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Truman State University Athletics

Gregg Nesbitt

Coach  Nesbitt Year-By-Year All-Time Coaches
Year School Overall Conference/Finish Coach Years Record Pct.
2010 Truman 4-7 2-7/T8th Maurice 'Red' Wade 1951-66 (16) 99-41-2 .704
2011 Truman 4-7 2-7/T8th Gregg Nesbitt 2010 - (13) 80-57 .583
2012 Truman 4-7 3-7/11th Don Faurot 1926-34 (9) 63-13-3 .816
2013 Truman 7-4 5-2/T2nd John Ware 1995-2003 (9) 54-43-0 .556
2014 Truman 6-4 5-3/T2nd H.L. McWilliams 1914-25 (11) 48-26-8 .634
2015 Truman 5-6 4-4/T4th Eric Holm 1990-94 (5) 37-19-0 .660
2016 Truman 8-3 7-2/T1st Jack Ball 1983-89 (7) 37-38 .493
2017 Truman 5-6 4-3/T4th Ron Taylor 1975-78 (4) 26-14-2 .643
2018 Truman 6-5 5-2/3rd Bruce Craddock 1979-82 (4) 24-19-0 .558
2019 Truman 10-2 5-2/3rd Russell Sloan 1969-71 (3) 22-5-1 .804
2020* Truman 3-1 3-1/2nd Shannon Currier 2004-08 (5) 20-35-0 .303
2021 Truman 9-3 4-3/3rd James Dougherty 1945-50 (5) 19-20-8 .489
2022 Truman 9-2 5-1/2nd Fred Faurot 1935-37 (3) 15-5-2 .727
Total 13 seasons 80-57 54-44 O.C. Bell 1907-09 (3) 13-7-0 .650
Randel Lukehart 1972-74 (3) 12-18-3 .409
Malcomb Eiken 1939-41 (3) 10-14-2 .423
Todd Kirk 1903-06 (4) 10-6-1 .618
Marv Braden 1967-68 (2) 9-9-0 .500
Earl Svendsen 1938 (1) 3-5-0 .375
C.B. Simmons 1910-11 (2) 3-9-0 .250
Aaron Vlcko 2009 (1) 2-9-0 .181
Vincent Gehringer 1945 (1) 1-2-1 .375
Overall 115 610-417-34 .586
 
  • 14th season as head coach of the Truman Bulldogs. Enters the 2023 schedule with an overall record of 80-57 (.583), 54-44 (.551) in conference games and 26-14 in non-conference games.
  • Is second on Truman’s coaching victories list.
  • Is second in head coaching seasons at Truman with 14, two behind Maurice “Red’ Wade’s 16 (1951-66) 
  • Has had 149 players selected all-conference with 60 first-team selections.
  • Six players, Austin Zoda, Dallas Grier, Jordan Salima, Josh Scheiderer and Tremaine Millender were four-time all-conference players with Jacob Morris earning all-conference five times..
  • Five All-America selections. Defensive back Richie Schumacher, punter Eric Phillips, kicker Derek Koon, all in 2010, return specialist Lawrence Woods in 2018 and running back Cody Schrader in 2021.
  • Mitch Nichols was selected as a CoSIDA Academic All-American following the 2018 season. 
  • Two Capital One/CoSIDA Academic All-District selections. Adam Reynolds (First Team – 2011), Garrett White (First Team – 2012).
  • Has averaged 46 Honor Roll members (Squad members with at least a 3.0 cumulative GPA) over the last seven seasons, including 53 following the 2012 season and 36 in 2013 in the GLVC when criteria was raised to a 3.30 GPA.
  • The 22nd Head Coach of the Truman Bulldogs and the sixth coach to have also played and lettered for the Bulldogs. (Last was Eric Holm from 1990-1994).
  • Lettered in 1978 and 1979 and was the team’s leading rusher in 79 with 260 yards.
  • Native of Hannibal, Mo. and was the Pirates Head Coach from 1984-1989 while also serving as Athletics Director.
  • Guided the Pirates to three Missouri Football postseasons.
  • Returned to Truman in 1990 as Defensive Coordinator/Linebackers Coach for Eric Holm.
  • Bulldogs went 23-9 from 1990-1993 with two NCAA playoff appearances (1990 & 1992).
  • Coached Robert Merriman to a second team Football Gazette all-America honor in 1992.
  • Left Truman in 1993 to become head coach at Columbia’s Hickman High School.
  • In 13 years at Hickman, the Kewpies qualified for six Missouri Class Six playoffs and won the 2004 State Championship.
  • In 10 of the 13 years, Hickman was ranked in the top 10 in Missouri’s largest class and Nesbitt had 95 students receiving college scholarships with 42 being named to all-state teams.
  • Was the 2004 Associated Press Missouri Coach of the Year, National Federation of High School Sports Regional Coach of the Year and a nominee for the NFHS National Coach of the Year Award.
  • Returned to college ranks in 2006 as defensive coordinator and secondary coach at Central Methodist (Mo.) University.
  • Joined Willie Fritz at the University of Central Missouri as co-defensive coordinator in 2007. Defense allowed 23.3 points and 378 yards per game in three seasons at Warrensburg.
  • A 1980 graduate of Truman State University with a B.S. in Physical Education and a masters in Sports Administration in 1987 also from Truman.
  • A 2010 inductee into the Missouri Football Coaches Association Hall of Fame and has been invited to speak at over 20 clinics throughout the Midwest.
  • Wife Jackie and sons Ryan and Kellen.
Seasons Recaps:

