Dan Jordan named new rifle coach

Submitted by Dave Geringer
Phone: (907) 474-6807
06/17/05

A University of Alaska Fairbanks alumnus who went on to earn All-American honors as a shooter is the new head rifle coach at UAF.

Dan Jordan, a 2001 UAF grad who was an All-American at UAF and won the silver medal in men’s three-position rifle at the 2004 Paralympics, will replace Glenn Dubis, who led the UAF rifle team to two NCAA championships in three seasons.

A first team All-American in both small bore and air rifle in both 1998 and 1999 while competing for the Nanooks, Jordan is a native of Franktown, Colorado, near Colorado Springs.

Jordan began his involvement with shooting at the age of nine as a member of the 4-H Club. Becoming involved with competitive shooting at the age of twelve, Jordan went on to attend Parker High School in the Colorado Springs area before coming to Alaska to attend UAF and shoot for the rifle team. He earned All-American honors as both a freshman and sophomore, while finishing second in the NCAAs in air rifle during his freshman season. ξ

Injured in an accident in the summer following his sophomore season, Jordan took two years off, and then resumed training for the Paralympics. While he was training, Jordan became involved in coaching.

"The last year I was in Fairbanks, I coached the rifle team at West Valley High School,"? said Jordan. "I was always interested in coaching and hoped to get into coaching at the university level. Every summer, I work with the Civilian Marksmanship Program, and we do seven camps in various parts of the country. The timing for this was perfect. I was planning on moving back to Fairbanks, and it worked out perfectly, with Glenn retiring. It’s always been my dream to go back and coach at UAF."?

The Nanooks had their streak of six consecutive NCAA championships ended when they finished four points behind Army at the 2005 NCAA Rifle Championships. Jordan has followed the Nanooks closely, and he is optimistic about the near future.

"We are looking forward to having Dan join our department and staff,"? said UAF Director of Athletics Cory Schwartz. "Dan is an alumnus, a two-time All-American,ξand an Olympic medalist. Dan is a great fit for our rifle program."?

"Glenn was definitely working in the right direction, and he pretty much has next year all laid out,"? said Jordan. "I think there is a lot of potential. We have some good shooters returning, and some new recruits with potential. With the NCAA changing the course of fire, the matches will be a lot closer in the future. The emphasis will be more on air rifle than on small bore, and some teams need to change their focus a little bit. I think UAF is in a good position, and will come back very well next year."?

Jordan plans to complete his responsibilities with the CMP, and arrive in Fairbanks in August.

A high resolution photo is available for download, courtesy of USA Shooting at http://www.uaf.edu/files/news/download/releasephotos/05/0506alm-04-9019-01.jpg