Portal:American football/Selected article/December, 2008

Mike Gardner is the current head football coach for the Pioneers of Malone University located in Canton, Ohio.

Gardner served as the Defensive Coordinator at Tabor from 2001 to 2003 and helped guide the Bluejays to their first-ever NAIA national playoff appearance in 2003 and a #15 NAIA national ranking. He was named the AFCA NAIA Assistant Coach of the Year and the AFLAC Assistant Coach of the Year for the 2003 season. His 2003 defense ranked 11th in the final NAIA statistics while his 2002 team ranked an impressive second overall.

In 2005, Gardner was named Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference "Co-Coach" of the year along with Saint Mary coach Lance Hinson.

As head coach at Malone, he has led his team to the Victory Bowl for three consecutive years and defeated Geneva College in 2007.

As a player, Gardner was a three-time NAIA All-American and a four-time All-Conference selection while at Baker (KS) and he played for a national championship in 1986. He has been involved in 10 national playoff games as a player, eight as a coach, and his 2005 Tabor squad won its first-round playoff contest.

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