Bio

Coach Chris Bessler was named Head Coach of the Doane Football team in July 2018. He joined the Tiger coaching staff in February 2007 and has served as the Defensive Coordinator and inside linebacker coach since returning to Doane.

Through the 2022 season, Tiger athletes have earned 36 all-conference honors, two NAIA All-American honors, and 58 NAIA Scholar-Athlete honors under Bessler's direction.

A 1995 Doane graduate, Bessler was a member of the football, baseball, and track & field teams at Doane. He was named NIAC all-conference as a linebacker. During his senior campaign he teamed up with Franzen to lead the Tigers to the 1993 NAIA Playoffs. Bessler’s coaching career started the following year as a student coach for the Tigers.

Bessler took over the head coaching duties at Cozad High School in 1996 and held the position until 2000. He moved back to the college ranks for the 2000 season at Northern State University (S.D.) where he earned his master’s degree in Education and Learning. In 2001, he took over as defensive line coach at Augustana College (Ill.) and helped the team to a conference championship and NCAA Division III playoff berth. Bessler returned to high school football in 2003 and served as an assistant coach at Mary Institute and St. Louis Country Day School where the team won one state championship and earned one runner-up honor during his tenure.

Bessler’s defensive units have been among the best in the NAIA, especially from 2012-2017. The defense has been in the Top 10 statistically in fewest rushing yards allowed and sacks per game in three of the past five years. They have also ranked in the Top 30 in scoring defense in four of the last five years, which included the 4th-best squad in the NAIA in 2015 allowing 16.0 points per game.