Michael Zweifel is in his fourth season as an assistant coach at UW-La Crosse in 2025. He serves as the Eagles' defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach. Zweifel was also co-defensive coordinator in 2022.
Linebacker Ryan Daines and defensive back Trent Mullen were selected to the 2024 All-Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) First Team while defensive lineman Marik Dickson and linebacker Tanner Newlin earned second team accolades. Defensive lineman Ross Gengler earned 2024 All-WIAC Honorable Mention awards. Mullen was a 2024 D3football.com All-Region First Team selection with Daines earning second team.
Daines led UWL in overall (69) and unassisted (41) tackles as well as tackles for loss (11.0). He tied for second on the team in tackles for loss (3.0) and was second in interceptions (2). Mullen recorded 36 tackles in 2024 while leading UWL with four interceptions and 20 pass break-ups. Dickson recorded 19 tackles while Newlin finished second on the team with 56 tackles. Newlin tied with Daines for second on the team in tackles for loss (3.0). Gengler finished the year with 38 tackles and a team-high 6.5 tackles for loss. He was second with 7.0 tackles for loss during the season.
Defensive lineman Jack Kelly and Nate Hietpas both were named to the 2023 All-WIAC Team with Kelly earning first team accolades and Hietpas honorable mention accolades. Kelly led UWL in tackles for loss (10.5), quarterback sacks (5.0) and quarterback hurries (9). He finished with 36 tackles overall. Hietpas recorded 18 tackles, including 3.0 for loss and 1.5 quarterback sacks.
Newlin earned 2023 All-WIAC First Team honors with defensive backs Tate Pitcher (second team) and Aaron Schmitz (honorable mention) all earning honors.
Zweifel was UWL's Special Teams Coordinator in 2023. Michael Stack was named the 2023 WIAC Co-Special Teams Player of the Year while earning all-conference first team honors at placekicker. Ryan Krueger was voted to the 2023 All-WIAC Honorable Mention Team as a punter. Stack earned 2023 Associated Press (AP) and D3football.com All-America First Team honors and D3football.com All-Region 6 First Team. He went 13-of-15 in field goal attempts and 65-of-65 in extra-points during the season. One of 10 finalists for the 2023 Fred Mitchell Award, presented to the top placekicker for excellence on the football field and community service, Stack tied the single-season school record of 13 field goals by Chris Schumacher in 1989. Stack's 65 extra-points broke Ryan Beirne's single-season school record of 49 in 2021.
Krueger averaged 39.7 yards per punt in 2023 with five inside the 20-yard line.
UWL ranked second in the WIAC in scoring defense (17.8), sacks (67), interceptions (13), opponents' third-down conversions (32.2%) and red-zone defense (66.7) in 2022 while finishing third in rushing defense (107.) and opponents' first downs (17.2). The Eagles led the conference in kickoff returns (23.8) while finishing third in punt returns (9.3) and second in punting (35.4).
Zweifel is the founder, owner and head of sport performance at Building Better Athletes, LLC since 2012. He was the wide receiver coach at the University of Dubuque (Iowa) since February 2022 and has been the strength and conditioning coach for the Clarke College (Iowa) baseball team since August 2013.
A 2011 graduate of Dubuque (Iowa), Zweifel earned his bachelor's degree in exercise science while graduating Summa Cum Laude. He earned his master's degree in Kinesiology from the University of Texas at Tyler in 2015.
He was named the winner of the 2011 Gagliardi Trophy, awarded annually to the top National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III football player. Zweifel led the nation in receiving yards (1,915), receiving yards per game (174.1), receptions (140), receptions per game (12.7), and receiving touchdowns (25). He set a NCAA III record with his 140 catches and ended his career as the all-time NCAA leader (all divisions) with 463 receptions. He helped lead Dubuque (Iowa) to the 2011 Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (IIAC) championship.
Zweifel also recorded 29 tackles in 2011 with 2.5 tackles for loss, nine pass break-ups, one interception and one fumble recovery.
Selected to the 2011 American Football Coaches Association (AFCA), Beyond Sports Network and D3football.com All-America First Team, Zweifel was named the 2011 IIAC Player of the Year. He was voted to the 2011 Associated Press (AP) All-America Second Team and 2009 Third Team. Zweifel was a 2009 D3football.com Second Team All-America choice. He was a two-time IIAC selection. Zweifel attended the Green Bay Packers Rookie Minicamp in 2012.
Voted the 2011 College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Academic All-American® of the Year, he was named a National Football Foundation Scholar-Athlete finalist.
