Brian Ward

For the English cricketer, see Brian Ward (cricketer).

Brian Patrick Ward (born May 22, 1973) is an American football coach and former player. He is the defensive coordinator at Arizona State University. Ward served as the head football coach at McPherson College in McPherson, Kansas from 2007 to 2009 and as the interim head football coach at Bowling Green State University for one game in 2015. As an assistant coach at Wabash College in 2002, he was named the AFCA Assistant Coach of the Year for NCAA Division III.

Brian Ward

Current position
Title	Defensive coordinator
Team	Arizona State
Conference	Big 12
Biographical details
Born	(1973-05-22) May 22, 1973 (age 52) Glendale, Arizona, U.S.
Playing career
1994–1996	McPherson
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
1997	McPherson (DC/ST)
1999–2000	Glendale (AZ) (DC/DB)
2001–2004	Wabash (AHC/DB/ST)
2005	Missouri Southern (AHC/co-DC/ST)
2006	Tulsa Union HS (OK) (AHC/DC)
2007–2009	McPherson
2010	North Dakota State (DB)
2011	Drake (DC/LB)
2012–2014	Western Illinois (DC/LB)
2015	Bowling Green (DC / LB / interim HC)
2016–2019	Syracuse (DC)
2020–2021	Nevada (DC)
2022	Washington State (DC)
2023–present	Arizona State (DC)
Head coaching record
Overall	17–15
Bowls	0–1
Tournaments	0–1 (NAIA playoffs)
Accomplishments and honors
Awards
AFCA Division III Assistant Coach of the Year (2002)

Coaching career

Ward was the head football coach at McPherson College in McPherson, Kansas for three seasons, from 2007 to 2009, compiling a record of was 17–14.^[1]

Ward was named the 2009 College Fanz National Coach of the Year after taking his team to the NAIA Football National Championship playoffs for the first time in the history of the program.^[2]

After the 2021 season, Ward was hired by new Washington State head coach, Jake Dickert, to be the team's defensive coordinator.^[3]

Head coaching record

Year	Team	Overall	Conference	Standing	Bowl/playoffs	NAIA#
McPherson Bulldogs (Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference) (2007–2009)
2007	McPherson	4–6	3–6	T–7th
2008	McPherson	4–6	3–6	7th
2009	McPherson	9–2	8–1	2nd	L NAIA First Round	12
McPherson:		17–14	14–13
Bowling Green Falcons (Mid-American Conference) (2015)
2015	Bowling Green	0–1[n 1]	0–0[n 1]	[n 1]	L GoDaddy
Bowling Green:		0–1	0–0
Total:		17–15

Notes

1. Dino Babers was Bowling Green's head coach for the team's first 13 games before stepping fown to become to head football coach at Syracuse University. Ward served as interim head coach for the GoDaddy Bowl. Bowling Green finished the season with an overall record of 10–4.