Steve Coburn

When Snow College Athletic Director, Bob Trythall hired Steve Coburn on December 5, 2005, Trythall was looking for a man that would provide leadership, stability and accountability to this storied program.

In one season at the helm, Steve Coburn has accomplished that and is looking for more.

With Snow College’s 27-21 victory over Coffeyville at the Top of the Mountains Bowl on December 2, 2006 it capped a remarkable year for Snow College football. The Badgers finished the season with an 11-1 record, finished ranked #2 nationally in the NJCAA polls and won the WSFL conference championship.

Coach Coburn’s first season featured eight consecutive wins to start the season, which was the best start ever by a first-year head coach at Snow College. At the conclusion of their eighth win, Snow College was ranked #1 in the country by the NJCAA. This winning streak featured a 20-17 win on the road over defending national champion, Glendale, two wins over nationally ranked Scottsdale.

During the 2006 season the Badgers ranked in the Top 10 in every poll. And for his efforts, Coburn was named the Coach of the Year in the WSFL in 2006.

Snow was a perfect 6-0 at home while playing on Robert L. Stoddard Field at Badger Stadium. The Badgers outscored their opponents by an average of 38 points per game during all home contests. Coburn contributes much of the credit to the community and student support of Badger football.

While guiding the Badgers to their best season since 1985 when the school won the national championship, the team ranked at the top end of many major statistical categories. The offense finished with the #1 ranked offense in the NJCAA (463.3), the #1 pass offense in the NJCAA (270.1), the #1 scoring offense in the NJCAA (39.0). The Badgers were also one of only two teams to have both their pass and rush offense ranked in the Top 15 nationally.

Defensively, Snow ranked in the top 15 nationally in total defense (211.6) and allowed just 12.5 points per game. They also finished in the top 15 nationally versus the pass and in the top 20 nationally versus the run.

The special teams, which Coach Coburn coordinates, blocked a remarkable twelve kicks. They also featured All-American kicker, Zack Manning and punter Jeff Wright who averaged over 41 yards per punt.

Off the field, Coburn has established a Badger Player Council that assists in the decision making process of team policies, academics, and other pertinent issues in regards to off-the-field activity.

Under Coburn’s leadership, many Badger players have made a positive impact in the local communities. Work done by Snow College football players has ranged from reading to the youth at local elementary schools to volunteering at the Special Olympics to simply helping people with their yard work. Under Coach Coburn, the Badger players recognize the need to give back to the community that gives so much to them.

Prior to being named the Head Coach at Snow College, Coburn coordinated the highly successful Badger defense for six seasons. Coburn’s defenses consistently ranked at the top end nationally while he was at the charge.

The 2005 season marked a dominant year for the Badger defense. The Badgers allowed just 14.9 points per game and 257 yards per game. This marked the second straight year in which the defense ranked in the top 25 overall. In six contests, the Badgers held their opponent to 10 points or less including a 47-0 shut-out versus Arizona Western. In the Top of the Mountains Bowl versus the #5 Butler Grizzlies, the Badgers faced the number 1 offense in the country that featured six sophomore offensive players who signed Division I scholarships. Snow dominated Butler as they held them to just 212 yards that day compared to their average of 490 yards per contest. A pair of Butler runners, Kenny Wilson and Ryan Torain had averaged 240 yards per game on the ground between them. They saw the vaunted Grizzly rushing attack produce just 83 yards for the entire day.

In 2004, Snow College allowed 15.2 points per game while giving up only 268 yards per game. These results allowed the Badgers to finish in the top 25 nationally in total defense. The Badger defense held four opponents to 7 points or less including then ranked #5 Pima on the last regular season contest of the year. Versus then #11 Rochester in the Top of the Mountains Bowl, the Badgers were dominating while holding the Yellow Jackets to 160 total yards including just 25 rushing on 28 carries while also compiling six sacks.

The 2003 season saw the Badgers close out a 9-1 season at the Golden Isles Bowl versus Georgia Military. The Bulldogs who won the national championship two years prior featured a fast, explosive team; however the Badger defensive attack dominated with 9 sacks that led to an overtime victory, which marked Snow’s first bowl victory since the 1998 season and jump started a 4-year run of bowl game victories through 2006.

Prior to coming to Snow College, Coburn was a successful high school head coach in the state of Utah. His stops included Cottonwood High School, Ogden High School and Morgan High School. In 1997, he guided Ogden to the 3-A State Semifinals, which was their best finish in over 20 years. In his second season at Morgan, he led the team to a undefeated regular season.

Coburn began his coaching career as a student assistant at Ricks College in Rexburg, Idaho. Coburn coached under Ken Schmidt who became the Defensive Coordinator at Brigham Young University and now serves under the same capacity at Dixie State College. In Coburn’s second season at Ricks, the Vikings finished with a 10-1 record and a #2 national ranking.

As a player, Coburn prepped at Bonneville High School in Idaho Falls, Idaho. From there he moved on to Montana Tech and played on the defensive line before finishing his playing career at Ricks College.

Coburn graduated from Brigham Young with a degree in Physical Education. He later completed his Master’s Degree in Instructional Technology from Utah State University.

Coburn, who resides in Manti, Utah, is married to the former Laurel Hodson. The couple has five children: Stevanie, Preston, Jeremy, Taylor and Blake.

PROMINENT PLAYERS COACHED:
Cade Cooper – QB – NJCAA National Player of the Year, NJCAA 1st Team All-American, JC Gridwire 2nd Team All-American, WSFL Offensive Player of the Year, 1st Team WSFL All-Conference, threw for over 3,000 yards and 31 touchdowns, signed with Brigham Young University
Matt Asiata – RB – NJCAA 2nd Team All-American, 1st Team WSFL All-Conference, All-Time single season rusher at Snow College with 1497 yards and 15 touchdowns, signed with the University of Utah
Devin Frischknecht – TE – 1st Team WSFL All-Conference, Top of the Mountains Bowl MVP, 54 receptions during sophomore season, signed with Washington State University
Wes Potter – OL – 1st Team WSFL All-Conference, signed with Troy University
Tonga Tea – DL – 1st Team NJCAA All-American, 1st Team WSFL All-Conference, signed with Oklahoma State University
JD Folsom – LB – 1st Team WSFL All-Conference, signed with Weber State
Fotu Kofutu’a – DL – 1st Team WSFL All-Conference, signed with Northern Arizona University
Brett Madsen – LB – 1st Team WSFL All-Conference, signed with the University of New Mexico
CJ Ah You – DL – 1st Team NJCAA All-American, 1st Team WSFL All-Conference, signed with the University of Oklahoma and NFL Buffalo Bills
DJ Wade – LB – 1st Team WSFL All-Conference, signed with Northern Arizona University

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