2009 Football
2009 Football Coaches
Mike Gardner Image
Mike Gardner - Head Coach - 1st Season
Head Coach
Head Football Coach - 1st Season


Email: michaelg@tabor.edu

Phone: 620-947-3121 ext. 1637

Coaching Background


Gardner led the 2005 Bluejays to an 11-1 record with an NAIA national playoff victory and a No. 6 ranking in the final NAIA poll. And he led his 2004 squad to the NAIA playoffs and finished the season with a 9-2 record and a No. 14 final ranking.


Prior to becoming Tabor's head coach, Gardner had been Defensive Coordinator under Coach Tim McCarty from 2001 to 2003. He helped the Bluejays earn their first-ever NAIA national playoff appearance in 2003 and a No. 15 national ranking. That same year, Gardner was named the AFCA NAIA Assistant Coach of the Year and the AFLAC Assistant Coach of the Year. The Tabor defense was ranked 11th in the final NAIA statistics in 2003, and was ranked second in 2002.


Prior to his first stint at Tabor, Gardner spent five years at Lindenwood (Mo.) University, where he served as Special Teams Coordinator, from 1996-1999, and Defensive Coordinator, in 2000. Gardner also was quarterbacks and receivers coach at Bethel College, from 1993-1996, and the Special Teams and Recruiting Coordinator at Hastings (Neb.) College from 1990-1993.


At Malone University, Gardner wasted little time in instituting a drastic turnaround, developing a winning attitude for a Pioneer football program that had struggled prior to his arrival. In four years as head coach at Malone, which plays in the rugged Mid-States Football Association (NAIA), Gardner directed the Pioneers to a 7-4 record in '06, an 8-4 tally in '07, a 6-4 finish in '08, and a 4-6 record in '09.


Athletic background

· Olathe South High School

· Baker University (3-Time NAIA All-American, 4-Time All-Conference Selection)


Academic background

Graduated from Baker University (Bachelor's degree in Physical Education) and earned a master's degree from Hastings College in Hastings, NE, (Masters of Arts in Teaching)


Family

Wife - Julie

Sons - Ben (16) and Brooks (7)



Billy Hickman Image
Billy Hickman - Assistant Coach - 1st Season
Assistant Coach

Offensive Coordinator


Email: billyh@tabor.edu


Phone: 620-947-3121 Ext.1639


Athletic Background

· Coached at Colorado Mines 2009-Tight Ends

· Colorado Mines 2008- Offensive Line

· Coached D-line at Tabor Spring 2008

· Played at Tabor 2005-07

o Captain 2007

o All Conference 2007 (Tackle)

· Played at Bakersfield College 2002-03

o All Conference 2003 (Guard)


Family

· Wife- Traci, Tabor graduate 2007, played volleyball

· Daughter-Sophia, 8 Months (born May 23, 2009)


What is your Coaching style

· Focus on the detail

· Be better in our technique than our opponents

· Teach our players, through actions and examples, to be better men and players

· Show players to appreciate the process, not just the end result


What is special about athletics at Tabor

· Community and the relationships. Friendships that are built through a collective effort toward a shared goal…bonds are formed that will last a lifetime.

· Good education and good people


How do you integrate faith into coaching

· I want to stay focused on the Lord in all I do. I follow the word within my work and using my position to be a Godly example for these young men.




Dan Hromada - Assistant Coach - 1st Season
Assistant Coach



Email: danh@tabor.edu

Phone: 620-947-3121 ext. 1636

Length of time at Tabor: Since 2010




Chris Young Image
Chris Young - Assistant Coach - 1st Season
Assistant Coach
Defensive Backs Coach

Jason Aubrey Image
Jason Aubrey - Student Assistant - 1st Season
Student Assistant
Offensive Assistant / Receivers 

Demetrius Cox Image
Demetrius Cox - Student Assistant - 1st Season
Student Assistant
Running Backs Coach

Darrin Fisher Image
Darrin Fisher - Student Assistant - 1st Season
Student Assistant
Offensive Assistant / Offensive Line 

Matt Fox Image
Matt Fox - Student Assistant - 2nd Season
Student Assistant
Offensive Assistant / Offensive Line

Tex Rogers Image
Tex Rogers - Student Assistant - 1st Season
Student Assistant
Defensive Assistant / Equipment Manager