2022 - After a heartbreaking loss in the final moments in the season opener, the Bulldogs edged out three tough non-conference victories, two on the road before steamrolling through the first five games of the conference season. Following the 20-19 loss to Davenport (Mich.) in the season opener, the Bulldogs traveled nearly 800 miles and pulled out a 27-20 win in Rapid City, South Dakota against South Dakota Mines. The next week, Truman traveled nearly 500 miles in the opposite direction and beat Hillsdale in a rematch of the America's Crossroads Bowl by a 21-13 margin. Returning home, the resilient  Bulldogs marched 55 yards in the final minute to set up a tying field goal, then Coach Nesbitt gambled in overtime and went for two to pull out an 18-17 win over Tiffin (Ohio) to start the season 3-1. The team celebrated homecoming with a 36-14 win over Missouri S&T and revenged a 2021 loss by knocking off Southwest Baptist 25-20. The next three weeks saw a dominate Bulldog squad down outscore their opponents 153-46 to set up a "winner take all" conference championship game at rival Indianapolis. The cold snowy day saw Truman up 14-0 at half over the Greyhounds but UINDY would score on their first two possessions of the second half to tie the game and got a big play midway through the fourth to go up a score, they would add a pick-six to claim the conference championship 28-14. Not to be deterred, Truman returned to the Amercia's Crossroads Bowl and rematched against Tiffin. Like the first game, it came down to the end. The Bulldogs led 28-14 in the third quarter but the Dragons pulled to within one with a touchdown with 46 seconds left to play. This time, Tiffin decided to go for the win and two-point try but the Bulldog defense kept them out of the endzone for their third straight bowl championship. An unprecedented 18 Bulldogs earned all-GLVC honors following the season with Coach Nesbitt being named co-coach of the year. Of those 18 players, Truman had a league-best 13 players selected on the first team with unanimous choices being offensive lineman Justin Watson and defensive lineman Robert Greco. Tight end Matt Hall was selected all-region by the College Sports Communicators. 

2021 - The Bulldogs swept their four non-conference games to start the season with three of those wins coming on the road…Truman pounced Davenport 31-14 and Wayne State 27-9 before coming home to down Hillsdale 38-24…The Bulldogs had a dramatic comeback win over Tiffin 38-35 with 14 points in the final three minutes to upset the #12 Dragons on their home turf…The team fell to eventual league champion, Lindenwood in the GLVC opener 31-21 and then after a win over Missouri S&T lost on the road at Southwest Baptist 27-21…the squad bounced back with three straight triumphs, including a shutout (52-0) over William Jewell for Homecoming…a late field goal by Indianapolis spoiled senior day 13-10 to end the regular season…the Bulldogs returned to the America’s Crossroads Bowl and faced Hillsdale in a rematch from earlier in the season…Truman downed the Chargers again 34-17…running back Cody Schrader earned All-America honors and was one of the top rushers in college football…Schrader led all of NCAA football with 2,074 yards and 25 rushing touchdowns and had over 200 yards in five games played…Schrader was the GLVC Offensive Player of the Year…joining Schrader on the first-team all-GLVC team was Collin Alves, Ben Watson and Robert Greco…in all, 18 players earned all-GLVC honors following the season.

2020* - After the fall season was wiped out due to the COVID-19 pandemic...the GLVC played a divisional season in the spring with the Bulldogs placed in the West Division with Missouri S&T, Southwest Baptist and William Jewell...the Bulldogs swept all three divisional games with a 38-20 win over SBU, a 34-15 win at home over William Jewell and a 46-27 triumph over Missouri S&T to play in a “championship” game against East Division winner Indianapolis...the Greyhounds would take the league title with a 46-29 win over Truman...freshman quarterback Nolan Hair was named the GLVC Freshman of the Year and 10 of the 14 All-Conference selections were named to the All-GLVC First Team...running back Cody Schrader, offensive lineman Jacob VanDoren, fullback Jacob Morris and tight end Jake Ellis were named on offense...linebacker Reed McBroom, defensive linemen Robert Greco, Alec Devecchi, Kendrick Scarbrough, defensive back Ben Watson and special teams kick returner Jaylen Jefferson rounded out the first team selections...in the classroom, 33 Bulldogs were recognized as Academic All-GLVC...Bulldog All-American Lawrence Woods was signed as an undrafted free agent by the New Orleans Saints. 

