David Elson
David Elson (born August 26, 1971) is an American football coach. He is the defensive analyst at Wake Forest University, a position he has held since 2023.[1] Elson served as head football coach at Western Kentucky University (WKU) from 2003 to 2009.[2][3] He oversaw the transition of Western Kentucky from a Football Championship Subdivision (formerly known as Division I-AA) to a Football Bowl Subdivision (formerly known as Division I-A) program, the highest division in college football; in his final season, the Hilltoppers joined the Sun Belt Conference.
| Current position | |
|---|---|
| Title | Defensive analyst |
| Team | Wake Forest |
| Conference | ACC |
| Biographical details | |
| Born | August 26, 1971 Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S. |
| Playing career | |
| 1990–1993 | Butler |
| Position(s) | Safety |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1994–1995 | Southern Illinois (GA) |
| 1996–2000 | Western Kentucky (DB) |
| 2001–2002 | Western Kentucky (DC) |
| 2003–2009 | Western Kentucky |
| 2010 | Indiana (assistant) |
| 2011 | Franklin-Simpson HS (KY) (DC) |
| 2012–2013 | New Mexico State (DC) |
| 2014 | Southern Illinois (DB) |
| 2015 | Southern Illinois (DC) |
| 2016 | Western Illinois (DC) |
| 2017–2019 | Ball State (DC) |
| 2020 | Marian (IN) (DC) |
| 2021 | Purdue (QC) |
| 2022 | Purdue (LB) |
| 2023 | Wake Forest (analyst) |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 39–44 |
Coaching career
Elson joined the Hilltoppers staff as a defensive backs coach in 1996. He served as defensive coordinator for the 2001 and 2002 season before he was promoted to head coach.[4] The rise to college football's highest level was difficult for the program, and Hilltoppers went 2-20 in Elson's final two seasons.
On November 9, 2009 Elson was fired by the university, finishing out the 2009 season. WKU alumnus and Stanford running backs coach Willie Taggart replaced him.[5]
In March 2010, Indiana University head football coach Bill Lynch announced that Elson will be a defensive quality control coach. Coach Lynch noted this would mainly be an administrative role, but that he would be involved in coaching decisions. The Hoosiers made their first road trip of the year to play Elson's former team, the WKU Hilltoppers in Bowling Green, Kentucky.
Elson spent the 2011 football season as defensive coordinator for KHSAA state finalist Franklin-Simpson High School in Franklin, Kentucky.
On January 4, 2012, Elson was announced as the defensive coordinator at New Mexico State University.[6]
On January 13, 2013, Elson was announced as the new secondary coach for the Southern Illinois University Carbondale, where he was a graduate assistant from 94 to 95. On January 20, 2016, after two years at Southern Illinois, Elson accepted the position as defensive coordinator at Western Illinois under new head coach Charlie Fisher.
Personal life
Elson and his wife, Kathy, have three daughters.[7]
Head coaching record
| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | TSN# | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Western Kentucky (Gateway Football Conference) (2003–2006) | |||||||||
| 2003 | Western Kentucky | 9–4 | 5–2 | T–3rd | L NCAA Division I-AA Quarterfinal | 7 | |||
| 2004 | Western Kentucky | 9–3 | 6–1 | 2nd | L NCAA Division I-AA First Round | 11 | |||
| 2005 | Western Kentucky | 6–4 | 4–3 | T–4th | |||||
| 2006 | Western Kentucky | 6–5 | 4–3 | T–4th | |||||
| Western Kentucky Hilltoppers (NCAA Division I FCS independent) (2007) | |||||||||
| 2007 | Western Kentucky | 7–5 | |||||||
| Western Kentucky Hilltoppers (NCAA Division I FBS independent) (2008) | |||||||||
| 2008 | Western Kentucky | 2–10 | |||||||
| Western Kentucky Hilltoppers (Sun Belt Conference) (2009) | |||||||||
| 2009 | Western Kentucky | 0–12 | 0–8 | 9th | |||||
| Western Kentucky: | 39–43 | 19–17 | |||||||
| Total: | 39–43 | ||||||||
References
- Pantages, Will (February 2, 2023). "Deacs Announce Support Staff Promotions & Additions". GoDeacs.com. Winston-Salem, NC. Retrieved 2023-05-03.
- "David Elson Records by Year". College Football Data Warehouse. Archived from the original on 2016-03-03. Retrieved 2007-12-01.
- "David Elson bio, WKU Football Media Guide (2007)" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2007-10-16. Retrieved 2008-01-24.
- "WKUsports.com: David Elson bio". Archived from the original on 2007-10-13. Retrieved 2008-01-24.
- Graves, Will (November 23, 2009). "WKU hires Stanford's Taggart as coach". AP.
- "NMSU Football hires David Elson as Defensive Coordinator | KDBC | Local 4 News". Archived from the original on 2013-01-28. Retrieved 2012-11-16.
- "David Elson Bio - NMStateSports.com - the Official Website of New Mexico State Athletics". Archived from the original on 2013-01-30. Retrieved 2012-11-16.