Chris Klieman

Chris Klieman
Name	Chris Klieman
Birth date	27 August 1967
Birth place	York, Pennsylvania, United States
Alma mater	North Dakota State
Occupation	American football coach
Years active	1992–present

Chris Klieman

Christopher "Chris" Klieman (born August 27, 1967) is an American college football coach and former defensive back. He is known for leading successful programs in the FBS and FCS, building championship teams with disciplined defenses and consistent recruiting pipelines. Klieman has been associated with programs that transitioned conferences and competed in postseason play, developing players who advanced to professional careers.

Early life and playing career

Klieman was born in York, Pennsylvania and raised in Massena, New York before attending North Dakota State. As a player he was a four-year starter at defensive back for the Bison under coaches such as Rocky Hager and played in the Division II and later Division I-AA landscapes. Teammates and contemporaries included players who faced schools like University of North Dakota, South Dakota State, Montana State and Montana. His education at North Dakota State connected him to regional rivalries with programs such as South Dakota and national tournaments that featured teams like James Madison, Appalachian State and Georgia Southern.

Coaching career

Klieman began his coaching trajectory with stops in regional and national programs. Early positions included assistant roles at Northern State and graduate assistant work connected to programs competing with schools such as Iowa and Iowa State. He returned to North Dakota State as a defensive backs coach and later defensive coordinator, contributing to national championships in the FCS Playoffs era against teams like Montana, Villanova, The Citadel and JMU. As defensive coordinator and then head coach at North Dakota State, he led the Bison to multiple FCS national championships against opponents including Sam Houston State, Eastern Washington and Montana State.

In 2019 he was hired as head coach at Kansas State, a program in the Big 12 Conference, succeeding Bill Snyder. At Kansas State he faced conference rivals such as Oklahoma State, Oklahoma, Texas, Kansas and Iowa State, and led the Wildcats to bowl games including matchups with teams like Arkansas and Baylor. His staff and recruiting efforts brought in players from pipelines that historically supplied talent to programs such as Oklahoma State and Texas Tech. Klieman's tenure has involved games in venues like Bill Snyder Family Football Stadium and appearances on national schedules that include matchups with Florida and Clemson in nonconference play.

Head coaching record

Klieman's head coaching record spans championships at North Dakota State in the FCS and bowl seasons at Kansas State in the FBS. His North Dakota State teams captured consecutive national titles against programs including Sam Houston State and JMU, while his Kansas State squads competed in the Big 12 Championship Game environment and bowl contests such as the Texas Bowl and other postseason games. Season-by-season results reflect matchups with conference opponents like Oklahoma, Baylor, Texas, TCU, West Virginia and nonconference foes including Clemson, Arkansas and Iowa State.

Coaching philosophy and style

Klieman emphasizes disciplined defense, special teams reliability and a running-oriented offense with effective quarterback play, drawing tactical comparisons to schemes used by coaches such as Bill Snyder, Paul Johnson and Bret Bielema. His defenses have produced NFL prospects who moved on to organizations like the Kansas City Chiefs, Green Bay Packers, New England Patriots, Dallas Cowboys and New York Giants. Recruiting approaches under Klieman target regional high school systems in Kansas, Iowa, Nebraska, North Dakota and Texas, while also pursuing transfers from programs such as Oklahoma State, Texas Tech and Arizona State. He values program continuity, staff retention, and in-game adjustments similar to strategies practiced in conferences like the Big 12 and the Missouri Valley Football Conference.

Personal life

Klieman is married and has a family rooted in the Midwest and Plains states, with connections to communities in Fargo, Manhattan and his hometown regions. Outside football he has engaged with university alumni networks from North Dakota State and Kansas State, participated in community outreach with local organizations and maintained relationships with coaching peers such as Craig Bohl, Matt Entz, Bill Snyder and Les Miles.

Honors and awards

Klieman's honors include multiple FCS Coach of the Year recognitions, conference coach awards in the Missouri Valley Football Conference and postseason acknowledgments tied to national championships with North Dakota State. His teams and individual players have earned All-America selections, NFL Draft placements and conference honors that place them alongside alumni from programs such as Iowa State, Nebraska, Kansas State and Oklahoma State.

Category:American football coaches Category:North Dakota State Bison football coaches Category:Kansas State Wildcats football coaches Category:1967 births Category:Living people