Gregg Brandon was formally announced as the Colorado School of Mines head football coach on Dec. 30, 2014. In six seasons since, Brandon has led Mines to four RMAC titles and their deepest postseason runs ever while producing 15Â all-Americans and a national player of the year.
Since arriving in Golden, Brandon has guided Mines to a 59-15 record with six winning seasons and four 10+ win seasons. In 12 seasons overall as a head coach, Brandon is 103-45.
Emerging from the pandemic-canceled 2020 season, Brandon coached Mines to a historic 2021 campaign that hit new heights in program history. The Orediggers went 12-2, tying the program record for wins, and advanced to the NCAA semifinals for the first time in history. Along the way, the Orediggers won a third consecutive RMAC crown, reached the team's highest poll ranking both in-season and postseason at #3, earned a first-ever NCAA #1 seed, and won the NCAA Super Region IV title for the first time. Running back Michael Zeman became Mines' fourth Harlon Hill Trophy finalist and Matt Armendariz won the program's first Rimington Award as the top center in D-II. That pair, plus quarterback John Matocha, were named All-America after the season.Â
In 2019, Mines completed just the second undefeated regular season in the NCAA era as they won their second consecutive RMAC championship (the first time Mines won back-to-back RMAC titles) with a 12-1 record. Behind dynamic true freshman quarterback John Matocha, Orediggers matched their best season record ever at 12-1 with a trip to the NCAA Second Round; Mines also hosted a pair of NCAA Tournament games for the first time ever. The team boasted arguably the most dominant defense in program history to that point, recording back-to-back shutouts in the middle of the year against Western Colorado and Fort Lewis, and the team ended the season with the nation's #13 total defense, #11 scoring defense, and #1 third-down defense.Â
The 2018 season saw Mines capture its second RMAC championship in three years as the Orediggers reached as high as #6 in the nation. Behind NCAA Division II's #1 total offense, Mines put up record-setting numbers behind the trio of quarterback Isaac Harker, running back Cameron Mayberry, and wide receiver Brody Oliver, who each were named All-America. The Orediggers generated an eye-popping 556.8 yards and 47.2 points per game including an 84-point performance against South Dakota Mines that ranked as the team's most points scored in a game since 1890. Mines found success in the classroom, too, with Oliver and Geoff Keating earning Academic All-America honors as Keating was named the NFFCC Colorado Scholar-Athlete of the Year, Mines' third in four years.
In 2017, the Orediggers compiled their 11th consecutive winning season at 7-4 behind a prolific run offense that saw Cameron Mayberry be named a consensus all-American. Mayberry broke the 78-year-old Mines single-season rushing record with 1,563 yards as Mines had the #10-ranked rushing offense in the nation. Mines had 17 all-RMAC picks overall in 2017. The Orediggers also continued to excel in the classroom with 29 members of the NFFCCÂ Academic All-Colorado team, including Scholar-Athlete of the Year Colin Peter, who was also named a First-Team Academic All-American.Â
The 2016 season was an historic one for Mines football under Brandon. The Orediggers went 10-3, claiming a share of the RMAC championship and advancing to the NCAA Second Round for the second time ever and first time since 2004. In the process, Mines led the nation in total offense and first downs and was second in scoring offense, passing offense, and third-down conversion rate. Quarterback Justin Dvorak was named the Harlon Hill Trophy winner as NCAA Division II's most outstanding player, and three Orediggers - Dvorak, wide receiver Brody Oliver, and left guard Hasan Shaar - were all-Americans. Mines ended the season ranked #15 by the AFCA, their best final poll showing since 2004. Mines excelled in the classroom in 2016 with a national-best three Academic All-Americans in Shaar, Caleb Courkamp, and Colin Peter.
In his first season in 2015, he led the Orediggers to an 8-3 record and their highest national ranking in over a decade, with the nation's #1 passing offense and one of the top scoring offenses in college football. The Orediggers had a bevy of individual standouts led by consensus First-Team All-American Cole Spurgeon, who led the nation in receiving yards by a tight end, and Harlon Hill Trophy nominee Dvorak, who led NCAA Division II in passing efficiency and yards per game while ranking second in touchdowns and total offense. Academically, Mines had a national-best four Academic All-Americans, including first-teamers Richie Rice and Shawn Kobylinski. Rice was also named the RMAC Academic Player of the Year. The 2015 team earned the RMAC's Brechler Award for having the top team GPA in the conference.
