David Braun was named defensive coordinator and safeties coach at North Dakota State University in January 2019 and spent four seasons with NDSU before accepting a job as defensive coordinator at Northwestern University in the Big Ten Conference.
Braun was part of two Missouri Valley Football Conference and NCAA Division I FCS national championships in his first three seasons at NDSU with the nation's No. 1 scoring defense both years.
In 2019, NDSU held opponents to 12.3 points per game, ranked first in passing yards allowed (138.6 ypg), second in total defense (274.7 ypg), and second in passing efficiency defense (104.8). Safeties Michael Tutsie and James Hendricks combined for 12 interceptions as NDSU went 16-0.
Braun was named FootballScoop's FCS Coordinator of the Year in 2021. The Bison limited opponents to an MVFC record 11.1 points per game, ranked third nationally in total defense (264.7 ypg) and third down conversion defense (.268), and ranked fifth in red zone defense (.680), sixth in rushing defense (87.6 ypg) and eighth in sacks (3.27/game).
Named to the 2020 class of the American Football Coaches Association's 35 Under 35 Coaches Leadership Institute, Braun came to NDSU after two seasons at Northern Iowa, where he was the defensive line coach and run game coordinator in 2017 and the outside linebackers coach and special teams coordinator in 2018.
He is a graduate of Winona State, where he played defensive line for NDSU head coach Matt Entz from 2004-07 and joined him on staff as a graduate assistant for two years.
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Braun was the defensive coordinator and linebackers coach at Culver-Stockton in 2010, returned to Winona State for four years as the co-defensive coordinator and linebackers coach from 2011-14, and moved to the FCS level as the defensive line coach at UC Davis for two seasons from 2015-16.
He earned a bachelor's degree in social science education at Winona State in 2008.
Braun and his wife, Kristin, are the parents of two boys, Lucas and Andrew.
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| David Braun Year-By-Year Coaching History |
| Year |
School |
Position |
| 2008 |
Winona State |
Graduate Assistant |
| 2009 |
Winona State |
Graduate Assistant |
| 2010 |
Culver-Stockton |
Defensive Coordinator/Linebackers |
| 2011 |
Winona State |
Co-Defensive Coordinator/Linebackers |
| 2012 |
Winona State |
Co-Defensive Coordinator/Linebackers |
| 2013 |
Winona State |
Co-Defensive Coordinator/Linebackers |
| 2014 |
Winona State |
Co-Defensive Coordinator/Linebackers |
| 2015 |
UC Davis |
Defensive Line |
| 2016 |
UC Davis |
Defensive Line |
| 2017 |
Northern Iowa |
Run Game Coordinator/Defensive Line |
| 2018 |
Northern Iowa |
Special Teams Coordinator/Outside Linebackers |
| 2019 |
North Dakota State |
Defensive Coordinator/Safeties |
| 2020-21 |
North Dakota State |
Defensive Coordinator/Safeties |
| 2021 |
North Dakota State |
Defensive Coordinator/Safeties |
| 2022 |
North Dakota State |
Defensive Coordinator |
