Ron Planz is entering his fifth season as the head football coach at Elmhurst College.
Planz became the 19th head football coach in Elmhurst College history by taking over the squad prior to the 2014 season. In his first season with Bluejays, Planz led Elmhurst to a 5-5 overall record with 10 players earning all-conference accolades. Garrett Claxon and Josh Williams earned all-region and All-America accolades from
D3football.com. In 2016, the squad posted a 4-6 overall record with six Bluejays taking home all-conference accolades.
In 2016, the team posted a 5-5 overall record while placing fifth in th the CCIW standings. Eight Bluejays earned all-conference honors while Andy Warsen and Jawan Gaines earned all-region accolades from
D3football.com. Warsen and Sean Wetherell were named as CoSIDA Academic All-Americans.
Planz has coached 28 all-conference players, four all-region players, two All-Americans and two CoSIDA Academic All-Americans in his five years with the Bluejays.
Prior to arriving at Elmhurst, Planz spent five seasons as an assistant coach at Minnesota State University, Mankato – an NCAA Division II school. He served as the team's defensive line coach and special team's coordinator. In his time at Minnesota State, the Mavericks won four Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) South Division titles, three NSIC conference championships, qualified for the NCAA playoffs three times, including a national semifinal appearance in 2012. Planz helped coach three All-Americans and 12 first-team all-conference players in his time at Minnesota Sate, including a conference Defensive Player of the Year and Conference Newcomer of the Year.
Prior to joining Mavericks' coaching staff in 2009, Planz served as the defensive coordinator at Manchester College for five seasons where he coached seven first-team all-conference players and also worked as the team's strength and conditioning coordinator. Planz also spent three seasons as an assistant at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire where he coached cornerbacks, wide receivers and the defensive secondary. He began his coaching career overseas, serving as the defensive coordinator for the Danube Dragons in Klosterneuburg, Austria, in 2002.
Planz is no stranger to the Elmhurst area or the CCIW after attending nearby Fenton High School and then playing football at Carthage College. He earned his bachelor's degree from Carthage in 2001 and received a master's degree from Wisconsin-Eau Claire in 2003. He and his wife, Julia, have two children: a daughter, Lillian, and a son, Lucas.