Brandon, who arrived at Mines after two seasons as the offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach at New Mexico State, brought with him more than 33 years of coaching experience, including stints at seven NCAA Division I institutions.
In his first season with the Aggies, he guided NMSU to the No. 55 ranking nationally in passing yards. As a team, the Aggies threw for 240.9 yards a game and 2,886 yards on the season, with 17 touchdowns. Quarterback Andrew McDonald led the Aggies with 2,497 yards and 15 touchdowns. Brandon also oversaw wide receiver Austin Franklin and offensive tackles Andy Cunningham and Davonte Wallace to All-Independent Football Team honors.
Brandon spent two seasons at Wyoming, returning in 2011 as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach.
He served as head coach at Bowling Green from 2003-08, compiling a record of 44-30 (.595) and guiding the Falcons to three bowl appearances and four winning seasons. BGSU defeated Northwestern in the 2003 Motor City Bowl and Memphis in the 2004 GMAC Bowl, and also earned a berth in the 2003 Mid-American Conference Championship game en route to No. 24 in the final BCS computer rankings.
Originally hired as the assistant head coach and offensive coordinator in 2001 by Urban Meyer, Brandon's BGSU teams recorded a bevy of notable non-conference wins: at Purdue (27-26 in 2003), at Minnesota (32-31 in 2007) and at Pittsburgh (27-17 in 2008). He coached 33 All-MAC selections and 2004 MAC Player of the Year, Omar Jacobs.
From 1987-90, Brandon was the wide receivers coach at Wyoming under head coach, Paul Roach. During his four-year tenure, the Pokes went 35-15 (.700) and won back-to-back Western Athletic Conference championships in 1987 and 1988, twice finishing conference play undefeated. Wyoming appeared in the 1987 and 1988 Holiday Bowl as well as the Copper Bowl in 1990.
Following his time in Laramie, Wyo., he held assistant positions at Utah State (1991), Northwestern (1992-98), Colorado (1999-00) and Bowling Green (2001-02). Brandon served as offensive coordinator at Virginia in 2009 and was on the coaching staff of the Las Vegas Locomotives of the United Football League (UFL) in 2010.
He has helped lead nine teams to bowl appearances during his collegiate coaching career, including an appearance in the Rose Bowl at the conclusion of the 1995 season with Northwestern. Northwestern won the outright Big Ten title in 1995 and tied for the conference championship in 1996.
A native of Colorado Springs, Brandon played football at Mesa State in 1974, before transferring to Northern Colorado where he played his final three seasons as a defensive back and wide receiver. He graduated from UNC in 1978 with a bachelor's degree in education.
He and his wife, Robyn, have two sons, Nick and Tim.
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BRANDON BY THE NUMBERS
Seasons at Mines: 6 seasons / 7 years
Record: 59-15
RMAC Coach of the Year: 2 (2018, 2019)
NFFCC Colorado Coach of the Year: 3 (2018, 2019, 2021)
RMAC Championships: 4 (2016, 2018, 2019, 2021)
NCAA appearances: 4 (2016, 2018, 2019, 2021)
Highest national ranking: #3, 2021
Harlon Hill Trophy winners: 1
Harlon Hill Trophy finalists: 2
All-Americans: 15
Academic All-Americans: 14
All-Region: 21
RMAC Players of the Year: 1
RMAC Academic Players of the Year: 4
NFFCC Colorado Scholar Athletes of the Year: 3Â
All-RMAC: 127
RMAC Brechler Awards: 2 (2015-16, 2020-21)
BRANDON SEASON-BY-SEASON
| Year   |
Record   |
Postseason |
|
| 2015 |
8-3 |
- |
|
| 2016 |
10-3 |
NCAA 2nd Round    |
RMAC Co-Champs |
| 2017 |
7-4 |
- |
|
| 2018 |
10-2 |
NCAA 1st Round |
RMAC Co-Champs |
| 2019 |
12-1 |
NCAA 2nd Round |
RMAC Champions |
| 2020 |
n/a |
no season |
|
| 2021 |
12-2 |
NCAA Semifinalist |
RMAC Co-Champs |