2019 - The Bulldogs raced out of the gates, winning their first five games and in dominating fashion by outscoring opponents by 149 points and with two of the wins coming against NCAA D-1 FCS teams...Truman lost a heartbreaker at Lindenwood in week six after the Lions erased a 24-7 fourth quarter lead with two touchdowns in the final 1:16...the ‘Dogs rebounded with a thrilling homecoming win on a last second field goal against Missouri S&T (41-39) and two trounces over William Jewell and McKendree...the Bulldogs would end conference play with a 44-28 loss to eventual champion, Indianapolis but after a season finale 24-14 win over Urbana, received an invitation to the inaugural America’s Crossroads Bowl in Hobart, Indiana...the Bulldogs defeated Ohio Dominican 21-7 for their first 10-win season in school history...Truman placed 13 on the all-conference list with five first, team selections, defensive end Sam Reeves, running back Jordan Salima, defensive back Jordan Siegel, offensive lineman Jacob VanDoren and punter Taylor Cornish...in addition, Truman had 28 players selected for the Academic All-GLVC team. 

2018 - After a slow start with three straight losses, the Bulldog football team reeled off six-straight wins before missing out on a share of a conference title in a home loss to eventual champion, Indianapolis...the Bulldogs dropped the season finale to Missouri S&T 34-33...15 players earned all-GLVC honors with sophomore kick returner Lawrence Woods being named the GLVC Special Teams Player of the Year...Woods was later garner Division 2 Conference Commissioner's Association All-America honors with three of the team's four kick returns for touchdowns...he would set a school record with 50.7 yards per kick return...the team was also recognized by league coaches with their fourth straight GLVC Sportsmanship award...also named first-team all-GLVC were running back Jordan Salima, defensive lineman Sam Reeves, offensive lineman Nick Verbeck and defensive back Jordan Siegel...Reeves became the school's all-time leader in tackles for loss with 46 and is one quarterback sack from the career school record of 32...freshman kicker Josh Scheiderer tied a single-season record with 15 made field goals...Truman was ranked in the top 10 nationally in the following stat categories: fewest penalties (4), fewest penalties per game (2), fewest penalty yards (5), fewest pentalty yards per game (6), kickoff returns (4) and net punting (8)...32 players were named to the Academic All-GLVC squad and five posted perfect 4.0 GPAs for the academic year...senior Mitch Nichols was recognized as a CoSIDA Academic All-American, the 14th Bulldog Football player to earn the award and first since 2003.

2017 – The Bulldogs finished the season strong by winning the last four games of the year to offset a tough start to the 2017 campaign…Truman dropped six of their first seven games but rebounded to win the final four to finish 4-7 on the year…Ten players were named all-GLVC led by sophomore defensive end Sam Reeves…Reeves led the defense and nearly set a single-season record with16 tackles for loss and 11.5 quarterback sacks…fellow sophomore Jordan Salima rushed for over 1,111 yards on the year and led the team in both rushing and receiving…the Bulldogs were one of only five Division II teams to lose just three fumbles all season long and were in the top 10 nationally in fewest penalties and penalty yards assessed…quarterback Jaden Barr threw for 1,542 yards and 11 touchdowns while also rushing for nearly 600 yards and another five scores…the team was the GLVC Sportsmanship Team winner for the third straight season…33 players were named to the Academic All-GLVC team.

2016 – Truman claimed their first GLVC title and first conference championship since 1988 by sharing the league with Southwest Baptist…the Bulldogs were also ranked (as high as fifth) in the NCAA Super Region 4 regional rankings…the team was the GLVC Sportsmanship winner for the third straight season…15 players earned all-conference honors with four first-team selections…Jaden Barr earned the GLVC Freshman of the Year award…the 8-3 record was the best since the 2001 season and was only the 15th time that a Bulldog gridiron squad won at least eight games in a season…after a 31-19 loss in the home and season opener to Midwestern State, the Bulldogs reeled off five straight wins, including a 36-16 road win at co-champion Southwest Baptist…a 41-3 setback at nationally-ranked Grand Valley State didn’t damper the conference chase as Truman won their next three games to claim at least a share of the league title…McKendree spoiled the outright claim to the title with a 41-14 defeat in Lebanon, Illinois in the season finale…in addition to the 16 all-conference honorees, 42 players were named to the Academic All-GLVC team.

