Joe Glenn ( American football ) Joe Glenn ( born March 7 , 1949 ) is an American football coach and former player . He is the current head football coach at the University of South Dakota , his alma mater . He was named head coach on December 5 , 2011 after the school ' s athletic director , David Sayler , fired Ed Meierkort . Glenn served as the head football coach at Doane College ( 1976 – 1979 ) , the University of Northern Colorado ( 1989 – 1999 ) , the University of Montana ( 2000 – 2002 ) , and the University of Wyoming ( 2003 – 2008 ) . He won two NCAA Division II National Football Championship s at Northern Colorado , in 1996 and 1997 , and an NCAA Division I - AA Football Championship at Montana in 2001 . Coaching career . Early coaching career . Glenn served as backfield coach at the University of South Dakota in 1974 . He was also a backfield coach at Northern Arizona University in 1975 . Glenn ' s first head coaching job was at Doane College in Crete , Nebraska . There he was the youngest head college football coach at 27 years of age . While at Doane he compiled a 21 – 18 – 1 record over four seasons . After Doane , Glenn made his first stint at the University of Montana as a quarterback s and wide receiver s coach and offensive coordinator from 1980 to 1985 . He was out of coaching in 1986 . In 1987 , he joined the staff at University of Northern Colorado ( UNC ) as quarterbacks and kicking coach . He was named head coach of UNC for the 1989 season . Prior to coaching at Montana , Glenn led the Division II University of Northern Colorado to two NCAA Division II national football championship s in 1996 and 1997 . Glenn spent eleven seasons at UNC , with a 98 – 35 record . Montana . Glenn coached at the Montana for three seasons , from 2000 to 2002 , and compiled a 39 – 6 record . In 2001 , the Grizzles won the NCAA Division I - AA Football Championship , defeating Furman in the title . The year before , the Grizzlies finished as the NCAA Division I - AA runner - up , losing to Georgia Southern in the championship game . In 2002 , Montana finished in the quarterfinals of the NCAA Division I - AA playoffs . Wyoming . Over a three - year period , Glenn and his staff took a team that won only five games in the three previous seasons to a Las Vegas Bowl win in two seasons . The 24 – 21 victory over UCLA on December 23 , 2004 marked the first bowl appearance for Wyoming in 11 years and their first bowl victory in 38 years . In 2005 , after starting 4 – 1 , including a victory over the Ole Miss , the Cowboys went on a six - game losing skid , finishing 4 – 7 . The 2006 season was one which saw the Cowboys picked to finish last in the conference . After an opening day victory over Utah State , the Cowboys suffered four heartbreaking losses , two of them in overtime . Then the Cowboys fortunes began to shift . The team enjoyed a four - game winning streak , all against conference opponents . The Cowboys next two games were both embarrassing road losses , the first against TCU , in which they managed only a field goal . The next game was on the road against than # 25 BYU . The Cougars trounced the Cowboys , 55 – 7 . The Cowboys fell to 5 – 6 . The Cowboys won their final game against UNLV , moving them to a 6 – 6 record , and making them bowl eligible but the team did not receive an invitation . The 2007 Cowboys season started off with a 23 – 3 victory over Atlantic Coast Conference - member Virginia . By the end of October , Wyoming was 5 – 3 and needed only one win in its last four games to become bowl - eligible . However , the Cowboys lost all four games to finish 5 – 7 , including a 50 – 0 thrashing at the hands of Utah on November 10 . The 2008 season began with the unspoken mandate to get Wyoming bowl - eligible . Offensive coordinator Billy Cockhill was fired at the end of the 2007 season and replaced by Bob Cole , formerly of Florida A & M in an attempt to improve the Cowboy ' s anemic offense . Junior college signal caller Dax Crum came to the Laramie campus from the Mesa Community College in Arizona to compete for the starting quarterback job , which he won over junior Karsten Sween . The 2008 Cowboys opened the season with a win over Mid - American Conference - member 2008 Ohio Bobcats football team ( 21 - 20 ) , a loss to Air Force ( 23 - 3 ) and a win over FCS North Dakota State ( 16 – 13 ) . Wyoming followed up that victory with five straight losses : to BYU ( 44 – 0 ) , Bowling Green ( 45 – 16 ) , New Mexico ( 24 – 0 ) , Utah ( 40 - 7 ) , and TCU ( 54 – 7 ) . On November 1 , the Pokes beat hapless San Diego State , 35 - 10 , at home and then followed with a historic win over Tennessee , 13 – 7 , on the road a week later . Five days later , on Thursday , Wyoming lost to UNLV , 22 – 14 , on the road . Wyoming finished the season by losing to arch rival Colorado State , 31 – 20 , at home in the 100th Border War . The following day , November 23 , 2008 , Glenn was fired . Glenn finished his career at Wyoming with an overall record of 30 – 41 ( . 423 ) , and 15 – 31 ( . 326 ) versus Mountain West opponents . Glenn joined the Mtn . as a game - day analyst in 2009 . In 2010 he left the Mtn . and joined the WAC Sports Network as a color commentator . South Dakota . Glenn was named USD ' s 29th head football coach on December 5 , 2011 . Glenn started coaching the Coyotes during the 2012 season as they started their first season as a full fledged member in Division I - FCS football , competing in the Missouri Valley Football Conference . Personal life . Glenn graduated from the University of South Dakota in 1971 . While there , he earned a bachelor of arts degree in health , physical education , recreation and athletics . He played quarterback and wide receiver for the Coyotes , and was selected a team captain as a senior . During college he completed Army ROTC and upon graduation was commissioned as a second lieutenant serving two - years of active duty as an MP at FT Leavenworth , Kansas . In 1975 he received a master ' s degree in education from South Dakota . In 2006 , Joe Glenn was inducted into the University of South Dakota Hall of Fame . Glenn and his wife , Michele , are both natives of Lincoln , Nebraska . They have two adult children : a daughter , Erin , and a son , Casey . Casey was an All - American offensive lineman at Carroll College in Helena , Montana , concluding his playing career in 2002 when Carroll won their first of five NAIA National Championships . After coaching at Idaho State , South Dakota and Oklahoma . he served as tight ends and fullbacks coach after serving as Director of Football Operations for Wyoming under his father .