He began coaching football in 1989 as an assistant at Grand Valley State, and made his head coaching debut in 2013 for Southern Miss.
He played quarterback at Knox College from 1985 to 1988, where he was a small college All-American.
He made his NFL coaching debut in 2007 as the wide receivers coach for the Jacksonville Jaguars.
He raised a son with his wife Terri Monken.
From 2011 to 2012 he was the offensive coordinator for an Oklahoma State University team coached by Mike Gundy.