Biography: Steve Steele enters his ninth season as the head coach for the Nighthawks in the 2024-25 academic year.

Over his eight seasons at the helm, Steele has a career record of 130-77 (.628) overall and 89-45 (.664) in GNAC play. During that time, Steele has coached one WBCA All-American, four D2CCA All-West Region selections, one GNAC Player of the Year, one GNAC Freshman of the Year, and 18 All-GNAC performers.

NNU closed the 2021-22 regular season on a five-game winning streak and finished 18-10 overall and 12-6 in the GNAC. They earned the four-seed in the conference tournament and then an at-large bid to the NCAA West Regional, their fourth-straight berth in a full season after not attending the tournament in the COVID-shortened 2020-21 campaign. Three Nighthawks earned All-Conference honors following the season.

In 2019-20, the Nighthawks went 22-7 overall and finished second in the GNAC at 17-3 in conference play. NNU qualified for the NCAA Regional for the third-straight year before the tournament was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In the 2018-19 season, Steele led the Nighthawks to the second round of the NCAA Division II tournament, the program’s first GNAC tournament title, the No. 1 ranking in the country during the regular season, a 14-0 home record and a school record 18-game winning streak.

In the 2017-18 season, he led the Nighthawks to the GNAC regular-season title (first for the program since 2000) and a berth to the NCAA Division II National Tournament. The team finished 22-5 overall, 18-2 in conference and had a 13-game winning streak.

Steele took over the NNU program after spending three seasons as an assistant at GNAC rival Seattle Pacific. Prior to his time with the Falcons, Steele spent two years as an assistant coach for the women’s team at Concordia (CA).

A 1999 graduate of Concordia (CA) where he played soccer and earned a Bachelor’s degree in Religion, Steele also spent 12 years coaching at national powerhouse Brea Olinda High School in California, helping guide the team to the 2009 National Championship.

Steele, who also taught special education and general education for 13 years while coaching in California, earned an Education Specialist Credential from National University (Calif.) in 2005, and his Master’s in Coaching and Athletic Administration from Concordia (CA) in 2013.

Steele and his wife, Gwin, have a son, Jacob, and daughter, Evan.

Favorite Thing About Working at NNU: The people.