 Don
Niskanen begins his 13th season as the Bemidji State
University head coach primed to continue one of the strongest
men's golf programs in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference.
Niskanen has led BSU to four NSIC championships since 1997,
giving the Beavers 13 league titles in their storied history.
Niskanen, a three-time NSIC Coach of the Year, has brought
success to the Beaver golf program throughout his reign, producing
Conference titles in 1997, 1998, 1999 and 2000, four consecutive
individual medalists and nearly 30 All-NSIC performers.
Niskanen's commitment to golf spans 50 years, including a
senior season at BSU as a letterwinner in 1959--just two years
after being introduced to the game. Niskanen, a veteran of
the United States Army after a two-year term in the Korean
conflict, would go on to make a name for himself on the golf
courses of northern Minnesota, earning the Bemidji Town and
Country Club Championship and Senior Championship along the
way.
Niskanen has coached several collegiate standouts and worked
one-on-one with golfers who have turned professional. He played
an instrumental role as an administrator and committee member
for golf events such as the prestigious Birchmont amateur
tournament, and he is also a former member and president of
the Bemidji Town and Country Club Board of Directors.
A 1959 graduate of Bemidji State University, Niskanen entered
the coaching ranks at Bagley (Minn.) High School where he
coached the football and basketball teams. In 1965, he took
the reins at Bemidji Junior High as head football coach, and
after years of polishing his golf game, Niskanen accepted
additional responsibility as head middle school golf coach
in 1985. Following his retirement in 1992, BSU called on Niskanen's
golf expertise to lead the Beaver golf program.
Niskanen led BSU to four consecutive NSIC Championships from
1997-2000 and earned NSIC Coach of the Year honors in 1998,
1999 and 2000.
Don and wife Janet, who reside in Bemidji, have three daughters,
Brenda, Monica and Stacey, and a son, Eric who now coaches
the Bemidji High School boy's golf team.
| Year |
School |
Conf. Finish |
All-NSIC Picks |
Notes |
| 1994 |
Bemidji State |
3rd |
|
|
| 1995 |
Bemidji State |
2nd |
2 (Shane Bauer, Scott Goergen) |
|
| 1996 |
Bemidji State |
4th |
1 (Jeff Noren) |
Jeff Noren - individual Medalist |
| 1997 |
Bemidji State |
NSIC Champions |
4 (Jay Ross, Mike Berg, Kevin Krigbaum, Ryan Holte) |
Jay Ross - Individual Medalist |
| 1998 |
Bemidji State |
NSIC Champions |
3 (Tom Jenkins, Tanner Johnson, Kevin Krigbaum) |
Tom Jenkins - Individual Medalist |
| 1999 |
Bemidji State |
NSIC Champions |
4 (Ruan Holte, Tom Downs, Eric Carlson, Tom Jenkins) |
Ryan Holte - Individual Medalist |
| 2000 |
Bemidji State |
NSIC Champions |
4 (Tom Downs, Tom Jenkins, Kevin Krigbaum, Travis Kuam) |
|
| 2001 |
Bemidji State |
2nd |
2 (Eric Carlson, Ben Stecher) |
|
| 2002 |
Bemidji State |
4th |
2 (Toby Palmuscino, Nate Baldry) |
|
| 2003 |
Bemidji State |
4th |
|
|
| 2004 |
Bemidji State |
2nd |
1 (Al Zutz) |
NCAA Division II Central/Great Lakes Super Regional
Participants |
| 2005 |
Bemidji State |
2nd |
3 (Al Zutz, Clint Cornell, Michael Abrahamson) |
NCAA Division II Central/Great Lakes Super Regional
Participants |
| 2006 |
Bemidji State |
2nd |
2 (Neil Rude, Michael Abrahamson) |
|
|
