Dan Mettlach was named the 17th Head Coach in Michigan Tech football history on November 29, 2022. The native of Gwinn, Michigan was one of the top quarterbacks in the 100 years of Michigan Tech football from 2001-04 when he was named an All-American, the 2004 GLIAC Player of the Year, and a two-time All-GLIAC selection.
The second year of the Dan Mettlach era saw him lead the Huskies to a 7-4 record overall and a 4-3 ledger in the GLIAC for the first seven-win season since 2015 also finishing in a three-way tie for third in the conference. Quarterback Alex Fries broke the single-game record with 457 passing yards with five touchdowns in a quadruple overtime showdown with South Dakota Mines with a 52-50 win on Thursday Night on Sept. 6. Darius Willis also finished his career with the Huskies as the all-time leader in receptions (220), reception yards (2,836) and reception touchdowns (27).
The Huskies won the 22nd installment of the Miner’s Cup with a 39-9 victory for the 14th-straight Miner’s Cup victory.
The Huskies completed the season with a fourth quarter comeback at Saginaw Valley State on Nov. 16 as the Black & Gold scored 22 points in the fourth quarter while holding the Cardinals scoreless in the second half. Quarterback Alex Fries, a native of Saginaw, Michigan, threw for 203 yards and rushed for 69 yards and three touchdowns in his final game for the Huskies.
15 Huskies earned All-GLIAC honors including a league-leading two first team wide receivers in Ethan Champney and Darius Willis. Defensively, Josh Cribben, Austin Schlicht, Hunter Buechel and Brenden Lach earned First Team All-GLIAC Defensive honors.
Punter Brenden Lach also earned postseason accolades of D2CCA All-Super Region 3 First Team, AFCA All-America Second Team, D2CCA All-America Second Team, Don Hansen Division II All-America Honors and D2Football.com Elite 100 Team.
In his first year at the helm of his alma mater, Mettlach led the Huskies to a 5-5 overall record and 1-5 in the GLIAC in 2023. Michigan Tech earned its 13th-straight Miner’s Cup victory with an emphatic 62-0 score—the highest-scoring victory in the history of the rivalry, marking the 50th win in series history. The Huskies also earned a feel good win on the road at Upper Iowa on Sept. 23, outsourcing the Peacocks 27-7 in the second half to complete a 34-31 comeback.
Nine student-athletes earned All-GLIAC accolades with Ethan Champney, Brandon DeVries, William Marano and Darius Willis earning Second Team Offense distinctions while Michael Bates Jr., Josh Cribben, Samuel Kiiine, Brenden Lach and Marc Sippel claiming Second Team Defense selections. Kinne was also the GLIAC’s McAvoy Award Recipient and a fall GLIAC Commissioner’s Award selection. Punter Brenden Lach earned Don Hansen All-America Honorable Mention Selection.
He joined Michigan Tech’s staff in January 2017 as the Offensive Coordinator and the Assistant Head Coach and later the Associate Head Coach.
"Our goal is to be successful in all aspects of the program both on and off the field," said Director of Athletics Dr. Suzanne Sanregret. "A quality football program is a valued part of Michigan Tech's history, and we’re excited about the vision that Dan has to get us back to the top of the best NCAA Division II conference in the nation. Dan has the backing of our football alumni base and his pro-style offense has been effective in every one of his coaching stops.”
“It is an honor to be named the next Head Football Coach at Michigan Technological University,” Mettlach said. “As a former student-athlete here myself, I am familiar with the tradition of excellence and integrity we strive for as a university and within our athletic programs, and I am excited to be able to contribute to that.
“Michigan Tech is an amazing place, and my wife and I couldn’t be happier to continue raising our family in this community. I am extremely grateful to Dr. Suzanne Sanregret for the opportunity to lead this program and am excited for what I feel we can accomplish moving forward.”
Mettlach was the Assistant Head Coach and Offensive Coordinator at Finlandia University for its first three seasons of NCAA Division 3 football. Mettlach helped start the program with Head Coach Tim Driscoll, who spent 10 years as Michigan Tech's Defensive Coordinator and Assistant Head Coach.
Mettlach was the Special Teams Coordinator, Passing Game Coordinator, and Quarterbacks Coach at Macalester College (NCAA D3) in St. Paul, Minnesota for the 2012 and 13 seasons.
In 2011, he helped guide Hillsdale College to a GLIAC Championship as the Quarterbacks Coach. The Chargers averaged 31.6 points and 241.6 passing yards per game. Hillsdale racked up an average of 463.3 yards on offense each time they took the field, and quarterback Anthony Mifsud threw for 2,507 yards and 15 touchdowns during the championship run in 2011.
Mettlach also spent three seasons (2007-09) at Northern Michigan University (NCAA D2) where he filled various roles including Quarterbacks Coach, Wide Receivers Coach, Strength and Conditioning Coach, and Academic Coordinator.
At each stop, Mettlach has also been key in the recruiting process, covering the states of Michigan, Minnesota, Illinois, Wisconsin, Ohio, and Arizona.
Mettlach ranks fifth in Michigan Tech history in total offense with a combined total of 6,348 yards and 66 touchdowns. He is seventh overall in passing yards, completing 358 attempts for 5,261 yards and 50 touchdowns. He helped guide the Huskies to a GLIAC Championship and the program’s first trip to the NCAA Tournament in 2004.
Mettlach and his wife Sara reside in Hancock with their daughters Claire and Allison.
