Dana Holgorsen

Dana Carl Holgorsen was born on June 21, 1971, in Davenport, Iowa. He played wide receiver at Mount Pleasant Community High School, earning all-conference selections in his junior and senior years. After high school, he played one season at St. Ambrose University before transferring to Iowa Wesleyan University, where he concluded his playing career with 145 receptions and 1,711 yards. Holgorsen’s coaching career began in 1993 at Valdosta State, where he coached quarterbacks, receivers, and special teams under Hal Mumme.

Holgorsen continued his early coaching roles at Mississippi College (1996–1998) and Wingate (1999). His career advanced significantly when he joined Texas Tech in 2000, initially as an inside receivers coach. He was promoted to co-offensive coordinator from 2005 to 2006, and then offensive coordinator in 2007. During his tenure at Texas Tech, his offenses consistently ranked among the nation’s best for total and scoring offense. Following this, he served as offensive coordinator at Houston (2008–2009) and Oklahoma State (2010), where his offenses continued to achieve national prominence, leading to school records and significant individual player accolades.

In 2011, Holgorsen joined West Virginia University as offensive coordinator and was named head coach later that year. He led the Mountaineers to a share of the Big East Conference crown and a victory in the 2012 Orange Bowl. After eight seasons at West Virginia, he returned to the University of Houston as head coach in 2019, where he remained until 2023. In 2024, Holgorsen joined the Nebraska Cornhuskers, initially as an offensive consultant, and was later appointed offensive coordinator.