Tjeerdsma Named New Northwest Athletic Director

Former head football coach Mel Tjeerdsma has returned to Northwest Missouri State as he has been named the new athletic director for the institution. He replaces Wren Baker, who resigned. Tjeerdsma was named following a quick search. As football coach, Mel turned around a program that had been struggling and turned it into a national powerhouse. As a coach who turned around a struggling program, he will be an invaluable resource for all the other coaches. He took an active interest in the other programs; he was a regular in attendance at Northwest basketball games turning his tenure as the Bearcats' head football coach. He was always there for everyone as a head coach, from his reserve freshmen to his top players and his assistants and coaching colleagues. His football program was marked by stability as he was able to keep the same staff for several years in a row. His wife Carol was a teacher at Northwest; she accepted everyone that she taught regardless of who they were.