BROOKINGS – Doug Humphrey, who has served as head coach of the women's swimming and diving team at Northern Iowa the past five seasons, has been hired to lead both the men's and women's programs at South Dakota State University, Jackrabbit Director of Athletics Justin Sell announced Monday.
"Accepting this position allows me to take another step in my coaching career, gets both my wife and me closer to our families and, most importantly, provides an opportunity to build on a number of good things already in place," said Humphrey, a Nebraska native. "I know I have big shoes to fill, but I look forward to taking both the men's and women's teams to new heights."
At SDSU, Humphrey will take over the reins from Brad Erickson, who is retiring after leading both programs for 41 years. The Jackrabbit men's team has posted six consecutive top-three finishes at the Summit League Championships, while the women's squad has been league runner-up six of the last eight seasons.
"We are thrilled to have been able to hire someone with the experience and track record of success that Doug has put together during his coaching career," Sell said. "More than anything, his commitment to fostering a family atmosphere in his programs and providing student-athletes with a tremendous overall collegiate experience stands out."
Humphrey's UNI teams showed steady progression in the Missouri Valley Conference, including leading the Panthers to back-to-back third-place finishes at the conference championship the past two seasons. He was named MVC Swimming Coach of the Year in 2016.
During his tenure, UNI won 14 individual or relay conference titles and compiled 16 first-team all-MVC awards.
Prior to coaching at UNI, Humphrey served as the assistant swimming coach at the University of Nebraska from 2000-12 under Olympic gold medalist Pablo Morales. Humphrey swam for the Huskers from 1991-96 and later served as a graduate assistant coach at his alma mater.
Aside from collegiate coaching, Humphrey was head coach of Club Huskers from 2003-12 and previously served as an age-group coach and head coach for the Nebraska Aquatics club team.
Humphrey will begin his duties at SDSU in June.
