|
| UW-La Crosse athletics photo |
The University of Wisconsin-La Crosse has named Michael Zweifel as its 15th head football coach in school history. A native of Whitewater, Wisconsin, Zweifel completed his fourth year as an assistant coach at UW-La Crosse during the 2025 season. He replaces Matt Janus, who was announced as head football coach at Northern Michigan on January 5.
"My family and I are extremely honored and excited to be the next head coach at UW-La Crosse," said Zweifel. "To be a part of the proud history and standard of excellence here at UW-La Crosse is a dream come true."
Zweifel served as UW-La Crosse's defensive coordinator, special teams coordinator and defensive backs coach in 2025. He has coordinated the Eagles' defense and special teams to a 36-11 record the last four years as UW-La Crosse won two Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference championships and made four appearances in the NCAA Division III playoffs.
"The mindset and standard of our football program is not to maintain what we've accomplished the past few years; I was hired to elevate and take this program to the next step," added Zweifel. "The expectation is to win championships, and we plan to do that by developing competitive, connected, accountable and resilient young men.
This football team will value competition, being selfless, and seeking out challenges every day. Myself and our staff are fully committed to building champions in school, sport and life."
He has coached 15 All-WIAC selections on defense, including 10 first team choices. UW-La Crosse led the league in passing defense (188.9 yards per game) and punting net yards per game (39.4) in 2025. The Eagles led the WIAC in quarterback sacks (28) and fumble recoveries (9) in 2024 while ranking third in interceptions (13).
"Michael has displayed his football intelligence while leading our defense for the last four years, but he also brings experience as a player and coach on the offensive side of the ball which is unique," said UW-La Crosse Director of Athletics Kim Blum. "He has made an impression on our players as someone who engages with them and brings a lot of energy, but also as a strong family man who cares about making an impact on young men on and off the field."
In 2022, UW-La Crosse ranked second in the conference in scoring defense (17.8), sacks (67), interceptions (13), opponents' third-down conversions (32.2%) and red-zone defense (66.7). The Eagles led the conference in kickoff returns (23.8) while finishing third in punt returns (9.3) and second in punting (35.4).
Zweifel was the wide receivers and quarterbacks coach at Dubuque from 2012-21. A 2011 graduate of Dubuque, Zweifel earned his bachelor's degree in exercise science while graduating summa cum laude. He earned his master's degree in Kinesiology from the University of Texas at Tyler in 2015. Zweifel owned Building Better Athletes, LLC from 2013-22. Zweifel was a D3football.com All-America selection in 2009 and 2011.
He was named the winner of the 2011 Gagliardi Trophy, awarded annually to the top NCAA Division III football player. Zweifel led the nation in receiving yards (1,915), receiving yards per game (174.1), receptions (140), receptions per game (12.7), and receiving touchdowns (25). He also recorded 29 tackles in 2011 with 2.5 tackles for loss, nine pass breaks-ups, one interception and one fumble recovery.
Zweifel set a NCAA III record with his 140 catches in 2011 and ended his career as the all-time NCAA leader (all divisions) with 463 receptions. He was a three-year team captain at Dubuque.
Selected the 2011 Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (IIAC) Offensive Most Valuable Player, Zweifel was named to six All-America teams. He was an All-IIAC First Team selection in 2009 and 2011, helping lead the Spartans to their first conference championship in 31 years in 2011.
"I appreciate Michael's commitment to UW-La Crosse and his unique vision for the future of UW-La Crosse football as a contributor to the overall athletic program," noted Blum. "Michael was able to demonstrate his ability to lead the program by pulling from his experience as a business owner, and he clearly understands the incredible opportunity he has to write the next chapter of the Eagles' football program."
Zweifel attended the Green Bay Packers rookie minicamp and fall camp in 2012. Voted the 2011 College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-American® of the Year, he was named a National Football Foundation Scholar-Athlete finalist.
Zweifel will be formally introduced as the Eagles' head coach at a press conference to be held in Hetzel Fieldhouse on the UWL campus, scheduled for 11 a.m. on Tuesday, February 17.
Zweifel lives in Holmen, Wisconsin with his wife, Jennifer, and two daughters, Ainsley and Sienna.