Coaches in place: Northern Michigan University head football coach Kyle Nystrom gets all assistant coaches positions filled before 1st practice
Northern Michigan University assistant defensive coach Scott McDougall, center right, works with Wildcats players as fellow assistant defensive coach Alex "Buddy" Mitchell, center, watch during NMU football practice in the Superior Dome last Wednesday. (Journal photo by Rachel Oakley)
And with only being on the campus for three months, Nystrom said it was a relief to get his guys in place before the first practice began.
“I’m thankful we have everybody here now,” Nystrom said recently. “Credit goes to the university for making sure everything went well to get all the pieces here in a timely fashion before spring ball. It doesn’t always happen like that, but we have everyone here and it’s going to help the process move along smoothly.”
A top priority for Nystrom back in January was to get his offensive coordinator hired, and just a few weeks later, he got his man in Marty Higgins.
Higgins’ resume dates back to the 1980s, when he was a wide receivers coach for Western Michigan and Eastern Illinois.
Northern Michigan University head football coach Kyle Nystrom walks among players doing stretches at an NMU football practice in the Superior Dome last Wednesday. (Journal photo by Rachel Oakley)
Higgins left the coaching field after the birth of his kids, than returned two decades later joining head coach Bernie Anderson’s staff at NMU in 2010.
“He has more experience than I do,” Nystrom said. “I admire him for his leave from the game for his kids. I feel good about hiring coaches that are good dads and fathers, because they’ll be that way with our players as well.”
Over the last seven years, Higgins has made stops at Valley City State, Upper Iowa and Indiana University of Pennsylvania.
Higgins said his relationship with Nystrom and the confidence in his abilities attracted him back to NMU.
“We’ve been friends for some time, so I was very interested,” Higgins said. “I was familiar with the place and the tradition, and I’m always interested in getting things built. It’s always nice to be with a good friend and be with what’s going to be a very good program.”
While an offensive coordinator at Upper Iowa, the Peacocks went 19-5 and twice reached the NCAA Division II playoffs.
Though NMU has seen much success on offense with a focus on its passing game, Higgins said he will be able to bring the offense to a new level.
“You have to be able to run the ball,” Higgins said. “I have a strong belief in that.
“I still love passing the ball, but to be (a) championship team you have to have a running game established, and that’s our priority.
“We’ll use more tight ends than in the past and have some things a bit different. It’s all about first downs, explosive plays and turnover battles that win games.”
Another notable addition to the coaching staff was former NMU assistant Carl “Buck” Nystrom, the head coach’s father, as a volunteer assistant for the offensive line.
“He’s helping probably one of the bigger segments of transition we’re going through,” Kyle Nystrom said. “To have two people with their hands on (our) needs is great for us. Being over-coached will get us to where we want to be faster.”
Buck Nystrom was an NMU assistant from 1975-80 and 1987-92 while also coaching at North Dakota State, Michigan State, Oklahoma and Colorado. He was a part of five national championships during his coaching career, including NMU’s 1975 title.
“Having Buck is like having a full-time coach without him actually being one,” Kyle Nystrom said. “He comes in and does the work well. It’s important to him to get this program to the level of pride, respect and tradition that it was at when he was here.
“He’s an old-school coach, and we’re lucky to have a guy with that much experience.”
Buck will assist offensive line coach Brandon Jordan, who followed defensive coordinator Kirby Cannon from Austin Peay University.
“(Brandon’s) mind is open without an ego. Buck has a lot of experience that will wear off on him in a very positive way.”
The additions rounded out an 11-man coaching staff that’s in the midst of spring practices, with the Wildcats’ spring game set for 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, April 8, at the Superior Dome.
Ray Bressette can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 251. His email address is rbressette@miningjournal.net.
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