Peter HaugenFaculty and Staff

Peter Haugen, a native of Minneapolis and a 1991 graduate of Bethel University, is in his seventh year as head football coach at Gustavus Adolphus College.

Last season, the Gustavus football team matched its 2013 campaign with an overall record of 6-4 and a MIAC mark of 4-4. The Golden Gusties started the season on a tear, winning their first six games, which was the best start to a season since the 1987 team went 10-0 and claimed the MIAC title. Last season’s hot start was highlighted by conference wins over Hamline, Augsburg, Carleton and St. Olaf. Offense was the name of the game as the Gusties averaged 47.5 points per game during that four-game stretch. Of the four losses, three were by 10 points or less.

In the MIAC’s post-season honors, first team all-conference recipients included senior kicker Thomas Scheusener (Rapid City, S.D.), junior quarterback Mitch Hendricks (Bemidji, Minn.), junior wide receiver Matt Boyce (Excelsior, Minn.), junior wide receiver Gabriel Boyce (Excelsior, Minn.) and junior offensive lineman Marcus Kelly (Woodbury, Minn.). Matt Boyce, Gabriel Boyce and Mitch Hendricks were later named to the D3football.com All-West Region Team, while Matt Boyce was selected to the D3football.com All-America Team.

In six seasons at the head of the Gustavus Adolphus football program, Haugen has compiled an overall record of 25-35 and a MIAC record of 18-30.

Haugen, who was the head football coach at Washburn High School for 15 years prior to coming to Gustavus, compiled an overall record of 111-44 during that span, while winning 11 league championships and posting a league record of 76–8. He directed the Millers to the Class AAAA quarterfinals in 2007 finishing with a mark of 9–3. In his last season as the Millers’ head coach, Haugen’s squad posted a mark of 8–2. While building the program at Washburn, Haugen increased player participation from 35 players in 1994 to 110 players in 2008. He also implemented academic monitoring and meal programs for student-athletes as well as creating and directing the highly successful Washburn Athletic Leadership Academy. He has also served as the chair of the Minneapolis Football Conference and he is an active clinician working at many local and regional clinics including the NIKE Coach of the Year clinic. Haugen was also a member of the Metro coaching staff for the Minnesota All-Star game in 1998. He started his coaching career at his alma mater, serving as the offensive line coach during the 1992 and 1993 seasons.

A three-sport standout at Bethel, Haugen was a starting tight end on the football team, a starting goaltender on the hockey team, and a starting catcher on the baseball team in the late ’80s and early ’90s. In his senior year, he earned all-conference honors in football, and was selected Most Valuable Player of the hockey team.

Haugen became the 17th head coach in the 98-year history of Gustavus football. The Golden Gusties have a long and storied football tradition that includes 22 MIAC titles. The program ranks in the top-50 all-time in Division III (out of 235 institutions) with a 58.0 winning percentage (479–343–21). The Gusties will soon join an elite group of 40 NCAA Division III institutions whose football teams have won 500 games.

Along with great teams, Gustavus has also been blessed with many outstanding individual players, which includes 30 players who have received All-America honors, 13 who have received CoSIDA Academic All-America honors, and five who have received NCAA Postgraduate Scholarships. Most recently, wide receiver Matt Boyce ’16 was named to the D3football.com All-America Team.

Peter, and his wife, Brenda live in St. Peter with their three children, Zeke, Zoe, and Zetta.

Education

B.A. Bethel University; M.A. Bethel University; Advanced Degree St. Mary's University

Interests

Family, Outdoors, and Youth Ministry

Courses Taught