Hall of Famer Dave Klug To Retire
Dave Klug announced that he will retire from the Concordia Athletic Department at the end of June. Klug just completed his 33rd season as an assistant coach with the Cobber football program.
MOORHEAD, Minn. (5/12/21)---Dave Klug announced that he will retire from the Concordia Athletic Department at the end of June. Klug just completed his 33rd season as an assistant coach with the Cobber football program. He also served as the Athletics Facilities Manager for the department.
"Dave has been a tremendous asset to the department for over 32 years," Athletic Director Rachel Bergeson said. " He has been a constant, and someone we could all depend on because he has so much knowledge about this place. Dave has left a lasting impact on the institution. I will be forever grateful for all he has done."
Klug's Concordia legacy is, not only as an assistant coach and athletic department administrator, but as a Hall of Fame student-athlete who went on to play professional football for the Kansas City Chiefs.
Klug played for the Cobbers from 1976-79. He earned first team NAIA All-American honors as a defensive end his senior season, after which he was drafted by Kansas City in the fourth round of the 1980 draft. He played four seasons with the Chiefs, from 1981 to 1984.
During his Concordia career, Klug was voted by his teammates as team captain and most valuable player his senior season; was a two-time All-MIAC team honoree; two-time member of the NAIA All-District team; and MIAC co-most valuable player. As a leader of the defense in the 1978 season, he helped the Cobbers hold off Findlay College of Ohio with a late fourth quarter goal-line stand to win the NAIA Division II national championship.
Klug joined the Cobber coaching staff in 1988 and went on to become one of the top defensive coaches in the MIAC. He served as co-defensive coordinator from 2001 to 2005. Klug then went on to become assistant defensive coordinator. During his 33-year tenure with Concordia football, Klug has always been the linebackers coach – a role that has seen him mentor numerous MIAC All-Conference performers through the years as well as several All-American award winners.
"It's be an honor and a privilege to have him a part of my staff for the last 21 years," football head coach Terry Horan commented. "The one word that comes to mind when I think of Dave, and what he's meant to our program, is 'loyalty'. It didn't matter the job that he was asked to do he always did it for me. I could always count on him to not only get it done, but to get it done right! We will miss him greatly."
Klug also served as an assistant baseball coach from 1997-2004 and was an instructor in the physical education and health department before becoming the Athletics Facilities Director. He was inducted into the Concordia Athletic Hall of Fame in 2009.
Bergeson announced that a search for Klug's replacement will begin immediately.