Bio

Dan Callahan led the Morningside College men’s basketball program from 1973-86. The then Chiefs turned in some halcyon days with him at the helm, producing six .500 or better marks, which included back-to-back 20-plus win seasons in 1982-83 and 1983-84.

In those two years, Morningside was the toast of the North Central Conference. The 1982-83 squad finished 15-3 in the conference en route to the championship. That run featured nine consecutive victories late in the year, including toppling the University of Nebraska-Omaha and North Dakota State University in the NCAA Division II regional and advancing to the Final Four. In 1983-84, the team had to rebound from a pair of close-knit losses to the University of North Dakota and NDSU that led them to place second in the conference. They did so in the postseason, defeating North Michigan University and the Wayne State University of Michigan to make it to the national tournament again. 

Callahan’s program influence, which led Morningside to 176 wins, can still be felt today. Three of his players, Mark Faber, Steve Brandsma, and Daryl Schnoes, rank among the top 20 all-time scorers, while he coached Mark Mohl, another member of the prestigious fraternity, for one season. Doug Marx and Dave Schessler, two more student-athletes he mentored over 13 seasons, have a high residence on the career scoring and offensive rebounding average categories.