Rusty Rogers has coached at the scholarship level and in high school.

Concordia-Chicago has announced Rusty Rogers as its new head coach for the women's basketball program. Rogers succeeds Joshua Steffen who coached the program the previous six seasons.

Steffen's team was 2-23 this past season. The Cougars were 52-100 in his six seasons.

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"Coaching basketball is my ministry and calling, and I am very excited to be coming to Concordia University Chicago as an ambassador for Christ," said Rogers. "I would like to thank (director of athletics) Pete Gnan and the administration for giving me this opportunity."

Rogers brings with him 30 years of basketball coaching experience, 16 of them at the collegiate level where he is 300-193. He has also coached 14 years at the high school level where he is 338-149. Rogers has coached two NAIA Division II national championship teams at Western Oregon in 1995 and 1996 as well as the NAIA's National Player of the Year in Sandie Graves those same years.

Rogers' coaching career began at Dyke College in Cleveland, his alma mater. He served as women's head coach (1983-86) and men's head coach (1986-89) as well as athletic director. Rogers won the first of his seven Coach of the Year awards in 1987 when he achieved the honor for NAIA District 22.

Wilmington (Del.) became Rogers' second collegiate stop in 1990 where he coached the women's team for the next four years. Rogers led the program to 87 victories over the next four years, a mark which remains Wilmington's standard. He earned consecutive NAIA District 19 Coach of the Year honors in 1992 and 1993.

In 1994, Rogers took the head coach's position with the Western Oregon women's team where he would continue his success with NAIA national titles and NAIA National Coach of the Year honors in his first two seasons. He added conference Coach of the Year honors in 1996 and 1998 and also completed a stretch in 1999 in which his teams qualified for the NAIA National Tournament seven times in an eight-year period.

Rogers left the college ranks in 2000 and moved into high school coaching over the next 14 years. He coached at Valley Lutheran High School in Phoenix before moving to Houston to coach at St. Mark Lutheran School and Houston Christian. He returned to Phoenix this past season to coach at Sandra Day O'Connor High School before receiving the call to come to River Forest.

Thirty years in coaching have clearly defined a couple of ideas, which are cornerstones to Rogers' philosophy. "Putting student-athletes in the position to succeed through open communication, skill-building and confidence in a positive, fun and loving environment is essential to success. Building loving and positive relationships, both within the team and community are also critical." 

Rogers earned his BS in business administration from Dyke in 1979. He completed his masters in post-secondary administration from Cleveland State in 1989.