Bush Leaguers: Five NCAA DI Bench Bosses Coached Three Small Colleges
June 22nd, 2023 - 9:31
Five active NCAA Division I bench bosses previously guided three small schools prior to reaching the big time. Lipscomb's Lennie Acuff and Iona's Tobin Anderson were small-college mentors for more than 20 seasons in the "bush leagues." Following is an alphabetical list of head coaches for multiple small four-year colleges prior to earning a current opportunity at DI level (number of years as small-college head coach in parentheses):
| Active Head Coach | DI University | Multiple Stints as Small-College Mentor |
|---|---|---|
| Lennie Acuff (27) | Lipscomb | Belhaven MS in 1990-91 and 1991-92)/Berry College GA from 1993-94 through 1996-97/Alabama-Huntsville from 1997-98 through 2018-19 |
| Tobin Anderson (21) | Iona | Clarkson NY from 1999-00 through 2003-04/Hamilton College NY from 2004-05 through 2010-11/St. Thomas Aquinas NY from 2013-14 through 2021-22 |
| Chris Beard (3) | Mississippi | McMurry College TX in 2012-13/Angelo State TX in 2013-14 and 2014-15 |
| Keith Dambrot (4) | Duquesne | Tiffin OH in 1984-85 and 1985-86/Ashland OH in 1989-90 and 1990-91 |
| Jim Ferry (4) | Maryland-Baltimore County | Plymouth State NH in 1998-99/Adelphi NY from 1999-00 through 2001-02 |
| Geno Ford (3) | Stony Brook | Shawnee State OH in 2001-02/Muskingum OH in 2005-06 and 2006-07 |
| Ray Harper (12) | Jacksonville State | Kentucky Wesleyan from 1996-97 through 2004-05/Oklahoma City 2005-06 through 2007-08 |
| Donte Jackson (7) | Grambling State | Central State OH from 2010-11 through 2013-14/Stillman College AL from 2014-15 through 2016-17 |
| Matt Logie (12) | Montana State | Whitworth WA from 2011-12 through 2018-19/Point Loma Nazarene CA from 2019-20 through 2022-23 |
| Ryan Looney (15) | Idaho State | Eastern Oregon from 2004-05 through 2008-09/Seattle Pacific from 2009-10 through 2015-16/Point Loma Nazarene CA from 2016-17 through 2018-19 |
| Greg McDermott (7) | Creighton | Wayne State NE from 1994-95 through 1999-00/North Dakota State in 2000-01 |
| Tim Miles (12) | San Jose State | Mayville State ND in 1995-96 and 1996-97/Southwest Minnesota State from 1997-98 through 2000-01/North Dakota State from 2001-02 through 2006-07 |
| Dave Paulsen (14) | Holy Cross | St. Lawrence NY from 1994-95 through 1996-97/LeMoyne NY from 1997-98 through 1999-00/Williams MA from 2000-01 through 2007-08 |
| Paul Sather (14) | North Dakota | Black Hills State SD from 2005-06 through 2009-10/Northern State SD from 2010-11 through 2018-19 |
NOTE: North Dakota State subsequently moved up to NCAA DI level after coached by McDermott and Miles.