Dan Monson
Encyclopedia
Daniel Lloyd Monson (born October 6, 1961 in Spokane, Washington
) is an American
college basketball
coach. He was hired as the head coach
of the Long Beach State
49ers
on April 7, 2007. Previously he was head coach at the University of Minnesota
for over seven seasons, from July 24, 1999, to November 30, 2006. Before coaching the Gophers, he was the head coach at Gonzaga
for two seasons, where he had spent the previous nine seasons as an assistant coach.
coach Don Monson
, and spent most of his early years in eastern Washington, where his father was a successful high school head coach in Cheney
and Pasco
for 18 seasons. At age 14, the family moved from Pasco to East Lansing
, Michigan
, where Don was an assistant coach for Jud Heathcote
at Michigan State
for two seasons.
They moved to Moscow
, Idaho
, at the start of his junior year, when his father became the head coach
of his alma mater
, the University of Idaho
, in August 1978. Dan graduated from Moscow High School
in 1980 and played college football
a few blocks away as a receiver for the Idaho Vandals
, then under head coach Jerry Davitch
. Monson suffered a knee injury that ended his playing career, and focused on coaching; he graduated from Idaho with a degree in secondary education (mathematics
) in 1985.
for a season, then became a collegiate graduate assistant under Gene Bartow
at UAB
in 1986, where he earned a master's degree in education.
In 1988, after two seasons in Birmingham
, he was hired by Head Coach Dan Fitzgerald as an assistant coach at Gonzaga
back in Spokane
. In 1994, Monson was promoted to associate head coach, and became Gonzaga's head coach
upon the retirement of Fitzgerald in March 1997, at the age of 55. While at the helm at Gonzaga, the Bulldogs compiled a 52-17 (.754) record. The 1999 team brought Gonzaga basketball to national prominence with an impressive run in NCAA tournament
. In the West regional, the 10th seeded "Zags" defeated 7th-seed Minnesota
and 2nd-seed Stanford
in the Seattle sub-regional, and 6th-seed Florida
in the Sweet Sixteen round in Phoenix
. Gonzaga advanced to the regional final (Elite Eight), taking the region's top seed, and eventual national champion, Connecticut
down to the last minute, losing by five points.
Dan Monson became one of the more sought after coaching candidates in college basketball in the spring of 1999. After Gonzaga's improbable run to the Elite Eight, he was offered the head coaching position at the University of Minnesota
, which he accepted. Mark Yudof
, then president of the University, was hoping that Monson would be able to help the program move past the scandals of previous head coach Clem Haskins
. In the previous season, Gonzaga had defeated Minnesota in the first round of the NCAA tournament
. Assistant coach Mark Few
succeeded Monson at Gonzaga. Interestingly, Monson also had ties to Minnesota already, as his father Don
was born in rural Menahga, Minnesota
.
In April 2002, Monson was courted by the University of Washington
to run the Washington Huskies
men's team and return to his home state of Washington. Monson initially accepted the offer presented by Huskies AD Barbara Hedges. The Minnesota athletic department under Tom Moe convinced Monson to change his mind and stay on with Minnesota. In the end, Monson decided to return to Minnesota because he didn't feel he had given enough time to the rebuilding effort at Minnesota and hadn't yet attained enough success with the team.
Dealing with the fallout from the academic scandals of the Clem Haskins era, it was several years before Monson was able to recruit on equal footing with other Big Ten
coaches. He led the Gophers to one NCAA Tournament and 4 NIT appearances in his 7 full-seasons as Gophers coach. On November 30, 2006, Dan Monson resigned as head coach
of Minnesota after a 2-5 start and only achieving a single 20-win season in 7. Assistant coach Jim Molinari
was appointed interim head coach before Tubby Smith
was named the new head coach after the season.
Monson compiled a 118-106 (.527) record with the Gophers, giving him an overall career record of 170-123 (.580) as a head coach
. On April 6, 2007 Monson was named the head coach of the men's basketball team at Long Beach State
. Under Monson's guidance, Long Beach State has improved each season, to the point that on February 24, 2011 Long Beach defeated Cal Poly 61-55 to clinch their first Big West regular season title since 2006-07 and the #1 seed in the Big West Tournament. They won their last nine regular season games heading into the tournament.
Monson has also coached internationally; he was an assistant coach on the 1999 World University Games team and the 2004 USA U-20 team.
Spokane, Washington
Spokane is a city located in the Northwestern United States in the state of Washington. It is the largest city of Spokane County of which it is also the county seat, and the metropolitan center of the Inland Northwest region...