2015 – The Bulldogs made seven road trips and travelled nearly 5,000 miles including road games in seven of the first nine games…Truman lost 31-3 in the opener against who would be the top-seeded team in the region Midwestern (Texas) State down in Wichita Falls then gave up 14 points in the final quarter to fall to Wayne (Mich.) State 21-20 in Detroit the following week…In front of the home crowd for the first time, Truman scored late in the first quarter but Missouri S&T spoiled the party by holding off the Bulldogs 10-7…The team tasted victory in four of the next five games with wins over Lincoln (31-14), Southwest Baptist (23-14), a strong second-half comeback to win at Saint Francis (Ill.) (24-20) and a powerful running game in a 40-28 win over William Jewell…Quincy ended the momentum with a stunning 23-19 win in which the Hawks scored 17 points in the fourth quarter and had 10 points in the final 1:55 to pull out the win…Eight Bulldogs were named all-GLVC with offensive lineman Ethan Decker and defensive back Austin Zoda picking up first team honors….In addition to the all-conference honors, 29 players earned GLVC Academic All-Conference.
 
2014 – First back-to-back winning seasons since 2006-07 with a 6-4 overall record and 5-3 in the Great Lakes Valley Conference…three of the four losses were by a combine 13 points with one loss occurring in overtime…10 players named all-GLVC with two unanimous choices in running back Garrett White and tight end Chico Orlando…White became first Bulldog since 2003 to rush for over 1,000 yards for a season and had the most rushing touchdowns (13) since Jarrett Anderson in 1996…defense allowed just 178 points, the fewest since 1982…28 players earned GLVC Academic All-Conference.

2013 – Posted most wins since the 2001 season with a 7-4 overall record and a 5-2 mark in their first trip through the Great Lakes Valley Conference…after splitting the first four non-conference games, Truman won their first five GLVC games by outscoring their opponents 168-62…tied for second in the conference after dropping a 6-3 game against Saint Joseph’s (Ind.) and a 21-14 season finale against league-champion Indianapolis (Ind.)…had seven players named GLVC Players of the Week and 12 players earned all-GLVC accolades…seven were first-team selections, highlighted by Dallas Grier’s fourth straight all-conference selection at wide receiver…36 players had GPAs over 3.30 to earn Academic All-GLVC.

2012 – Finished season with a 4-7 record after winning the first three games to start the schedule…it was the first time since 1994 that the Bulldogs started 3-0 with wins over Southwest Baptist (24-14), Lincoln (42-12) and Northwestern Oklahoma State (63-21)…the three wins coupled with the two to finish the 2011 season gave the Bulldogs their first five-game winning streak since 2001…suffered first loss on national television against #22 Central Missouri 38-17 then fell 37-23 to Fort Hays (Kan.) State…won final game of season on October 6 against Nebraska-Kearney 16-7…had 10 all-conference honorees with first team selection Richie Schumacher as a defensive back and three second-team picks in Dallas Grier, Patrick Blackwell and Eric Phillips.

2011 – Finished season with a 4-7 record with wins in the final two games including the first shutout by the Bulldogs since 2004 in a 53-0 drubbing over Lincoln (Mo.) on November 5...three of the first four games to start the season were played against nationally ranked opponents…scored 13 points in the fourth quarter to pick up win number one against Fort Hays (Kan.) State in week 2 by a 34-31 score…lost a heartbreaker to eventual Division II national champion Pittsburg (Kan.) State 27-26 in which the Bulldogs took a lead with :53 seconds left only to watch the Gorillas march down the field for the winning score with :16 seconds to play…other victories were road non-conference wins against McKendree (Ill.) 25-10 and at Southwest Baptist (Mo.) 24-8…Eric Phillips, Richie Schumacher and Derek Koon were all named to various Division II All-America teams and were three of eight Bulldogs named all-MIAA…had 48 members named to the Commissioners Academic Honor Roll.

2010 – Doubled the win total from a season prior with a 4-7 record…won first two games to start the season with wins at St. Joseph’s (Ind.) College (23-13) and at home against Southwest Baptist (Mo.) 33-30…three of next four games all played against nationally ranked opponents…defeated Missouri Southern 23-6 for Homecoming and then spoiled Emporia (Kan.) State’s homecoming with 13 points in the final five minutes to win 37-34…lost two of the last three games of the season by a total of four points…fell 17-14 at Pittsburg (Kan.) State and 62-61, the highest combine scoring game in Truman history, to the University of Nebraska-Omaha…Michael Elliott (First Team) and Ryan Ploesser (Second Team) were among the eight Bulldogs named all-MIAA.