Northwest Missouri State head football coach Scott Bostwick hired former Bearcats quarterback Joel Osborn to be his wide receivers coach and recruiting coordinator and former linebacker Ken Gordon to be his secondary coach and special teams coordinator.
“Both Joel and Ken both know and understand Bearcat football,” said Bostwick. “They’ve both played at Northwest and been graduate assistants at Northwest. They know the deal.”
Gordon was a linebacker at Northwest in 1995 and 1996 and was a first-team All-MIAA performer as a senior. He stayed at Northwest to earn his master’s degree and was a member of the coaching staff when the Bearcats won back-to-back national championships in 1998 and 1999.
Osborn won two MIAA championships as the starting quarterback for the Bearcats during the 2007 and 2008 seasons and led the Bearcats to two national runner-up finishes. Northwest was 12-2 in 2007 and 13-2 in 2008.
Osborn was the 2008 MIAA Most Valuable Offensive Player after throwing for 3,249 yards and 24 touchdowns. He threw for 5,501 yards and 54 touchdowns during his four-year career and remains the most accurate passer in program history (completed 67 percent of his passes).
Bostwick was named Northwest Missouri State’s 18th head football coach in late December. He succeeds Mel Tjeerdsma, who announced his retirement in December following 17 seasons. Bostwick has served as Tjeerdsma’s defensive coordinator since the duo’s arrival in Maryville back in 1994.