) is an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
college basketball
College basketball
College basketball most often refers to the USA basketball competitive governance structure established by the National Collegiate Athletic Association . Basketball in the NCAA is divided into three divisions: Division I, Division II and Division III....
coach. He was hired as the head coach
Head coach
A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches...
of the Long Beach State
California State University, Long Beach
California State University, Long Beach is the second largest campus of the California State University system and the third largest university in the state of California by enrollment...
49ers
Long Beach State 49ers
'An NCAA Division I member, Long Beach State has 18 sports teams and plays competitively in baseball, cross country, softball, track and field, women's tennis, and women's soccer, as well as both men's and women's basketball, volleyball, water polo and golf teams...
on April 7, 2007. Previously he was head coach at the University of Minnesota
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system and has the fourth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 52,557...
for over seven seasons, from July 24, 1999, to November 30, 2006. Before coaching the Gophers, he was the head coach at Gonzaga
Gonzaga University
Gonzaga University is a private Roman Catholic university located in Spokane, Washington, United States. Founded in 1887 by the Society of Jesus, it is one of 28 member institutions of the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities and is named after the young Jesuit saint, Aloysius Gonzaga...
for two seasons, where he had spent the previous nine seasons as an assistant coach.
Early years
Dan Monson is the son of college basketballCollege basketball
College basketball most often refers to the USA basketball competitive governance structure established by the National Collegiate Athletic Association . Basketball in the NCAA is divided into three divisions: Division I, Division II and Division III....
coach Don Monson
Don Monson
Donald L. "Don" Monson is a former college basketball head coach and the father of head coach Dan Monson...
, and spent most of his early years in eastern Washington, where his father was a successful high school head coach in Cheney
Cheney, Washington
Cheney is a city in Spokane County, Washington, United States. The full time resident population was 10,590 as of 2010 census. Eastern Washington University is located in Cheney, and its population grows to approximately 17,600 people on a temporary basis when classes at Eastern Washington...
and Pasco
Pasco, Washington
Pasco is a city in and the county seat of Franklin County, Washington, United States.Pasco is one of three cities that make up the Tri-Cities region of the state of Washington...
for 18 seasons. At age 14, the family moved from Pasco to East Lansing
East Lansing, Michigan
East Lansing is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. The city is located directly east of Lansing, Michigan, the state's capital. Most of the city is within Ingham County, though a small portion lies in Clinton County. The population was 48,579 at the time of the 2010 census, an increase from...
, Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
, where Don was an assistant coach for Jud Heathcote
Jud Heathcote
George Melvin "Jud" Heathcote is a former college basketball coach. He was a head coach for 24 seasons at the collegiate level: five at Montana and 19 at Michigan State...
at Michigan State
Michigan State Spartans men's basketball
The Michigan State Spartans men's basketball team represents Michigan State University and competes in the Big Ten Conference of NCAA Division I. The team currently plays at the Breslin Student Events Center...
for two seasons.
They moved to Moscow
Moscow, Idaho
Moscow is a city in northern Idaho, situated along the Washington/Idaho border. It is the most populous city and county seat of Latah County and the home of the University of Idaho, the land grant institution and primary research university for the state...
, Idaho
Idaho
Idaho is a state in the Rocky Mountain area of the United States. The state's largest city and capital is Boise. Residents are called "Idahoans". Idaho was admitted to the Union on July 3, 1890, as the 43rd state....
, at the start of his junior year, when his father became the head coach
Head coach
A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches...
of his alma mater
Alma mater
Alma mater , pronounced ), was used in ancient Rome as a title for various mother goddesses, especially Ceres or Cybele, and in Christianity for the Virgin Mary.-General term:...
, the University of Idaho
Idaho Vandals men's basketball
The Idaho Vandals men's basketball team represents the University of Idaho, located in Moscow, Idaho, in NCAA Division I basketball competition. They currently compete in the Western Athletic Conference...
, in August 1978. Dan graduated from Moscow High School
Moscow High School
Moscow High School is a three-year public secondary school in Moscow, Idaho. A senior high school, it serves grades 10-12, and its principal is Bob Celebrezze....
in 1980 and played college football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
a few blocks away as a receiver for the Idaho Vandals
Idaho Vandals football
The Idaho Vandals are a college football team that represents the University of Idaho. The Vandals currently compete in the Western Athletic Conference of the Football Bowl Subdivision of NCAA Division I...
