After 26 legendary years leading the University of Northwestern Men’s Basketball program, a new chapter will be beginning soon for Head Coach/Associate Director of Athletics Tim Grosz. The program’s all-time winningest coach, who is the active wins leader in the state of Minnesota at all levels of men’s college basketball, has accepted the position of Associate Athletic Director for Compliance at the University of Northern Colorado. Although Minnesota born-and-raised, it is a homecoming of sorts for Tim and his wife, Tanya, who have several family members already living in the Greeley area.
Grosz leaves with a heart full of gratitude for the past quarter century-plus: “After 26 incredible years, I am filled with gratitude for our success and the journey we’ve shared. While the wins were great, the relationships are what I’ll carry with me most. The bus rides, the locker room talks, and the joy of watching young men succeed on and off the court have formed bonds that far outlast any trophy. I didn’t walk this path alone:
Faith: I thank God for the opportunity to impact lives through basketball.
Family: To my wife, Tanya, and daughters, Liv and Soph—thank you for your sacrifices. I’m excited for our next chapter.
Staff: To Bill Aune, Kyle Krecklow, Micah Pocernich, and all my assistants over the years—I appreciate your tireless commitment.
Leadership: Thank you to Presidents Cureton and Hoornbeek for your support, and to Dr. Hill for your UNWavering friendship, and for helping us build champions for life. It has been an honor.”
Grosz hangs it up with a program-best 475 career wins to his name, which is most in UMAC history and most among active men’s basketball coaches in the state of Minnesota as well. He is an 11-time UMAC Coach of the Year award winner and was named Coach of the Decade by the conference in 2019. A 1992 graduate of Northwestern, Grosz was hired to lead the program he once led as a player, succeeding his father-in-law, Joe Smith. The Eagles saw immediate success, winning both the conference regular season and tournament championships, the first of 16 and 13, respectively. Since the UMAC’s move from NAIA to NCAA Division III in 2008, Grosz’s program has been the conference’s most successful, with nine Division III National Tournament appearances and three wins in the “big dance.” The program’s first tournament win came in 2015, in a buzzer-beating upset over No. 3 St. Thomas, and the second came the following night, when UNW defeated Elmhurst to advance to the first Sweet 16 in Northwestern Athletics history. In 2019, the Eagles again defeated a top-10 team from the MIAC, taking down No. 8 Saint John’s, 93-78, on its home floor in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
In addition to success in the NCAA, two of Grosz’s most memorable seasons came in years where there was no NCAA Tournament available to Northwestern. In 2010, while still in the transition period from NAIA to NCAA, the Eagles defeated King College to win the first National Christian College Athletic Association DI National Championship in program history. 11 years later, with no NCAA Division III Tournament due to the Covid-19 pandemic, UNW accomplished the feat again, defeating Ottawa University (AZ) to claim a second NCCAA DI National Title.
Northwestern Director of Athletics, Dr. Matt Hill, notes that Grosz’s legacy stretches far beyond his on-court success. “For over a quarter of a century, Northwestern has had one Men’s Basketball coach,” said Hill, who hired Grosz in 2000 as a second-year Athletic Director. “Coach Grosz has amassed Hall of Fame results, but way more importantly, he has guided hundreds of young men in their journey of becoming Godly men and incredible people. Northwestern has been blessed to have Tim for all these years and will miss him greatly. I’m very excited for this new journey he is embarking on and know that those who he will be working alongside will experience the same high level of professionalism and leadership we have for 26 years.”
UNW’s search for Grosz’s successor will begin immediately. His final day at Northwestern will be Friday, May 8th.
