COLLEGEVILLE, Minn. – Saint John's University named Chris Howe '99 its head golf coach on Tuesday, Aug. 22. 

Howe replaces athletic director Bob Alpers '82, who completed his 29th season with a fifth-place finish out of 43 teams at the NCAA Division III Championships last May. Howe will also serve the SJU athletic department by assisting Jim Gagliardi '89 with sports marketing.

Howe was an assistant golf coach at Concordia-Moorhead for nine seasons (2011-20) and took over as head coach at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, leading the Cobbers to a third-place finish at the 2021 (spring) MIAC Championships and a fourth-place finish that fall (left, courtesy of Concordia Sports Information). Two Cobbers earned Golf Coaches Association of America (GCAA) All-Region distinction and 13 were All-MIAC during his tenure on staff.

"I am so excited to be coming back to Saint John's," Howe said. "I am humbled and honored to become the golf coach. I would like to thank Bob Alpers and the selection committee for granting me this opportunity.

"I have always looked up to Coach Alpers and I have so much respect for the program that he built," Howe added. "I am going to do my very best to continue and grow the unbelievable tradition of SJU Golf."

Howe also served as the men's hockey coach at Concordia from 2008-21. He totaled a 132-148-38 record (83-81-28 in MIAC play) and the Cobbers reached the MIAC Playoffs eight-straight seasons, including a second-place finish in 2020. Howe was named the 2011 MIAC Coach of the Year and the program produced three All-Americans, three MIAC Player of the Year recipients and 34 All-MIAC honorees during the 13 seasons.

"I'm thrilled that Chris will be leading our golf program," Alpers said. "Chris played for me his freshman year. He is an accomplished player and knows the game. I've also seen Chris in action as a golf coach and have always been so impressed with his positivity and the way his student-athletes responded to him. His experience, energy and enthusiasm will be a perfect fit for our players and for Saint John's."

Since his time at Concordia, Howe has been a lead instructor at the Minnesota Advancement Program (MAP), which is the Elite division within FHIT Hockey, in the Twin Cities area. The MAP develops hockey players during the eight months of the off-season and mentors, scouts and recruits players during the four months of their season.

A native of nearby St. Cloud, Minn., Howe received his bachelor's degree in social studies and secondary education from SJU in 1999. He played hockey for the Johnnies from 1995-99, totaling eight points (4g/4a) in 39 career games as a defenseman, and was part of a group that went 73-38-7 overall (47-11-6 in MIAC play) and reached the NCAA Division III semifinals in 1997. Following his playing career, Howe returned to SJU and was the head junior varsity coach in 1999-00. He then served as an assistant boy's hockey coach at St. Cloud Apollo High School, his alma mater, from 2000-02 and a volunteer assistant coach at Division I St. Cloud State in 2002-03.

During his five seasons as an assistant hockey coach at Saint John's from 2003-08 (right), the Johnnies won two MIAC regular-season championships and qualified for the NCAA Tournament in 2005. SJU compiled an 83-40-10 record during his tenure and reached the MIAC Playoffs four times.

Alpers stepped aside from the head coach position prior to the 2021-22 season to focus on his duties as SJU's athletic director, only to return for 2022-23. He guided the Johnnies to back-to-back NCAA Division III championships in 2007 and 2008, 13 MIAC titles and 19 NCAA appearances. SJU finished in the top 10 at nationals 12 times (16 times in the top 15). 

"Honestly, having the chance to come back and coach our remarkable young men last year was truly a gift," Alpers added. "I am so grateful for our year together. But our guys need and deserve a coach who can be there for them all the time, and our athletic department needs a full-time athletic director. 

"We had great candidates interested in our golf position, but Chris really impressed us. I have complete faith that Chris is the right person to lead our golf program and our players that were part of the interview process really felt a connection with him. I can't wait to see what they can do together."

Alpers was named the 2007 Eaton Golf Pride National Coach of the Year and was inducted into the GCAA Hall of Fame - the eighth inductee from Division III - in 2010. He was a six-time GCAA Region Coach of the Year and won MIAC Coach of the Year honors 14 times. SJU produced 34 All-Americans and 49 Golf Coaches Association of America (GCAA) Scholar All-Americans. A Johnnie earned MIAC Player of the Year honors for the first 12 seasons of the award's existence and 14 times overall during his tenure, including senior Nate Loxtercamp (Richmond, Minn./Melrose Area) in 2022-23.

Aside from the NCAA Championship, the Johnnies won five tournaments and finished second in the other four competitions in 2022-23. SJU went 51-2 against MIAC schools (101-5 over the past two seasons) and recorded its best team scoring average – 293.1 over 24 rounds – which was 2.5 shots better than the previous mark recorded in 2021-22 (295.6). The team's average relative to par (+5.92) was nearly five shots better than Aurora (Ill.), the second-best team in the region (+10.17).

The Johnnies report to campus Aug. 20 and begin the 2023-24 season with a two-day dual against Gustavus Adolphus at Rush Creek G.C. in Maple Grove (Sept. 2) and Pioneer Creek G.C. in Maple Plain (Sept. 3). SJU is expected to return four of its five starters from last season, all of whom earned All-MIAC honors: Loxtercamp and seniors Sam Berger (Waconia, Minn.) and Blake Schuler (Waconia, Minn.), and junior Andrew Boemer (Eagan, Minn./St. Thomas Academy). Berger earned Division III PING All-America honorable mention and was joined on the Division III PING All-Region 6 team by Loxtercamp and Schuler.