DeBoer took over for 22-year head coach, Bob Young, last year and continued with the Cougars' winning ways. In his two years at USF, DeBoer has led the Cougars to a 24-2 record and their second finals appearance in the last five years.

In DeBoer's first year as head coach, the Cougars ranked second in the conference in offensive yards per game (407) and third in yards allowed (291). DeBoer continued the Cougar tradition as USF qualified for the playoffs for the 10^th time in 12 years. The 11 wins are the most by any first-year head coach in the history of the USF football program since its beginnings in 1902.   

Before taking over for Young, DeBoer served as the Cougars' offensive coordinator since 2000. Under DeBoer's guidance, the Cougar offense has been explosive, averaging 35.9 points and 408 yards per game over the last six years. DeBoer has coached seven All-Americans and an NAIA Player-of-the-Year. Since 2001, DeBoer and the Cougars have dominated the Greater Plains Athletic Conference with a 54-1 record.

DeBoer played football for USF from 1993-96. During his four years, DeBoer was an All-American wide receiver and set career records for receptions (234), receiving yards (3400) and touchdowns (33). In his senior year, DeBoer led USF to a 15-0 record and their first NAIA football championship.

Following his playing career, DeBoer served as a student assistant for the 1997 team. That team went 11-2 on the season, advancing all the way to the semifinals of the NAIA National Tournament.

Another coach that is no stranger to the NAIA title game will face DeBoer across the field on the Saint Francis sideline, as Kevin Donley leads his Cougars into the title game for the third-straight season.

Donley, in his eighth season with Saint Francis, has guided two programs to national prominence during his small-college football coaching career. Donley was head coach at Georgetown College (Ky.) for 11 seasons from 1982-92, and in his time at Georgetown, Donley led the Tigers to the 1991 NAIA national championship with a 13-1 record, a season in which he earned NAIA National Coach of the Year honors. Faced with a monumental building process during his tenure with the Tigers, Donley's record was an impressive 77-42 (.647) at Georgetown.

Succeeding with programs that had previously suffered through hard times is nothing new for the Springfield, Ohio native. Prior to taking the head-coaching job at Georgetown, he had four successful seasons at Anderson College. In 1981, he led the Ravens to a 9-2 record and a berth in the NAIA Division II playoffs and Hoosier-Buckeye Collegiate Conference championships in 1980 and 1981. 

While at Anderson College, Donley's teams compiled a 28-9 (.757) overall record during his four-year stay. He was named conference coach of the year while at Anderson and Georgetown nine times and is a four-time MSFA Coach-of-the-Year (1999, 2000, 2002, 2003). Donley also played at Anderson, splitting sides of the ball by playing both linebacker and fullback during his playing career. 

In 1976, Donley returned to his alma mater, where he spent the first two seasons as offensive coordinator for the Ravens, and at the age of 26 he was named the youngest head coach in the country while at Anderson. 

Donley-coached teams have had an impressive track record for moving the football through the air and scoring points. Donley's teams have set national offensive records in points per game (59.5), rushing touchdown (69), total touchdowns (102), yards gained per play (7.4), and total offense per game (541.4). His offensive teams have averaged 40.8 points per game. He owns the title of most points scored in a season (744) by any college team in the 20th century at all collegiate levels and earned a display in the College Football Hall of Fame in 1992.  

Entering 2006, Donley had earned five of the last six Mid-States Football Association Coach of the Year Awards, and earlier this season, his Cougars beat Malone 34-13 to earn his 200^th career coaching victory. For further updates on next weekend's championship contest, log on to www.naia.org. Included on the NAIA's Official Web site will be daily previews of the game, game notes and releases from each school, as well as a full national release that will be made available in PDF form on the NAIA's official football page.