Brian Lindgren - Football Coach - University of Colorado Athletics

Delaware

Sep 6 (Sat)

1:30 PM

Brian Lindgren

Title:
Co-Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks
Email:
Brian.Lindgren@Colorado.EDU

Brian Lindgren is in his fifth year on the Colorado staff, as he was hired on January 1, 2013, coming to Boulder with head coach Mike MacIntyre from San Jose State. He has coached the quarterbacks since his arrival at CU and is in his second year as the co-offensive coordinator, after serving in the position solo his first three years.

Lindgren, 37, came to CU from San Jose State, where he served in the same capacity under MacIntyre for the 2012 season, moving there after spending six seasons on the staff at Northern Arizona University. In its 2013 football preview issue, Athlon Sports cited Lindgren as one of the top 10 offensive coordinator hires in the nation (out of nearly three dozen).

He had the pleasure of coaching Sefo Liufau in each of his first four seasons at Colorado, with the 2016 senior polishing off his career by setting 99 school records (mostly in passing and total offense) while leading the Buffs to the Pac-12 South Division title, their subsequent first appearance in the Pac-12 Championship game and the first bowl game since 2007. The Colorado offense averaged 446.3 yards per game, its best number since 1996 and the school’s sixth-highest in history.

In 2014, he tutored an offense that rewrote CU’s passing and receiving records, with 110 individual and 24 team records set as CU averaged over 400 yards on offense (439.2) for the first time since the 2001 season. The Buffs averaged their fourth-most passing yards ever (284.6) and averaged over four yards per rush (4.11) for the first time since 2006. CU ranked 37th nationally in total offense after not cracking the top 40 in the NCAA since 2001. The 2015 team was hamstrung by several injuries, particularly along the offensive line, and the numbers suffered to a degree because of them.

In his first season (2013) with the Buffaloes, his offense improved significantly in 12 major statistical categories, most notably jumping from 96th to 47th nationally in passing offense, 116th to 87th in total offense and 117th to 86th in scoring offense. Averages per rush, pass and overall jumped, most noticeably in yards per pass attempt, which rose to 7.3 from 5.7, the first time since 2003 that a CU team averaged seven yards or more per pass play.

Lindgren’s lone year coordinating the Spartan offense was a most productive one, as the school set 27 offensive records. San Jose State averaged 446.2 yards per game, including 332.7 passing, good for seventh in the nation, and a pass efficiency rating of 170.2, second best in the land. SJSU was 32nd overall in offense, with six games of 500 or more yards (seven 400-plus), and was 30th nationally in scoring as the team finished 11-2 on the year. He was a finalist for the Quarterback Coach of the Year, coordinated by footballscoop.com.

At NAU, he was the quarterbacks coach his final four years there (2008-11), the passing game coordinator that first year before being promoted to offensive coordinator for the last three. The Lumberjack offense averaging just above 28 points and 410 yards of total offense a game in his tenure, scoring 40 or more points on eight occasions. Twice NAU was ranked in the top 20 in passing in the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), fifth in 2009 and 20th in 2011. In his first two seasons at Northern Arizona, he coached the wide receivers (2006) and then the running backs (2007).

He began his coaching career in 2005 as the quarterbacks coach at the University of Redlands under its long-time head coach, Mike Maynard, who completed his 25th season with the school in 2012.

Lindgren graduated from the University of Idaho with a bachelor’s degree in Business (Marketing) in 2004. He was a three-time Academic All-Conference team member and won Idaho’s Kathy Clark Scholar-Athlete Award, presented to the graduating senior with the highest grade point average. He lettered three years at quarterback for the Vandals, playing for head coaches Chris Tormey, who recruited him, and Tom Cable, the former Colorado offensive coordinator and line coach.

A first-team All-Sun Belt Conference performer and team captain, he threw for 6,541 yards and 44 touchdowns in three seasons as the starter for the Vandals, completing 61 percent of his passes with a 136.0 efficiency rating, all marks still among the best in Idaho history. He set the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) single-game record for the most total offense in a game by a sophomore with 657 yards against Middle Tennessee State in 2001, a mark that still stood through the 2012 season. In that game, he completed 49-of-71 passes for 637 yards (also still an NCAA sophomore mark) and five touchdowns (a 162.0 rating), while rushing twice for 20 yards. He also set an Idaho record for the most touchdown passes in a game (6) in a 48-38 win over San Diego State his junior year.

He was born August 6, 1980 in Walla Walla, Wash., where he graduated from DeSales Catholic High School, lettering in football, basketball and baseball. He still holds the Washington prep passing record for the most touchdown passes in a game (9), and is second in all-time completions (779), passing yards (12,575) and touchdowns (162). He earned his master's degree in Educational Leadership from Northern Arizona in 2007. His hobbies include golf and fly-fishing. He is married to the former Bradee Fitzpatrick, and the couple has three children, son Bronson (6), daughter Blake (5) and another son, Brooks (1).

AT-A-GLANCE—He has coached in 64 Division I-A (FBS) games as a full-time coach, including two bowl games (2012 Military, 2016 Alamo). At Northern Arizona, he coached in 66 Division I-AA (FCS) games.

COACHING EXPERIENCE
2005	Redlands	Quarterbacks
2006	Northern Arizona	Receivers
2007	Northern Arizona	Running Backs
2008	Northern Arizona	Passing Game Coordinator/Quarterbacks
2009-11	Northern Arizona	Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks
2012	San Jose State	Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks
2013-	Colorado	Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks