form of professional arena football (Arena Football League, Arena Football2, American Indoor Football League, National Indoor Football League, Intense Football League, and the Eastern Indoor Football League).

Coach Gardner’s focus during his first three years at Malone has been to bring his team together as a unit, playing with “one heartbeat.”  This motto of playing for each other as a team instead of striving for individual accomplishments has brought about a resurgence on the gridiron for Malone as, over the past three seasons, the Pioneers have posted a 21-12 record, made three Victory Bowl appearances, posted six victories over Top 25 teams while compiling back-to-back-to-back winning seasons for just the second time in the 16-year history of the program.  The squad has also continued to excel in the community and the classroom during this time period, earning numerous scholar-athlete awards and actively participating in Malone’s Champions of Character initiatives.  With Coach Gardner’s leadership and a “one heartbeat” mentality, the Pioneers’ recent period of success, both on and off the football field, is likely to continue for many years to come.

Personal Background: Michael N. Gardner, age 42, born on March 9, 1967.  Married to Julie; two sons, Ben (16), Brooks (7).

Education: Bachelor’s Degree in Physical Education from Baker University (KS) in 1990.  Master of Arts in Teaching at Hastings College (KS) in 1993.

Coaching Career:  Head Coach, Tabor College (KS) 2004-2006; Defensive Coordinator, Tabor College 2001-2003; Defensive Coordinator, Lindenwood University (MO) 2000; Special Teams Coordinator, Lindenwood University 1996-1999; Quarterbacks/Tight Ends/Receivers Coach and Special Teams Coordinator, Bethel College (KS) 1993-1996; Special Teams and Recruiting Coordinator, Hastings College 1990-1993.

 

Assistant Coaches

Dustin Miller returns for his fourth season as the Pioneers’ offensive coordinator after helping transform the Malone offense into one of the Mid-States Football Association’s top units over the past three years. 

Dustin is a 1993 graduate of Bethany (KS) College where he was an All-Conference running back, helping his team win two conference championships.  He later received a master’s degree in Education from Wichita State (KS) University, studying Physical Education. 

Dustin began his coaching career as a scout for Southeast of Saline High School in Gypsum, Kansas.  He then served as the running backs coach at his alma mater, Bethany College.  After winning a conference championship at Bethany, he returned to the high school ranks where he was a receivers, tight ends, and secondary coach.  Bethel (KS) College was his next stop, coaching the quarterbacks, receivers, and tight ends from 1995-1998.  He also served as assistant offensive coordinator and passing game coordinator during his time at Bethel. 

From 1999-2003, he was the assistant head coach and offensive coordinator at Bethany, helping the Swedes win two KCAC conference championships in addition to being named the 2002 AFLAC Assistant Coach of the Year.  From 2004-2005, he was the offensive coordinator at Tabor (KS) College, serving under current Pioneer head coach Mike Gardner.  Dustin's offense led the NAIA in scoring during the 2005 regular season, setting nineteen Tabor offensive records. 

In his first season at Malone, the Pioneer offense showed significant improvement as the squad concluded the 2006 campaign ranked third (out of 16 teams) in the MSFA in passing and seventh in total offense.  The unit continued to fire on all cylinders in 2007 as Malone set 14 offensive team records, including establishing new marks for yards (5757) and points scored (393).  2008 was no exception as the Pioneers led the MSFA in total offense (ranked tenth in the NAIA at 455.4 yards per game) while ranking second in passing offense (ranked sixth in the NAIA with an average of 287.1 yards per contest).  In addition, Dustin has coached three conference players of the year and was a co-recipient of the MSFA Mideast League’s 2008 Assistant Coach of the Year Award.  He and his wife, Amy, have three children, Kyle (15), Payton (11), and Katelynn (10), and currently reside in Canton.

Troy Schenk enters his fourth season at Malone University as the offensive line coach. He is a graduate of Trinity International (IL) University and has a bachelor’s degree in Sports and Wellness Management and a minor in Coaching.  Schenk was the offensive line coach and recruiting coordinator for Sterling (KS) College in 2004 and 2005, during which time the team’s offense was ranked in the top five nationally in rushing for both seasons.  In the fall of 2002, he was a graduate assistant coach in charge of linebackers for Trinity International.  He also served as the tight ends and assistant offensive line coach along with being the special teams coordinator for Trinity International in the fall of 2003. 

In three years at Malone, Troy’s unit has proved instrumental in the team’s overall offensive success as the squad had four offensive linemen earn All-MSFA recognition in both 2007 and 2008.  He, his wife, Candace, and their daughter, Gracie (1), reside in Canton.

