Football

Coaching Staff

Mel Tjeerdsma

Head Coach
Office: (660) 562-1311
E-mail: coacht@nwmissouri.edu

Since 1994, the Northwest Missouri State University football program has evolved from a winless team to a national powerhouse, winning NCAA Division II National Championships in both 1998 and 1999. Much of the credit for this turnaround belongs to Bearcat head coach Mel Tjeerdsma.

Tjeerdsma guided Northwest to back-to-back NCAA Division II National Championships in 1998 and 1999. The Bearcats have also won five straight MIAA Championships. Tjeerdsma has been named MIAA Coach of the Year in 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999 and 2000. and was named American Football Coaches Association National Coach of the Year for both 1998 and 1999.

Prior to coaching at Northwest, Tjeerdsma was the head coach at Austin College in Sherman, Texas from 1984 through 1993. He compiled a 60-38-4 record while at Austin College and was the school's winningest coach. Tjeerdsma guided Austin College to three Texas Intercollegiate Athletic Association Championships and made two trips to the NAIA Division II Playoffs.

He was selected TIAA Coach of the Year three times and 16 first- and second-team All-America selections as well as 11 Academic All-America picks.

Before his time at Austin College, Tjeerdsma was the offensive coordinator at Northwestern College in Orange City, Iowa for eight years. He was also the head track and field coach at Northwestern. The Red Raiders earned four trips to the NAIA Division II Playoffs while Tjeerdsma was there, including a national championship in 1983. His offense twice led the nation in total offense and scoring.

His track and field teams won three Tri-State Conference titles and five consecutive NAIA District 15 indoor championships.

He also served as head football coach at Denison (Iowa) High School, where he guided his team to a 9-0 record in 1975 and a berth in the state playoffs. He 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.

Tjeerdsma earned his bachelor's degree in physical education from Southern State of Texas in 1967 and his master's degree in physical education at Northwest Missouri State in 1977.

Tjeerdsma, his wife Carol reside in Maryville. They have three grown children.

Adam Dorrel

Offensive Coordinator/Running Game Coordinator
Office: (660) 562-1310
E-mail: dorrela@nwmissouri.edu

Adam Dorrel is in his second season in 2005 as a full-time assistant coach at Northwest.

Dorrel was a Second-Team All-America offensive lineman as a senior for Northwest in 1997. The three-year team captain was also named Second-Team All-MIAA as a junior for the Bearcats. In 1995, Dorrel was Honorable Mention All-MIAA.

After earning his bachelor’s degree from Northwest, Dorrel was a graduate assistant for one season at Northeastern State (Okla.) in 1998.

Dorrel returned to Northwest and served as a graduate assistant in the 1999 NCAA Division II Championship season.

Dorrel was the offensive line coach at Dakota State University in 2000.

From 2001-03, he was the offensive line coach and offensive coordinator at William Jewell College. Dorrel’s offensive units at Jewell were ranked in the top 10 nationally in rushing in each of his last two seasons.

Dorrel resides in Maryville.

Scott Bostwick

Defensive Coordinator/Linebackers Coach
Office: (660) 562-1784
E-mail: sbostwick@nwmissouri.edu

Since his time began as a Bearcat, Scott Bostwick has continuously produced a defense to rank nationally in several categories. 2004 was no different as Northwest set a school record for fewest rushing yards allowed per game (94.0) and ranked 10th in the country in rushing defense (94.0). In addition, Bostwick mentored four First Team All-MIAA selections.

In his early years, Northwest led virtually every conference defensive category in 1997. During the 1998 season, Northwest ranked second in the MIAA in scoring defense and rushing defense.

The Bearcats had the second-best scoring defense in the MIAA in 1999. That was also good enough to be ranked among the top units in NCAA Division II.

The 2000 Bearcat defense ranked second in the MIAA in total defense and 25th in the nation. The Northwest defenders were the top run-stoppers in the league and ranked 21st nationally. The Bearcats also ranked second in the MIAA and 15th nationally in scoring defense.

In 2002, Northwest was the top-ranked scoring defense in the MIAA and ranked seventh in the country. The ’Cats were second in the MIAA in total defense and 30th nationally.

Overall, Bostwick has seen 26 Bearcats named to the First Team All-MIAA squad.

Prior to joining the staff at Northwest, Bostwick spent four years at Western Washington University in Mt. Vernon, Wash. His defense at WWU was ranked in the top 10 nationally against the run in 1991 and 1992. WWU made playoff appearances both seasons.

In addition to his football duties at Western Washington, Bostwick also served as the sports marketing coordinator for the entire athletic department.

