Wisconsin Football Coaches Association

Lance Leipold was born and raised in Jefferson, WI. After a standout collegiate career at UW-Whitewater where he was an all-conference quarterback and team MVP, Leipold embarked on a career in coaching.

He began his coaching career at his alma mater in 1987. From 1991-93, he was a member of Barry Alvarez’s staff at the University of Wisconsin as a graduate assistant. Leipold was on the staff that led the Badgers to the 1994 Big Ten Championship and Rose Bowl title.

The following season, he began the first of two stints at Nebraska-Omaha. He was an assistant on the Mavericks’ staff from 1994-2000. After spending three seasons as an off-field assistant at Nebraska, Leipold returned to Nebraska-Omaha as the Mavericks’ assistant head coach and offensive coordinator from 2004-06. All told, Nebraska-Omaha won six conference championships over his time there.

In 2007, Leipold was hired as the head coach at UW-Whitewater and embarked on a legendary coaching stretch. He compiled an astounding 109-6 record and won six Division III National Championships over his eight seasons. Leipold reached 100 career victories faster than any other coach in NCAA history – at any level.

Leipold has gathered multiple honors from as many as five football-related organizations. He was named the American Football Coaches Association Division III Coach of the Year award six times - more than any active coach at any level. He was also a six-time D3Football.com Coach of the Year honoree.

In his first season as head coach at UW-Whitewater, The Warhawks went 14-1 and won the national title. He led the Warhawks back to the national championship game in 2008. UW-Whitewater went 15-0, winning the national championship in 2009, 2010 and 2011 and won 46 straight games over that span – the fifth longest winning streak in NCAA history at any level. UWW went a perfect 15-0 and won the national championship in 2013 and followed with another perfect 15-0 season and a national title in 2014. On the whole, the Warkhawks posted a 34-1 playoff record under Leipold.

UW-Whitewater won seven conference titles in eight seasons under Leipold. In addition, the Warhawks piled up 56 All-America honors under his tutelage.

On December 1, 2014, Leipold left UW-Whitewater for the FBS ranks and was named the head coach at the University at Buffalo of the Mid-American Conference.

Leipold and his wife, Kelly, have a daughter, Lindsey, and a son, Landon.