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Cliff Schenk returns for his fourth season on the Malone coaching staff and he will now work with the tight ends after coaching the defensive line in 2006 and 2007 and the running backs in 2008.  Cliff is a 2001 graduate of Tabor (KS) College with bachelor’s degrees in Elementary Education and Secondary Science.  He was a two-time Academic All-American during his playing career at Tabor and served as the defensive line coach at his alma mater during the 2004 and 2005 seasons.

At Malone, Cliff has coached four All-Conference defensive linemen and two All-Conference running backs.  In 2007, the Pioneer defense ranked third in the MSFA against the run, was sixth in total sacks, and surrendered the second fewest first downs among the 16 schools in the conference.  Then in 2008, Malone’s starting running backs combined for over 1500 rushing yards and 12 rushing touchdowns.  Cliff will now look to continue his coaching success as he begins working with the tight ends this fall.

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Nyrell Knight begins his second season on the Pioneer coaching staff and will once again work with the wide receivers.  Nyrell graduated from Malone in 2005 with a bachelor’s degree in Sport Management.

He excelled as a wide receiver and quarterback for the Pioneers from 2001-2004, earning All-MSFA Mideast Second Team honors in both 2003 and 2004.  In addition to his All-Conference accolades, Nyrell also earned Malone’s Offensive MVP Award in 2003 and collected the Pioneers’ Outstanding Receiver Award while serving as a team captain in 2004.

The Pioneers’ passing attack thrived during Knight’s first year on the staff as starting wideouts Derek Deardorff and Josh Settlemire ended the year ranked first and sixth in the MSFA, respectively, in receiving yards per game.  Before joining the Malone coaching staff last fall, Nyrell served as an assistant coach at Akron Buchtel High School during the 2005 and 2006 seasons.

Brian Landies returns to the Pioneer coaching staff this fall as a graduate assistant and will once again work primarily with the defensive line. He graduated from Malone in 2007 with a bachelor’s degree in Sport Management and is currently pursuing his master’s of Business Administration.

Brian was a four-year letterwinner for the Pioneers at the linebacker and defensive line positions from 2003-2006 and served as a team captain in 2005.  During his playing career, he twice garnered MSFA Mideast All-Conference recognition, earning Second Team honors in 2004 and Honorable Mention accolades in 2005.  After graduating from Malone, Brian served as an assistant coach for Chardon High School in the fall of 2007 and then, in the spring of 2008, played defensive line for the Canton Legends of the American Indoor Football Association.

Four Pioneer defensive linemen were named to the All-MSFA Mideast Team in his first season on the coaching staff as the unit helped Malone’s defense rank sixth in the conference against the pass, fifth in sacks and seventh in total yards allowed per game.

Mike Brown joins the Pioneer coaching staff this season and will work primarily with the running backs.  Mike played for four years at Canton McKinley High School, starting at quarterback and cornerback for the Bulldogs’ 1977 State Runner-up team.  After graduating from McKinley in 1978, he went on to earn his associate’s degree from the University of Akron.

An accomplished high school coaching career then began for Mike in 1984 at Columbus Marion Franklin High School.  From there he went on to Canton Timken and his alma mater where he coached under Thom McDaniels and helped McKinley capture State and National Championship honors in 1997.  Mike later became the offensive coordinator at Akron Buchtel High School and, most recently, worked on McDaniels’ staff at Jackson High School in 2007 & 2008.  In addition to his extensive high school resume, Mike also coached for one season with the Canton Legends.

Kevin Kapostasy begins his first season on the Malone coaching staff and will work with the linebackers.  After an impressive four-year playing career, Kevin recently graduated from Malone with a bachelor’s degree in Community Health Education.

From 2004-2007, he excelled at the linebacker position for the Pioneers, earning MSFA Mideast Honorable Mention accolades in 2007 after ranking fourth on the team that season with 67 total tackles.  

Kevin, who is in his first year of coaching, currently resides in Jackson Township.

Josh Settlemire joins the Pioneer coaching ranks this season following the completion of his four-year Malone playing career.  Josh is currently wrapping up his Nursing degree at Malone and will work with the wide receivers this fall.

A two-time All-MSFA Honorable Mention selection, Josh ranks third on Malone’s all-time receiving list with 2289 career yards.  His 161 career catches rank as the second highest total in the history of the program and he also owns the Pioneer single-game receiving yardage record after having piled up an incredible total of 198 yards against Urbana University in 2005.

Dennis Thornton joins the Pioneer coaching staff this fall to work with the defensive backs as he finishes his bachelor’s degree in Psychology.

Over the past two seasons, he helped anchor the Pioneers’ defensive backfield, garnering All-MSFA Honorable Mention accolades in 2007 before collecting First Team honors last season.  Dennis tallied a team-high 74 total tackles in 2008 while tying the Pioneers’ single-season record for interceptions with five.