Career
Having left Tabor for Malone in 2006, Gardner was chosen to replace Mike Gottsch after Tabor"s winless 2009 season. Assistant coaching
Gardner began in coaching as Special Teams and Recruiting Coordinator at Hastings College from 1990 to 1993. He later held assistant coaching positions at Bethel College (Kansas), Lindenwood University, and Tabor College.
Tabor
Gardner returned to Tabor starting with the 2010 season and led the team to a record of 4 wins and six losses, finishing sixth in the conference.
Counting his previous two years coaching at Tabor, he is now the winningest coach in the history of the program Malone
Gardner was named head coach at Malone College following the 2006 season.
His team at Malone began the 2008 season ranked #24 in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics pre-season poll. Following the lackluster 4-6 2009 season at Malone, Gardner resigned to clear the way for his return to Tabor.
He stated “I wasn’t looking for an opportunity to go by any means,” Gardner said.
“This just presented itself."
Gardner was the fifth football coach in Malone"s history, and his coaching record at Malone was 25 wins and 18 losses. As of the conclusion of the 2009 season, this ranks him second at Malone in total wins and second at Malone in winning percentage. Gardner played college football for National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics school Baker University in Baldwin City, Kansas from 1986 to 1990, where he held a school record 53 yard field goal that was broken in 2007.
He was an All-American each of his last three years at Baker.
