Mark Owen took the Coyotes to five NAIA Tournaments and won 189 games as head coach
CALDWELL, Idaho - College of Idaho athletic director Marty Holly has announced that head men’s basketball coach, Mark Owen, has resigned, following the 2009-10 season.
Owen, a member of The C of I Athletic Hall of Fame, ranks second in all-time wins as Coyote head coach with 189 – taking the Yotes to the Cascade Conference Tournament in each of his ten seasons as head coach. He directed The C of I to five NAIA Tournament appearances, including a trip to the national quarterfinals in 2001. His 2004 squad won one of three CCC regular-season titles in program history, while his 2001, 2003, and 2004 teams won the CCC Postseason Tournament crown. During his tenure, Coyote teams received votes in the NAIA Top-25 poll every season, rising as high as No. 3 in the nation.
“I still have plenty of coaching left in me and I truly enjoy the game of basketball,” said Owen, who was an NAIA All-American for the Coyotes in 1985 and remains the career assists leader. “However, I feel that at this time I need to explore new opportunities that will help me grow not only as a coach, but as a person.”
“I have had the pleasure to coach Mark as a player, work with Mark, and watch Mark coach for nearly 30 years,” said Holly. “He is an outstanding basketball mind and is truly one of my best friends. Luckily for us, Mark will remain a part of the Coyote family and our athletic department in an administrative role.”
From 1991-2000, Owen was the top assistant under Holly, helping the Yotes to six 20-win seasons, including a 31-3 mark during the 1995-96 campaign in which The C of I won the NAIA Division II National Championship.
“I want to thank all of my peers at the College for all of their support through the good and bad times,” Owen said. “I would like to thank the Cascade Conference coaches for ten great years – helping build the league into one of the top NAIA Division II conferences in the nation.”
Holly will begin immediately the search for finding Owen’s successor. “I have compiled a short list of coaches in every sport – in the event we have an unexpected coaching change. We will begin the process by going down my men’s basketball list – and hopefully have a new coach in place soon.”