February 27th, 2025 8:00am
By: David McFeely, Director of Media Relations
Bolivar, Mo. – SBU Director of Athletics, Clark Sheehy, announces Paul Hansen as the 10th SBU Head Football Coach. Coach Hansen earned his Master of Education at Southwest Baptist and returns with 19 years of football coaching experience.
"We are thrilled that Coach Hansen and his family are joining the Bearcat Family today." Sheehy said, "Coach Hansen brings great experience and a proven track record of results. We are most excited about his passion to develop and mentor young people through the game of football! It's a great day to be a Bearcat!!"
"I would like to thank President Dr. Melson, AD Clark Sheehy, and the search committee for this incredible opportunity. I'm very excited to be part of the Bolivar community and lead SBU Football into the future." – Coach Hansen
Hansen joins Southwest Baptist after leading MidAmerica Nazarene (MNU) for the past five seasons, where he began his college head coaching career. It didn't take him long to make a name for himself as he has led the Pioneers to three straight winning seasons including back-to-back Heart South Conference Championships. Coach Hansen continued to make history with the Pioneers leading them back to the NAIA playoffs for the first time since 2014, ranked as high as #7 in the Nation. He was named the conference coach of the year in 2023 and NAIA Region coach of the year in 2024.
During his time at MNU, Hansen coached numerous All-Americans and Players of the Year. One of his highlights came in 2023 when Defensive Back, Anthony Sao, was signed by the Atlanta Falcons, the first ever NFL signee in school history. In just five seasons, he coached 4 Freshman of the Year, 4 All-Americans, 1 Conference Player of the Year, 2 Offensive Players of the Year, and 77 All-Conference players.
Hansen has coached some the most supreme offenses in the country while at MNU. This past season, his offense averaged 50 points per game and 511 yards per game, #3 in the Nation. In 2021, his offense broke the National passing record in a game when his quarterback threw for 659 yards. The offense has consistently been at the top in the conference in total offense.
Prior to MNU, Hansen was the Assistant Head Coach/Offense Coordinator/Recruiting Coordinator at Division II Western New Mexico University. There he coached a 3,000-yard passer, 1,000-yard receiver, and 2019 Lone Star Conference Freshman of the year. He coached his offense to top two in the Lone Star Conference in passing.
The Missouri Native spent his four years in college just 30 minutes south of Bolivar at Evangel University, where he earned his Bachelor of Science in Physical Education. He was a four-year letterman for the team helping them win two Conference Championships. Hansen was named a Don Hansen Gazette Honorable Mention All-American receiver his final season.
Full press release