Northeastern hires Rocky Hager to be new head football coach

Boston, Mass.

R.E. "Rocky" Hager, who won four national championships while at North Dakota State and was most recently the recruiting coordinator and tight ends coach at Temple University, has been named the 10th head football coach at Northeastern University by Director of Athletics Dave O’Brien.

"Rocky Hager is the ideal coach for Northeastern’s football program at this time in our history," said O’Brien. "He combines outstanding success as a head coach at North Dakota State with significant Division 1A recruiting experience in the Northeast while at Temple University. Throughout his career Coach Hager has demonstrated a strong commitment to the academic and personal welfare of his student-athletes. He is a person of unquestioned integrity who is committed to building a winning program within the rules. I am confident Coach Hager has the experience and drive to lead Northeastern football into an era of sustained competitive success. He will hit the ground running with a proven blueprint to build on the success of the last two years."

Hager was the head coach at North Dakota State from 1987-1996, amassing a 91-25-1 record (.795 winning percentage) and winning the NCAA Division II National Championship in 1988 and ‘90. In both championship seasons, the Bisons enjoyed 14-0 records and Hager earned American Football Coaches Association National Coach of the Year laurels. Before assuming the head coaching position, Hager served as the defensive coordinator at NDSU, winning national titles in 1985 and ‘86.

"Our team goals are to win the Atlantic 10 championship, earn an NCAA playoff berth, win NCAA playoff games, and, ultimately, win a I-AA national championship," Hager said.

The 52-year-old Hager began his coaching career in 1976 at Sherwood (N.D.) High School before moving on to Dickinson (N.D.) High School for two years. In 1979, he made the jump to the collegiate level, serving as a graduate assistant football coach and head coach for the junior varsity squad at North Dakota State. In 1980, he moved to Morningside College in Sioux City, Iowa, as a defensive line coach, followed by a four-year (1981-84) stint at Augustana College in Sioux Falls, S.D.

Hager takes over for Don Brown, who left to become the head football coach at the University of Massachusetts. Brown coached for Northeastern from 2000 to ‘03.

Hager graduated from Harvey (N.D.) High School, where he excelled as a football player. He received his bachelor’s degree at Minot State College (Minot, N.D.) in 1974 and his master’s degree at North Dakota State in 1986. He and his wife, Peggy, have three children, Rebecca (20), Tiffanee (25) and Joshua (29).