ATHLETICS

         Head Coach George Pfeifer
                      

Last years Frontier Conference Coach of the year, George Pfeifer enters his 15^th year directing the Lewis-Clark State College Men’s Basketball team.  Two season ago he passed the 200 career wins at as the Warrior Head Coach and then set the school record for coaching career wins with 213 victories in a 105 to 79 win over the University of Great Falls, to date he has a massed 271 wins at his alma mater.  He has built L-C into one of the strongest programs in the Pacific Northwest and has led the Warriors to national prominence. This past season the Warriors team posted another school record for wins with a 31-6 overall record {83.7%}, which eclipsed the 1945-46 season winning percentage {13-3, 81.3%}.  Prior to his arrival as the Warriors Head Coach, L-C had won only one playoff game in its basketball history as a four-year institution back in 1947.  Currently his post season record is 28-17 post season record {62.2%}.

Pfeifer has been selected Coach of the Year three times (2004, 2000, 1992) and directed his team to five National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) National Championship appearances (1992, 1995, 2000, 2002 & 2004).  L-C has made seven conference championship appearances under Pfeifer’s watchful eye.  He has recruited and coached 15 NAIA All-Americans as well as 17 Academic All-Americans. When he took over the program the school record for wins was 21. In the past six seasons the Warriors have averaged over 23 wins per year.

It took Pfeifer only three years to guide L-C to a conference title and their first ever birth to the NAIA championships beating Simon-Fraser University, Western Washington and St. Martins College in a best two out of three series. At that time it marked the first time in the 99 year history of the school men’s basketball had qualified for the national tournament.  That year they posted 23 wins which was a school record at the time for wins in one season.  In 1995, Pfeifer led L-C to its second NAIA birth in their victory over Seattle University.  During their first year as a member of the Frontier Conference they won the League title and the Conference tournament.  That season they were seeded 28^th and went on to post the school’s first national championship victory defeating Birmingham Southern University 88 to 70 advancing to the Sweet 16. In 2002 the Warriors once again advance to the National Tournament and this past season they captured the Frontier Conference Tournament moving on to the national tournment defeating Pikeville University from Kentucky to finish in the “Sweet 16”.

In 2002 the Warriors broke the school record at that time for wins posting a 24-10 record. In 2003 they posted a 23-9 record.  That team posted four top 10 national statistical marks on offense (53% fg, 88.8 ppg, 72.3% ft, 39.1 % 3 pt). This past season they shattered the school record for wins with 31.  Of the 75 men’s basketball records held at L-C, Pfeifer coached teams have posted 51.

Not one to shy away from playing tough schedules, the Warriors under Pfeifer’s reins have faced 26 NCAA Division I opponents.  In 2000 the Warriors defeated the University of Idaho 68 to 54 and Boise State University by 14 points in 1995.  In their previous two meetings the last two years they have dropped two nail-bite games to Pac 10 Washington State University; the first on a last second shot and the last game by five points.

Prior to his current position at L-C, Pfeifer had a two-year stint as an assistant basketball coach to L-C’s legendary head coach, Dick Hannan.  He also served as the head women’s basketball coach at Rocky Mountain College for two years (1985-86 and 1986-87).  In that stint with the Lady Bears, he led them to their first winning record in nine years.  He had three All-Conference selections at RMC and also developed the Lady Bears into one of the toughest defensive teams in the country, and at one time, RMC was ranked sixth in scoring defense.  Pfeifer also served as an assistant to the men’s basketball team at RMC during the 1984-85 campaign to head coach Mark Adams.  He helped guide the Battling Bears to their first-ever NAIA National Tournament berth after being crowned District XII champions.

Pfeifer also served as head coach for two years at Hardin High School in Montana and three years at St. Maries High in his hometown of St. Maries, ID.  In his two years at Hardin, Pfeifer led the team to consecutive Montana State Tournaments.  Hardin had not been to the State Tournament in over 20 years, and were 5-56 over the three years before his arrival.  He also led St. Maries High to a 21-3 record in his third year and a fourth-place finish at the Idaho State Class A-2 Tournament.  Prior to his arrival, St. Maries had only one game in each of the three seasons leading up to Pfeifer’s arrival.

Pfeifer also has been the director of the National Youth Sports Program since 1987 at L-C.  He graduated from L-C in 1979 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Social Science and a minor of Physical Education and Coaching.  Pfeifer received his Master’s degree in Educational Secondary Administration in 1989 from the University of Idaho.

Pfeifer celebrated his 22^nd wedding anniversary to his wife Susan.  They have three children:  Duncan, 21, who is in his sophomore at University of Idaho; Jennifer, 19, a freshman at University of Idaho; Abigail, 15, a freshman at Clarkston High School.