Football | 3/26/2019 1:19:00 PM

March 26, 2019-Emporia State University head football coach Garin Higgins has announced the return of Daniel Goodman to the Hornet coaching staff.  Goodman will be the strength & conditioning coach in addition to coaching the running backs.

"I'm excited to be back home at Emporia State. What Coach Higgins has built here is very special and I can appreciate it more after being away for awhile," said Goodman. "I can't wait to help build on this culture both in the weight room and on the playing field."

Goodman has spent the last two seasons on the staff at NCAA FCS Division national champion North Dakota State. He was the Defensive Quality Control coach as the Bison went 29-1 in his two years with two of their  seven national championships on the Division I level.

"It's great to have Danny back," said Coach Higgins. "He understands our culture here at Emporia State and bleeds black and gold. But he was able to get away for a couple of years and experience the championship culture at North Dakota State as well."

No stranger to the Hornet coaching staff, Goodman spent two seasons as a graduate assistant at Emporia State, where he coached the tight ends.  He was part of a Hornets team in 2015 that advanced to the Super Region 3 championship game, the furthest run Emporia State has made in the Division ll playoffs in school history.

"He brings a little bit of that offensive lineman mentality to the weight room along with the scientific part of it," said Higgins. "He'll be a great asset to our program."

Goodman played center for Emporia State, earning All-MIAA honors his junior and senior years. He was a first team Class 5A all-state pick by the Kansas Football Coaches Association and first team All-Centennial League performer at Emporia HS

An Emporia native, Goodman is a 2014 graduate of Emporia State. He earned a bachelor's degree in Criminal Justice.

Goodman replaces Austin Willis who decided to leave the coaching profession.