, then under head coach Jerry Davitch
Jerry Davitch
Jerry J. Davitch is a former college football coach and secondary school administrator. Since 2004 he has served as the superintendent of schools in Richland Township, just northeast of Johnstown, Pennsylvania. He served in a similar capacity for eight years in nearby Conemaugh Township in...
. Monson suffered a knee injury that ended his playing career, and focused on coaching; he graduated from Idaho with a degree in secondary education (mathematics
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
) in 1985.
Coaching career
After graduation from college, Dan Monson was a high school coach in Oregon City, OregonOregon City, Oregon
Oregon City was the first city in the United States west of the Rocky Mountains to be incorporated. It is the county seat of Clackamas County, Oregon...
for a season, then became a collegiate graduate assistant under Gene Bartow
Gene Bartow
Gene Bartow is a former men's college basketball coach. The Browning, Missouri, native coached 36 years at six universities after coaching two high schools in Missouri for six years.-High school:...
at UAB
UAB Blazers
The UAB Blazers are the forest green and old gold-swathed athletic teams at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. The school is one of the twelve member institutions of Conference USA and participates in Division I of the NCAA...
in 1986, where he earned a master's degree in education.
In 1988, after two seasons in Birmingham
Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham is the largest city in Alabama. The city is the county seat of Jefferson County. According to the 2010 United States Census, Birmingham had a population of 212,237. The Birmingham-Hoover Metropolitan Area, in estimate by the U.S...
, he was hired by Head Coach Dan Fitzgerald as an assistant coach at Gonzaga
Gonzaga Bulldogs
The Gonzaga Bulldogs are the athletic teams at Gonzaga University; the term applies to any of the school's varsity teams. Gonzaga University is a member of the West Coast Conference, which participates in the NCAA Division I...
back in Spokane
Spokane, Washington
Spokane is a city located in the Northwestern United States in the state of Washington. It is the largest city of Spokane County of which it is also the county seat, and the metropolitan center of the Inland Northwest region...
. In 1994, Monson was promoted to associate head coach, and became Gonzaga's head coach
Head coach
A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches...
upon the retirement of Fitzgerald in March 1997, at the age of 55. While at the helm at Gonzaga, the Bulldogs compiled a 52-17 (.754) record. The 1999 team brought Gonzaga basketball to national prominence with an impressive run in NCAA tournament
1999 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
The 1999 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 64 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 11, 1999, and ended with the championship game on March 29 at Tropicana Field in St....
. In the West regional, the 10th seeded "Zags" defeated 7th-seed Minnesota
Minnesota Golden Gophers
The Minnesota Golden Gophers are the college sports team for the University of Minnesota. The university fields both men's and women's teams in basketball, cross country, gymnastics, golf, ice hockey, swimming, tennis, and track and field. Men's-specific sports include baseball, football, and...
and 2nd-seed Stanford
Stanford Cardinal
The Stanford Cardinal is the nickname of the athletic teams at Stanford University.-Nickname and mascot history:Following its win over Cal in the first-ever Big Game in 1892, the color cardinal was picked as the primary color of Stanford's athletic teams...
in the Seattle sub-regional, and 6th-seed Florida
Florida Gators men's basketball
The Florida Gators men's basketball team represents the University of Florida in the sport of basketball. The Gators compete in National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I and the Southeastern Conference...
in the Sweet Sixteen round in Phoenix
Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix is the capital, and largest city, of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the sixth most populated city in the United States. Phoenix is home to 1,445,632 people according to the official 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data...
. Gonzaga advanced to the regional final (Elite Eight), taking the region's top seed, and eventual national champion, Connecticut
Connecticut Huskies
The Connecticut Huskies, also known as the UConn Huskies, are the athletic teams of the University of Connecticut in the United States. The school is a member of National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I and the Big East Conference for all sports except Men's Ice Hockey and Women's Ice...
down to the last minute, losing by five points.
Dan Monson became one of the more sought after coaching candidates in college basketball in the spring of 1999. After Gonzaga's improbable run to the Elite Eight, he was offered the head coaching position at the University of Minnesota
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system and has the fourth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 52,557...
, which he accepted. Mark Yudof
Mark Yudof
Mark G. Yudof is an American law professor and academic administrator. He is president of the University of California , former chancellor of the University of Texas System , and former president of the University of Minnesota .In addition to his position as Chancellor at The University of Texas,...
, then president of the University, was hoping that Monson would be able to help the program move past the scandals of previous head coach Clem Haskins
Clem Haskins
Clem Smith Haskins is a retired American college and professional basketball player and college basketball coach. He and star player Dwight Smith became the first black athletes to integrate the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers basketball program in the fall of 1963. This put Western Kentucky at the...
