In 33 seasons as the South Dakota head men's track and field coach, Dave Gottsleben successfully guided the Coyotes from a Division II powerhouse to the Division I level.
Gottsleben led the Coyotes to three-straight Summit League titles indoors from 2013-15 and earned Summit League Indoor Track Coach of the Year honors along the way. The Coyote men also won a Summit League title outdoors in 2014, the first at the Division I level.
After establishing the Coyotes as one of the top programs in the North Central Conference, Gottsleben continued that success when USD joined NCAA Division I and the Great West Conference. He guided the men's squad to three straight indoor titles while earning GWC Coach of the Year three times. The Coyotes finished second all three years at the outdoor conference meet.
South Dakota's Chris Nilsen became the first Coyote male to capture an NCAA Division I title at the 2017 NCAA Indoor Championships in the pole vault. His third-place finish at the 2017 NCAA Outdoor Championships brought USD's All-America total to four honors in Division I, joining Cody Snyder in the discus and Teivaskie Lewin in the 60-meter hurdles. The Coyote men have qualified 41 individuals and two relays to the NCAA West Preliminary.
At USD he has coached student-athletes that have earned 154 All-America honors, as well as seven national champions. At the 2006 Outdoor Nationals, he had five All-Americans, including four that finished first or second. He led his squads to eight top-10 finishes, including third at the NCAA Division II finish at the 1997 indoor meet, a fourth-place finish at the 2006 Outdoor and the 2001 Indoor Nationals and third-place result at the 2000 NCAA Outdoor Championships.
Originally of Brookings, S.D., he received 11 North Central Conference Coach of the Year honors (combined indoor and outdoor honors). He was also selected the North Central Region Coach of the Year for the eighth time in 2006.
Gottsleben garned a pair of national recognition awards as he was named the 1997 USTFCCCA Division II Men's National Indoor Coach of the Year and the 2006 USTFCCCA Division II Men's National Outdoor Coach of the Year. In 1994, Gottsleben received the NCAA Division II Men's and Women's Track and Field Coaches Association Award for his distinguished service to Division II track.
With the leadership of Gottsleben, the Coyotes have enjoyed a rich tradition, placing fourth or better in 36 of the last 41 NCC indoor and outdoor meets. USD was one of the most consistent NCC teams with 15 second-place finishes, two-third place efforts and six NCC championships in the last 24 NCC meets.
Gottsleben received his undergraduate (1975) and master's degree (1980) from South Dakota State. He was the head coach at Menno (SD) High School from 1975-1979, and the head men's and women's track coach at Dakota State from 1979-1983.
Gottsleben and his wife, Helen, live in Yankton. He has one daughter, Kendra.
The Gottsleben File
- Two-time National Coach of the Year (1997, 2006)
- Eight-time Regional Coach of the Year (1992, 1994, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2005, 2006)
- 17-time Conference Coach of the Year (11 NCC, 3 Great West, 3 Summit League)
- 20 Conference Championships
- 13 North Central Conference (1992 indoor, 1994 xc, 1995 xc, 1997 indoor, 1997 xc, 1998 indoor, 1998 xc, 1999 indoor, 2000 outdoor, 2002 indoor, 2005 indoor, 2006 outdoor, 2007 indoor)
- 3 Great West (2009 indoor, 2010 indoor, 2011 indoor)
- 4 Summit League (2013 indoor, 2014 indoor, 2014 outdoor, 2015 indoor)
- 8 top-10 NCAA Division II finishes
- 6 National Champions (who won 7 titles)
- 13 National Runner-Up Finishes
- 52 All-Americans (who combined for 113 All-America honors)
- 12 All-American Relay Teams
