Head Coach
Offensive Coordinator
Chris Boden
Defensive Coordinator Special Teams
Richard Sweeney
Offensive Line
Recruiting Coordinator
Ben Barnes
Defensive Line
Ted Hall
Graduate Assistants
Strong Safeties
Doug Hazen
Defensive Line
Ben Murphy
Wide Receivers
Terrance Adams
Running Backs
Jesse Thompson
Student Assistants
Linebackers
Maia Tupou
Football Operations
Gena Meier
Team Manager
Amanda Kienow
Head Coach: Chris Boden
3rd Season at NSU
Head Coaching Record: 10-12
Chris Boden became Northern State University’s 26th Head Football Coach in the program’s 100-year+ history on March 30, 2005. In two seasons with the Wolves, Boden has worked with existing players to produce six NSIC First Team All-Conference winners and two All-Northwest Region honorees. He has also worked to usher in new and talented young athletes who have shown the potential to bring Wolves Football to new heights in upcoming years.
Boden's teams have gone 10-12 in overall play since 2005. In his first year at the helm of the program, the Wolves went 6-5 overall and took third place in the NSIC with a 5-2 record. In 2006, the young Wolves suffered a number of key injuries as they took sixth place in the league with a 4-7 overall record and a mark of 3-5 in the NSIC.
Boden came to Northern State after one year as the offensive coordinator at Texas A&M University-Commerce and eight seasons at Valdosta State University (GA).
At Texas A&M Commerce, Boden helped improve the Lions from one win in 2003 to four wins in 2004 with help from an offense that ranked #11 in the nation in passing offense. The Lions were also fifth in the nation in turnover margin after turning the ball over only twelve times all season.
In 1996 at Valdosta State, Boden was the recruiting coordinator, director of football operations and coached quarterbacks/wide receivers. From 1997-2003, he coached the offensive backfield. He helped the Blazers to four Gulf South Conference (GSC) Championships and four NCAA Playoff appearances, as well as the 2002 National Championship Game. He also coached two GSC Offensive Players of the Year: 1996 Quarterback Lance Funderburk and 2002 Running back Aaron Jenkins.
Prior to going to Valdosta, Boden was the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for Urbana University (Ohio) in 1994 and 1995. He was also a member of the Central Michigan University coaching staff from 1991-1993 working with the defensive secondary and serving as video coordinator.
Boden is a 1990 graduate of Saginaw Valley State University (MI), and he earned his Master’s degree in 1994 from Central Michigan University.
Boden and his wife, Jennifer, have two children, Lynn (14) and Ty (12).
Richard Sweeney
Assistant Head Coach
Defensive Coordinator / Special Teams Coordinator
Coach Sweeney is in his third season with the Wolves. Prior to arriving at NSU, Sweeney served as the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology defensive coordinator for two seasons. His previous stops included Western Washington University in 1987 & 2001, St. Mary of the Plains from 1988 to 1991, Texas A&M Kingsville in 1992, Western State (CO) in 1993-2000 and Southwest Texas State in 2002.
Sweeney was a defensive back at the University of Santa Clara where he received a BA degree in English. He earned his Masters Degree in Secondary Education Administration from Western Washington University.
Sweeney and his wife, Karen, live in Aberdeen, S.D.
Ben Barnes joined the Wolves as the offensive line coach during the 2006 season and is now in his second year at Northern State. Barnes, a native of Denham Springs, La., spent the previous two years with Southeastern Louisiana University as the Lions’ tight end coach following the completion of his eligibility in 2003.
Barnes was one of three seniors at SLU on the initial 2003 squad and helped the Lions to a 5-7 mark in their first season of football in 18 years.
A first-team All-District 4-5A selection at Denham Springs High School, Barnes was a member of the Nicholls State football team for two seasons before concluding his career at SLU.
Ted Hall joins the Wolves’ football staff as the defensive line coach for 2007. Hall is no stranger to the Northern Sun Conference or the Dakotas. He began his coaching career at Wayne State College in 2004 and spent two seasons as offensive line coach for the Wildcats. From there, Hall went to MSU Moorhead and worked with the Dragons’ offensive line for a season.
Hall is a native of Fargo, ND, where he spent three impressive seasons as an offensive lineman for North Dakota State. The two-time All-North Central Conference pick helped the Bison take home two NCAA Division II national championships in 1983 and 1985. Hall was declared a First-Team All-American by FOOTBALL NEWS and was a second team Associated Press selection.
Hall graduated from MSU Moorhead in 1987 with a degree in Business Administration. He spent 14 years working in management of Frito Lay, Inc. and EcoLab. Hall spent seven years as head football coach at West Monona High School (IA) and Shanley High School in Fargo, ND.
Ted and his wife, Sherri, have three children, Katie, Kristin, and Ted, Jr., who will be a senior on MSU Moorhead’s football team.
Maia Tupou will serve as linebackers coach for the second season. Tupou is a 2002 NSU transfer from Sacramento City College, where he was the 1995 team MVP and league offensive MVP at running back.
At NSU, Tupou played as an inside linebacker, where he racked up 108 tackles in 21 games over his two years.
Tupou, a native of Elverta, Calif. is majoring in Fitness Management with a coaching minor at NSU. He currently resides in Aberdeen with his six siblings and his two nieces.
Doug Hazen is in his second season as a graduate assistant with the Wolves and is in charge of working with the strong safeties, also known as a Liz/Rip coach. Hazen is a graduate of Carroll College in Waukesha, Wisc., earning a degree in mathematics and a secondary education minor. While attending Carrol College, Hazen was a four-year starter and letterwinner as a linebacker. He was a 2005 All- Midwest Conference selection, a three-time Academic All Conference Selection, and a 2005 team captain.
Doug is a native of Waupaca, Wisconsin. He is currently working toward a Master's Degree in Educational Studies.
Ben Murphy
Graduate Assistant
Ben Murphy joined the Wolves Football coaching staff in January of 2006 as a graduate assistant, working primarily with the defensive line. Murphy graduated from Wisconsin Lutheran College in December 2004, where he was a four-year starter on the team's defensive line. Murphy was a Second Team All-Conference player his junior season and was named Honorable Mention as a senior. He graduated with a 3.8 GPA with a degree in Social Sciences and a minor in coaching. He spent the 2006 season as a video coordinator and defensive line coach at Wisconsin Lutheran College. Murphy's wife, Erin, is a graduate assistant for the NSU softball team.
Terrance "Gator" Adams
Wide Receivers
Terrance "Gator" Adams joins the Northern State football staff for his first season in 2007 and will work with the wide receivers. Adams comes to NSU from St. Louis, where he has coached at Jennings High School for the past two seasons. He helped coordinate the spread offense, leading the Warriors to the best season in school history, a 10-2 record. Adams coached the wide receivers at Missouri Valley College, helping the team to two conference championships and coaching two All-Americans.
A native of St. Louis, Mo., Adams was named All-State in 1993 and 1994 at Riverview Gardens High School. He played collegiately at Lindenwood University under former Cincinnati Bengal coach, Dan Kratzler, and was an All-American punt returner, kick returner, and wide out in 1998. He earned a Bachelor's Degree in Mass Communications from Missouri Valley College.
Jesse Thompson
Running Backs
Jesse Thompson is starting his first season as a grauate assistant Running Back coach. A native of
Gena Meier
Graduate Assistant / Director of Football Operations
Gena Meier takes over the Director of Football Operations duties for 2007. Born in Edmonton, Alberta, Meier moved to Plevna, Montana at age five and graduated from Plevna High School in May 2001. She did her undergraduate work at Northern State while competing in Track and Field as a thrower for five years. Meier has been active in campus activities throughout her college years and served as a student athletic trainer for the NSU football team for five seasons. She graduated in December 2006 with a degree in Physical Education and a minor in coaching. She is working toward a Master's degree in Health, Physical Education, and Coaching.
Amanda Kienow
Team Manager
Amanda Kienow will serve as NSU Football team manager. She received a degree in Health and Wellness from Presentation College in 2004 and completed a Master's Degree in Science Education with an emphasis in health, PE, coaching and teaching from Northern State in 2007. Kienow was born and raised in New York and graduated from Lyman HS in Longwood, Flor. in 1984. Kienow and her family, including three children, reside in Aberdeen. She aims to become a football coach some day.
Derik Budig
Strength and Conditioning Coach
Budig, a Yankton, SD native, joined the Northern staff in 2002. He earned his Master's of Science Degree in Kinesiology from the
Budig has also had success on the football field where he was a four-year starter and two-year team captain for
Budig has also done various consulting within the region. He has facilitated Leola-Frederick high school with a new weight room and community fitness center; also consulted Marshall County Fitness Center in Britton, SD; as well as training area student-athletes from Aberdeen Central, Aberdeen Roncalli, Groton, Northwestern, Langford, Warner, and Frederick High School.
Budig is in charge of developing and coordinating programs which assist student/athletes in developing overall mental toughness and physical strength and conditioning at NSU. He is the founder and director of The Wolves Challenge, a speed, strength, and conditioning camp, which has seen over 150 student-athletes in 5 years. Over 10 current student-athletes have gone through Budig’s strength and conditioning camps and are currently participating in NSU athletics. In addition, Budig also organizes the weight room for all 18 Northern's athletic programs and is the sponsor for NSU's Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA).
Budig also enjoys various public speaking engagements on campus and within the community.
Budig lives in
Northern State University (located in Aberdeen, SD) is an NCAA Division II institution and a member of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC).
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