. In the previous season, Gonzaga had defeated Minnesota in the first round of the NCAA tournament
1999 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
The 1999 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 64 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 11, 1999, and ended with the championship game on March 29 at Tropicana Field in St....
. Assistant coach Mark Few
Mark Few
Mark Few is an American college basketball coach, currently the head coach at Gonzaga University. He has served on Gonzaga's coaching staff since 1989, and has been a constant on the sidelines throughout a period that has seen the Bulldogs rise from mid-major obscurity to regular participants in...
succeeded Monson at Gonzaga. Interestingly, Monson also had ties to Minnesota already, as his father Don
Don Monson
Donald L. "Don" Monson is a former college basketball head coach and the father of head coach Dan Monson...
was born in rural Menahga, Minnesota
Menahga, Minnesota
Menahga is a city in Wadena County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 1,306 at the 2010 census.Menahga means "blueberry bush" in the Chippewa language.-Geography:...
.
In April 2002, Monson was courted by the University of Washington
University of Washington
University of Washington is a public research university, founded in 1861 in Seattle, Washington, United States. The UW is the largest university in the Northwest and the oldest public university on the West Coast. The university has three campuses, with its largest campus in the University...
to run the Washington Huskies
Washington Huskies
Washington Huskies is the nickname of the University of Washington's athletic teams. The school is a member of the Pacific-12 Conference. The athletic program is made up of 9 men's sports and 10 women's sports Washington Huskies is the nickname of the University of Washington's athletic teams. The...
men's team and return to his home state of Washington. Monson initially accepted the offer presented by Huskies AD Barbara Hedges. The Minnesota athletic department under Tom Moe convinced Monson to change his mind and stay on with Minnesota. In the end, Monson decided to return to Minnesota because he didn't feel he had given enough time to the rebuilding effort at Minnesota and hadn't yet attained enough success with the team.
Dealing with the fallout from the academic scandals of the Clem Haskins era, it was several years before Monson was able to recruit on equal footing with other Big Ten
Big Ten Conference
The Big Ten Conference is the United States' oldest Division I college athletic conference. Its twelve member institutions are located primarily in the Midwestern United States, stretching from Nebraska in the west to Pennsylvania in the east...
coaches. He led the Gophers to one NCAA Tournament and 4 NIT appearances in his 7 full-seasons as Gophers coach. On November 30, 2006, Dan Monson resigned as head coach
2006 in sports
2006 in sports describes the year's events in world sport.-American football:* January 2, Fiesta Bowl – Ohio State 34-20 Notre Dame* January 2, Sugar Bowl – West Virginia 38-35 Georgia...
of Minnesota after a 2-5 start and only achieving a single 20-win season in 7. Assistant coach Jim Molinari
Jim Molinari
James Molinari is an American basketball coach. Molinari is head coach of the Western Illinois University Leathernecks. Prior to being named coach at WIU, Molinari was as assistant coach at Ball State University after serving as the interim head coach at the University of Minnesota, replacing Dan...
was appointed interim head coach before Tubby Smith
Tubby Smith
Orlando "Tubby" Smith is an American college basketball coach. He is currently the men's basketball head coach at the University of Minnesota...
was named the new head coach after the season.
Monson compiled a 118-106 (.527) record with the Gophers, giving him an overall career record of 170-123 (.580) as a head coach
Head coach
A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches...
. On April 6, 2007 Monson was named the head coach of the men's basketball team at Long Beach State
California State University, Long Beach
California State University, Long Beach is the second largest campus of the California State University system and the third largest university in the state of California by enrollment...
. Under Monson's guidance, Long Beach State has improved each season, to the point that on February 24, 2011 Long Beach defeated Cal Poly 61-55 to clinch their first Big West regular season title since 2006-07 and the #1 seed in the Big West Tournament. They won their last nine regular season games heading into the tournament.
Monson has also coached internationally; he was an assistant coach on the 1999 World University Games team and the 2004 USA U-20 team.
Head coaching record
External links
- Gonzaga Bulldogs - official site
- Univ. of Minnesota Gophers Sports.com - official site - Dan Monson's bio
- USA Basketball.com - Dan Monson - bio
- "For Monson, no curing the bug to coach again" - The Seattle TimesThe Seattle TimesThe Seattle Times is a newspaper serving Seattle, Washington, US. It is the largest daily newspaper in the state of Washington. It has been, since the demise in 2009 of the printed version of the rival Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Seattle's only major daily print newspaper.-History:The Seattle Times...
- 08-Feb-2007