“At the time we finished Plaster Athletic Complex, our Board of Trustees said that the answer to football was ‘no, for now,’” said Mount Mercy Athletic Director Paul Gavin '88. “It’s exciting that the time for football is finally here, and we can begin building another popular program for our Mustang community.”
Mount Mercy’s Board of Trustees voted last Thursday to add football to its lineup of scholarship sports, and the search for a head coach will begin immediately. Mount Mercy will be looking for a football coach with recruitment experience who is dedicated to developing a program and team that match the university’s rich history, mission, and values.
“I can’t wait to start this search,” said Gavin. “I know we’re in the thick of football season right now, but the sooner we can find the right person for this role, the sooner we’ll be able to bring new student-athletes into our program.”
It’s exciting that the time for football is finally here, and we can begin building another popular program for our Mustang community.
Mount Mercy hopes football players will join the student body as early as next fall. These students will receive athletic scholarships and can begin using Mount Mercy’s state-of-the-art athletic facilities, while working with coaches and athletic staff in planning for the program’s inaugural season. These players will join hundreds of other student-athletes who call Mount Mercy home.
“Adding football will not only allow us to increase enrollment, but will also enrich the vibrancy of our student experience and provide more opportunities to bring alumni and community members to our campus.”
– Dr. Todd A. Olson
President, Mount Mercy University
“Athletics are very important to the health of our campus, as they are for many small private colleges,” said Todd A. Olson, Mount Mercy University president. “Adding football will not only allow us to increase enrollment, but will also enrich the vibrancy of our student experience and provide more opportunities to bring alumni and community members to our campus.”
Mount Mercy’s athletic programs continue to be recognized for their outstanding performance on and off the field and courts. In the 2023-24 academic year, there were 32 individual national qualifiers, 4 NAIA All-Americans, 119 Daktronics-NAIA Scholar-Athletes, and 93 Heart of America Scholar Athletes across Mustang sports. The cumulative student-athlete GPA was 3.28 and Mount Mercy was named a Gold Level Champions of Character Five-Star Institution by the NAIA.
“Our student-athletes impress me daily with their leadership and dedication to bettering themselves, their peers, our campus, and our community,” said Olson. “They embody the Mustang spirit and I am enthused about adding another group of thoughtful student-athletes to Mount Mercy’s campus.”
The Mount Mercy Mustangs are a long-time member of the NAIA and began competing in the Heart of America Athletic Conference (the Heart) in the 2016-17 season. The NAIA has 237 schools, 97 of which currently have football programs, including 10 in Iowa. The Heart currently includes 13 institutions from Iowa, Nebraska, Missouri, and Kansas. Of those schools, 11 have football programs but by the time Mount Mercy is set to compete in the fall of 2026, the Heart will be a 15-team league.