Coach Coe Michaelson begins his 8th season with the Crusaders in 2015.
On May 19th, 2007, Northwest Nazarene University named Coe Michaelson the head coach of the Crusader men‘s soccer program and him with re-starting the program at the Division II level in the fall of 2008.
Since starting the program in the Fall of 2008, Michaelson’s Crusaders have quickly risen to be recognized as one of the elite programs in the NCAA Division II West Region. Within the difficult Great Northwest Athletic Conference the Crusaders have finished 2nd twice in the past three years, with 4th place finishes in both 2010 and 2013. The Crusaders have also been a fixture in the Regional Rankings, appearing every year since 2010, while they made their first ever appearance on the NCAA DII National Rankings in 2014, appearing over much of the season, with a high of 22 on the Top-25 list.
The 2014 season was a banner year beyond just the rankings, as the Crusaders qualified for their first-ever NCAA DII National Tournament. Selected as the No. 4 seed in the West, the Crusaders defeated two-time national semifinalist Simon Fraser University (1-0). The victory marked the first national tournament victory for NNU Athletics at the DII level since women's basketball advanced to the 2nd round in 2003 under current Athletic Director, Kelli Lindley. The Crusaders then lost in the 2nd Round to Seattle Pacific University on a late penalty kick, in spite of outshooting the Falcons, 21-11, and holding a 9-3 advantage in corner kicks. Finishing the year with a all-time best 15-4-1 record, Michaelson was honored as the West Region Coach of the Year, while he was also a finalist for National Coach of the Year. Additionally he was named GNAC co-Coach of the Year.
During his first seven seasons with the Crusaders, NNU has had 35 players recognized as GNAC All-Conference performers, while 22 have been named Academic All-Conference. In addition, 9 players have been named All-Region, while 4 have been named GNAC Newcomer of the Year, 2 were recognized as Freshman of the Year, 1 was named Defensive Player of the Year and one was named 1st Team All-American, the first at the DII level for NNU Athletics. The 2014 squad was also recognized by the NSCAA with an NSCAA Academic Award for compiling a team GPA of over 3.0. The 2014 squad compiled a 3.11 GPA, while the 2013 squad combined for a 3.23.
A highly decorated collegiate player, Coe also has significant club and ODP coaching experience. Coe is currently the Technical Director for the Boise Nationals Soccer Club and holds a United States Soccer Federation "A" License, an NSCAA Premier Diploma with Distinction, and a US Youth Soccer National Youth License, the highest levels of licensing available in the US. Coe graduated magna cum laude from the College of Idaho in 2002 with a Bachelor‘s degree in Spanish and went on to complete a Master‘s of Arts in Teaching degree in 2003.
As a player, Coe played semi-professionally for the Marine Football Club in England and coached for the Liverpool FC in Liverpool, England. Collegiately, Coe played for the Crusaders in 1999, earning first-team All-Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC) honors as a freshman before transferring to the College of Idaho.
At the College of Idaho, he was named a Verizon CoSIDA first-team All-American in 2002 and was an honorable mention All-American pick in 2001. The all-time assist leader for the Coyotes, Coe‘s teams won the NAIA Regional Championship in 2000 and won the CCC championship in both 2000 and 2001. The CCC Student Athlete-of-the-Year in 2002-03, Coe was also an NAIA Academic All-American in both 2001 and 2002.
“I couldn’t be more excited about the progress that we have made and the quality of people that I get to interact with on a daily basis. NNU truly is an institution in which we seek to impact lives and develop the whole person. While soccer is a passion of mine, so too is working with and helping these young men to grow as people. Great facilities, a great program, excellent academics, and a positive Christian environment … NNU truly is a place that I am proud to be a part of.”
Coe is married to Stephanie, and has two sons, Luke (6) and Isaac (4).