Bostwick also served as defensive coordinator at Nebraska Wesleyan from 1986-1990.

Bostwick holds a bachelor’s degree from Nebraska Wesleyan, where he was a four-year letterwinner and was named all-conference and all-district.

He and his wife Sue reside in Maryville with their two children Eric (11) and Leah (13).

Charlie Flohr

Passing Game Coordinator/Receivers/Recruiting
Office: (660) 562-1705
E-mail: cflohr@nwmissouri.edu

On Jan. 5, 2006, Northwest Missouri State athletics announced the hiring of Charlie Flohr as an addition to the football coaching staff. Flohr, who was a graduate assistant at Northwest from 2002-03, will hold the title of passing game coordinator, recruiting coordinator and receivers coach. Flohr comes back to Northwest from Truman State where he was the team’s wide receivers coach and recruiting coordinator for the last two seasons. Flohr will start his post immediately.

Under the tutelage of Flohr, a couple Bulldog receivers thrived in the offensive system. In the final 2005 league statistics, wide receiver James Walton ranked ninth with 50.1 receiving yards per game. In 2004, Jeff Amundson pulled in 76 receptions, the fourth-most in Truman history for a season. In the same year, Flohr helped coach an offense to break the school record for completions in a single game (41) against Missouri Southern and the league mark for passing yards in a single game (479) against Northwest.

Before Flohr’s stint at Truman, he was in charge of coaching the tight ends for the Bearcats. A 2002 graduate of Dakota State University in Madison, S.D., Flohr was part of two conference titles while coaching at Northwest Missouri. In 2002, the Bearcats went 9-0 in MIAA play and ended up advancing to the NCAA quarterfinals. The next year, Northwest Missouri was one of five teams to tie for the conference crown.

Prior to Northwest Missouri, Flohr was a student assistant coach in charge of wide receivers at his alma mater, Dakota State. Flohr was an assistant at Dakota State with current Northwest assistant coach Adam Dorrel. Flohr mentored two all-conference wide receivers at Dakota State.

While an athlete at Dakota State, Flohr lettered for four seasons and was a two-time honorable mention all-conference selection at wide receiver. He left the school as the career record holder in punt returns.

Flohr received his health and physical education degree from Dakota State and followed with a masters in health and physical education from Northwest in December of 2003.

Flohr is married to Amy Flohr.

Will Wagner

Assistant Head Coach/Defensive Backs
Office: (660) 562-1627
E-mail: wwagner@nwmissouri.edu

Assistant head coach and defensive secondary coach Will Wagner is in his sixth year in 2005 as a full-time member of the Bearcat coaching staff.

Wagner served as a graduate assistant coach for two years, prior to going full-time in 2000.

Wagner earned All-America honors as a defensive back at Hardin-Simmons University in Abilene, Texas. He was a four-year starter at Hardin-Simmons from 1992-1995.

During Wagner’s career at Hardin-Simmons, he set school records for interceptions in a season with eight and for consecutive games started in a career with 47. He also set a school and American Southwest Conference record for career interceptions with 23.

Following his playing career, Wagner served as a graduate assistant in the Cowboy program in 1996-1997.

During his prep career, Wagner helped lead Permian High School to a Texas State Championship during his senior season of 1991. Permian High is the program featured in the blockbuster film “Friday Night Lights” which was also the subject of a novel.

The Odessa, Texas native resides in Maryville with his wife Andrea and their son Brooks William (1).

Rich Wright

Special Teams Coach/Defensive Line
Office: (660) 562-1696
E-mail:rwright@nwmissouri.edu

Richard Wright is in his second season in 2005 as a full-time member of the Northwest staff. He serves as the defensive line /strength and conditioning coach.

Wright was a graduate assistant at Northwest in 1995 and 1996 when he was tight ends coach. Before coming back to Northwest in 2004, Wright was the defensive coordinator / linebackers coach at St. Ambrose (Iowa) University from 2000-04. Wright has made stops at William Penn (Iowa) College in 1999, Central Methodist College in 1998 (now University), Dakota State University in 1997, Dana College from 1993-94 and Cortland State in 1991.

Covering several facets of coaching, Wright has been an offensive coordinator, linebackers coach, wide receivers coach and special teams coordinator. In his last stop at St. Ambrose, Wright’s defensive unit led the country (NAIA) in interceptions with 32.

Wright is a 1995 graduate of Dana College with a degree in physical education. Wright earned his master’s degree in physical education from Northwest in 1996.

Wright and his wife Sarah reside in Maryville with one-year-old daughter Grace. Sarah is a 1997 Northwest graduate.

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