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Four years after 梅尔·Tjeerdsma's inaugural season with the Northwest football team, the 熊猫s became the first NCAA Division II squad to finish a season 15-0. Northwest won back-to-back national championships in 1998 and 1999. In 2009, Tjeerdsma led the 熊猫s to a 14-1 record and the program's third national championship. It was the fifth straight title game appearance for the 熊猫s, 过去五个赛季64胜10负的是谁.
Tjeerdsma was named AFCA National Coach of the Year following the 1998 and 1999 championship seasons, which was just the beginning of a long history of honors to follow such as being inducted into The Division II Football Hall of Fame in 2010.
成立于1999年, the Division II Football Hall of Fame has inducted former Division II players annually for the last 11 years. The 2010 inductions marked the first group of coaches to be honored.
Tjeerdsma has more postseason victories than any other coach in Division II history, leading Northwest to the playoffs 10 times in 12 consecutive seasons, 季后赛战绩22胜8负. 在Tjeerdsma的领导下, Northwest was undefeated (5-0) in the semifinal round of the playoffs, 揭幕战战绩9胜1负，主场战绩13胜3负. The 熊猫s made two first-round exits in its only appearances prior to Tjeerdsma's arrival.
Northwest won 10 playoff games in their three championship runs spanning the last three seasons. Northwest earned the moniker "Road Dogs" after becoming the first program to win four road games to get to the title game of 2005. The team won three home games to reach the 2006 final. 泽尔德斯玛击败了世界第一. 4, No. 2和No. 2007年晋级佛罗伦萨的排名第一的球队.
The 2007 熊猫s became the 12th team in program history to go unbeaten in MIAA play. Seven teams under Tjeerdsma have finished 9-0 in league play since 1997. In 2008, Northwest entered with a 21-game winning streak against conference opponents, and the team's 17-game home win streak was the second-longest in Division II.
2007赛季之后, running back Xavier Omon became the fourth player under Tjeerdsma to be drafted into the NFL. Omon was a sixth-round selection by the Buffalo Bills. 《威尼斯人在线》加盟克里斯·格雷森(1999), Seth Wand (2003) and Dave Tollefson (2006) as Northwest players drafted after playing for Tjeerdsma. Fifteen 熊猫s have either been drafted or have signed NFL contracts during Tjeerdsma's tenure.
除了所罗门, tight end Mike Peterson '07 signed a free agent contract with the Green Bay Packers. 魔杖(奥克兰突袭者), Tollefson (New York Giants) and Jamaica Rector '04 (Arizona Cardinals) make it five former 熊猫s currently found on NFL rosters. Tollefson became the first Northwest graduate to earn a Super Bowl ring after helping the Giants defeat the New England Patriots in last February's Super Bowl.
Tjeerdsma has been named MIAA Coach of the Year nine times (1995-2000, 2002, 2006-07). He's been named AFCA Regional Coach of the Year six times (1996-2000, 2006). Tjeerdsma received the 2009 Liberty Mutual Division II Coach of the Year honor and received $50,他为自己选择的一个慈善机构捐了000美元，外加20美元,000 scholarship award for Northwest's alumni association. Tjeerdsma was also honored in the permanent Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year display at the College Football Hall of Fame.
在他担任威尼斯人在线主教练的近二十年里, Tjeerdsma的球队已经培养了36名全美选手. Included in the tally are 24 first-team All-Americans and 10 players who earned All-America honors in two or more seasons.
在Tjeerdsma充满活力的领导下, 威尼斯人在线培养了93名全美学生运动员, 其中59名球员获得了一线队的荣誉. Fifty-four players earned all-region honors with 37 being listed on the first team. Tjeerdsma retired as Head football coach in December 2010 after 17 years of service at the institution where he orchestrated one of the greatest football program transformations in collegiate athletics. 2013年3月, he accepted the position of Northwest's Director of 体育运动 proving the motto that "Once a 熊猫, 永远是一只熊猫!"
