HOUGHTON – The Michigan Technological University Athletics Department has announced that they have not renewed the contract of their former Football Head Coach Steve Olson. Effective immediately, Associate Coach and Offensive Coordinator Dan Mettlach has been named as the new Head Coach.
Steve Olson had been the Head Coach of MTU Football for six seasons, holding a 23-29 Overall Record and a 15-23 Record in the GLIAC. Olson was formerly a Defensive Coordinator and Linebacker’s Coach for the Huskies before being named the team’s Head Coach on November 15, 2016, succeeding Tom Kearly who was coach from 2006-2016.
“I would like to take this opportunity to thank Michigan Tech for the opportunity to be a part of this school and program,” Olson said. “During my time at Michigan Tech, we did not win as many games as I would have liked to have won. I am very proud of the accomplishments of the players who started and graduated from Michigan Tech. I wish the team the best of luck as it prepares for next season and beyond.
Athletic Director Suzanne Sanregret said that “Steve is a person of great integrity, and he has worked tirelessly to fulfill the mission of our athletic department and university. He stepped in with big shoes to fill after Coach Kearly retired, and we wish him all the best in his future endeavors.”
The newly appointed Dan Mettlach, an MTU alumni and former Huskies football player, Mettlach was a part of the MTU team that took home the GLIAC Championship and made the program’s first ever trip to the NCAA Tournament in 2004. The Gwinn native was named an All-American, the 2004 GLIAC Player of the Year, and a two-time All-GLIAC selection. Mettlach went on to be the Assistant Head Coach and Offensive Coordinator at Finlandia University for three seasons, as well as coaching at Macalester College (NCAA D3), Hillsdale College (NCAA D2), and Northern Michigan University (NCAA D2). In 2017, Mettlach joined the MTU Coaching Staff under Olson as Offensive Coordinator and the Assistant Head Coach and later the Associate Head Coach.
“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.”