Washburn University Athletics

Malen Luke is in his fifth season as a volunteer assistant coach after spending the previous 14 seasons at Northwood’s staff in Michigan including the last 11 as the defensive coordinator. Luke came to Northwood after serving as the head coach at Clarion University for 11 seasons.  He guided the Golden Eagles to 57 victories, including an 11-3 mark in 1996.  That team claimed first place in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference West Division (5-1) and earned a NCAA Playoff bid.  Luke’s squad made it all the way to the semifinals that season before falling to Northern Colorado 19-18.  His efforts that season earned Luke PSAC Coach of the Year honors.  Luke also guided the 2000 team to a PSAC-West title, finishing with a 5-1 record.  His teams at Clarion averaged nearly 30 points and over 400 yards of offense per game and he was enshrined into the Clarion Hall of Fame in 2022.

Prior to his time at Clarion, Luke was the head coach at Defiance College, where he won a school-record 37 games.  Over Luke’s final four seasons, Defiance went 33-7 (.825). A native of Wellsboro, Pa., Luke graduated from Wellsboro High School in 1972 and from Westminster College in 1976. Malen and his wife Hedy have two children – son Brock and daughter Quinn. Brock serves as the Co-Defensive Coordinator at Washburn University.