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Press releaseST. GEORGE -- Ron Haun, who guided the Dixie State College of Utah football program's transition to four-year NCAA Division II competition, announced Wednesday that he is retiring from his position as head coach.
"Coach Haun has had a long and extremely successful career as a football coach and we appreciate his efforts in laying the foundation for the Dixie State football and dealing with the challenges of the transition to NCAA Division II competition," DSC President Dr. Stephen D. Nadauld said. "He is a man of integrity and our program and student-athletes continue to improve, both on the field and in the classroom, as a result of his attention to the character and success of our athletes. Dixie State owes him our profound thanks and our best wishes for his retirement."
Interim Athletic Director Maureen Eckroth announced that offensive coordinator Scott Brumfield will be promoted to interim head coach and Jim Eggleston will be retained as director of football operations. Eckroth also noted that the rest of the coaching staff positions would be filled in time for spring drills this upcoming March.
"Not many people understand the difficulty of transitioning a junior college program into an NCAA Division II program. It is an exhaustive process that includes athletic responsibilities, education in NCAA regulations, compliance paperwork and numerous other responsibilities," Eckroth said. "Coach Haun understood the challenge and did all the groundwork to make the football program competitive. His graduating class of 2010 will serve as a great example of his leadership for generations to come. The entire athletic department appreciates his dedication and wishes him well in his retirement."
Haun compiled a 12-32 overall record in his four years on the Red Storm sideline, including a pair of 4-7 marks in 2008 and 2009. He led DSC to a third-place showing (2-4) in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference this past season, and a fourth place finish (2-6) in the program's first year in the GNAC in 2008.
"I appreciate the opportunity given to me to lead this program. It's been a great experience for me and I have really enjoyed coaching our players, but it is time for me to retire," Coach Haun said. "This program has really taken steps forward both on and off the field and our kids are performing well academically. I want to thank those who have supported our program. We've had a lot of support and I want to thank everybody."
Prior to his arrival at DSC in 2006, Haun served as offensive coordinator at Weber State University (2005), and head football coach at Ricks College (now BYU-Idaho), where he compiled a 178-40-2 record from 1982 to 2002, prior to BYU-I dropping its intercollegiate athletic programs. Haun, who played quarterback for two seasons at Dixie College in 1963-64, was inducted into the NJCAA Football Hall of Fame in 2002.
(Courtesy Dixie State College)
