Longtime Missouri Valley College Football Head Coach Paul Troth announced he will step down from the position, after more than 20 years leading the program. Troth will move into a new position at Missouri Valley, which will be announced at a later date.
Troth came to Missouri Valley prior to the 2002 season, and developed one of the most successful programs in the NAIA during his tenure. His first season with the program, in 2002, resulted in an 8-2 record and Troth being named the Schutt Sports NAIA Coach of the Year. The 2006 season began a long stretch of contending and winning Heart of America Athletic Conference championships, and appearances in the NAIA Football Championship Series.
His 2006 team finished undefeated in the regular season, the first such occurrence since 1974, capturing the program’s first Heart title in seven years. That team also found success in the postseason, advancing to the National semifinal round for the first time since 1978, before finishing with a 13-1 overall record. The 2007 followed with another run in the postseason, winning a pair of road playoff games, before falling once again in the semifinals, to finish at 10-3.
The next playoff appearance came in 2009 to finish off an 8-3 season, followed by a stretch from 2011-2016 that saw the program capture four-straight Heart championships and earn five NAIA FCS appearances. The 2011 team won Troth’s second conference title, and finished with a 9-2 record. In 2012, Troth guided the team to his second undefeated regular season, a second-straight Heart championship, and his third appearance in the NAIA FCS semifinals before ending the season at 12-1.
Troth and the Viking football team won a third-straight Heart title in 2013, then a fourth-straight conference championship in 2014. Both teams advanced to the quarterfinal round of the National playoffs, and ended with records of 9-3. Another NAIA FCS appearance followed in 2016, as Troth put together another 9-3 record on the season.
Troth said the decision to step away was a tough one to make.
Troth coached 13 NAIA-AFCA All-Americans during his tenure. He also coached two Heart Player of the Year selections (Ty Phillips-2014, Larry Wentzel-2006), seven Heart Defensive Player of the Year selections, and put a total of 92 student-athletes on the Heart All-Conference First Team. Additionally, he produced a total of 43 NAIA Scholar Athlete honorees.
In all, Troth won five Heart titles, went to the NAIA FCS eight times with a postseason record of 8-8 and three appearances in the National semifinals. He was named Heart Coach of the Year three times (2006, 2012, 2014), and the AFCA Region Coach of the Year three times (2006, 2007, 2012). He ends his career with a record of 145-96 at Missouri Valley, and an overall career record of 187-114, which includes a 38-18 record at Huron (S.D.).
“I want to express my support for Coach Troth and give a sincere ‘thank you’ to him for his 22 years of service as our head football coach,” said Athletic Director Mike Machholz. “He has been a leader within our Athletic Department in every facet. During his tenure, as our football coach, he was a beacon for success and a template for others on how to succeed with integrity and humility. He leaves a large footprint for our next coach to step into. I look forward to working with him in the future in a new role to help move Missouri Valley College forward.”
Troth will move into another position at Missouri Valley College, which will be announced at a later time. Athletic Director Mike Machholz has started his search for the thirteenth coach in football program-history.