Southeastern Oklahoma State University Men's Football

Southeastern football welcomed the return of Bo Atterberry as the 21st Savage Storm head coach in December of 2022. Atterberry is a Southeastern alum who played four seasons for the football program in the mid 1990's before ultimately trading a helmet for a headset, serving as a student assistant and later a graduate assistant. The 1998 graduate has spent more than 15 years in total playing and coaching within the football program at Southeastern.   Atterberry makes the move back to SE after two seasons as the defensive coordinator at Paris High School in Paris, Texas.   In his first season back at the helm the Savage Storm posted a 5-6 record and finished tied for seventh while placing six players on the All-GAC team, led by first team selection Marquis Gray. The Storm would finish that season fifth in scoring defense in the league and fourth in yards allowed. Previous to his stop in the high school ranks, Atterberry has amassed a 74-51 record as a head coach across stops at Texas A&M-Kingsville and Southeastern and has posted winning seasons in 10 of those 11 seasons.   Atterberry became SE's 19th head coach in December of 2013 and beginning with the 2014 season posted a 33-23 record over five seasons, including a 32-22 record in Great American Conference play.   He orchestrated a five-game turnaround in his first season as Southeastern improved from a 2-9 record to finish with a 7-5 mark and earned its first postseason berth since 2004, appearing in the Texarkana Live United Bowl in Texarkana, Ark.   Over the following four seasons, Atterberry's teams would push the program's streak of winning seasons to five-straight, matching his high of seven wins in two of them.   The Storm also boast 40 all-conference selections in that span and one All-American.   He would serve as Southeastern's defensive coordinator and assistant head coach in 2013 prior to taking over the reins of the program for the 2014 season.   Atterberry began his head coaching career at Texas A&M-Kingsville in 2007. His first Javelina team went 3-8 – the only time an Atterberry-helmed squad has finished with a sub-.500 record. Two years later, his team claimed the Lone Star Conference championship and advanced to the playoffs, and in 2010, his Javelina squad advanced to the second round of the Division II playoffs.   He was named LSC Coach of the Year in 2012 and AFCA Regional Coach of the Year in 2010, in addition to being named a finalist for the Liberty Mutual National Coach of the Year in 2009. He concluded his tenure at Texas A&M-Kingsville with an appearance in the Kanza Bowl, his third postseason appearance with the Javelinas.   His first stop as a coach at Southeastern began in 2003 as the team's defensive back coach before moving into the role of defensive coordinator beginning in 2004.   In those three seasons guiding the Storm defense, they won or shared in the LSC-North Division title three times while posting a dominating 13-2 record against league foes in that span.   His defense in 2004 led the LSC and was ranked No. 16 in the nation in total defense which helped guide the program to its first ever NCAA Division II Playoff berth.   His 2006 defense, the final year if his first stop at Southeastern, gave up fewer than 200 points on the season and allowed just 19.2 ppg while leading the conference in pass defense and allowing opposing quarterbacks to complete fewer than half their passes.   Under his tutelage for those three seasons nine SE defenders earned First Team All-Lone Star Conference honor, including the 2004 Linebacker of the Year and the 2005 Defensive Back of the Year.   Atterberry is a 1998 graduate of Southeastern where he started his coaching career as a student and graduate assistant.   He also spent five years working at the high school level at the beginning of his coaching career, spending four of those seasons in different capacities on staff at Bartlesville High School in Bartlesville, Okla.   Head Coaching Record   School Year  Record  Conf Rec  Notes TAMUK  2007   3-8     3-7 TAMUK  2008   7-4     6-3 TAMUK  2009   9-3     8-2      LSC Co-Champs, NCAA Playoffs (1st Rd.) TAMUK  2010  10-2     9-1      NCAA Playoffs (2nd Rd.) TAMUK  2011   6-5     4-4 TAMUK  2012   6-6     5-3      Kanza Bowl Champs SE     2014   7-5     6-4      Texarkana Live United Bowl SE     2015   6-5     6-5 SE     2016   7-4     7-4 SE     2017   7-4     7-4 SE     2018   6-5     6-5 SE     2023   5-6     5-6 TOT   12 yrs 79-57   72-44  

Atterberry was introduced as the 19 th  head football coach in Southeasterns 100-plus year history.   Atterberry made the move after spending one season as assistant head coach and defensive coordinator.   It is the second time he has taken on a head coaching position, having spent six seasons at Texas A&M-Kingsville prior to his return to Southeastern.   It is an honor to become the head coach at Southeastern, said Atterberry. This is a special place to me and it is a big reason that Im even in the position to take this job.  Im excited to have the opportunity to give back to a place that has given so much to me.   He joined the Savage Storm coaching staff prior to the 2013 season for his second stint as defensive coordinator for his alma mater.   In his first season at the helm his SE team turned in a five-game turnaround to finish the season at 7-5 with the programs first postseason appearance since 2004 and the first winning season since 2009.   The Savage Storm played in its first bowl game since the mid-90s when it earned a berth in the Live United Texarkana Bowl in Texarkana, Texas where it played MIAA opponent Central Missouri.   His team featured five All-Great American Conference honorees, with Jared Heim earning first team honors, while Anthony Foster and Preston Smith were each second team picks, while Devlon Wortham and Greg Lunceford added honorable mention recognition. His second season marked the second-straight winning season after going 6-5, marking the first time since the 2008 & 2009 seasons the team posted back-to-back winning records. That team boasted a trio of All-GAC players, led by Franky Okafor who was a first team selection and would later sign with the Arizona Cardinals and become Atterberry's first SE player to sign a pro contract.   Prior to spending the 2013 season in Durant, Atterberry spent six successful seasons at Texas A&M-Kingsville.   After taking over the Javelina program in 2007 he went on to compile a 41-28 record over his tenure while guiding TAMUK to a Lone Star Conference Championship in 2009 as well as back-to-back NCAA Division II Playoff appearances.   He earned LSC Coach of the Year honors in 2012, as well as AFCA Regional Coach of the Year honors in 2010, and was a finalist for the Liberty Mutual National Coach of the Year in 2009.  Over his tenure he coached 22 first team All-LSC selections, 16 all-region honorees and 11 All-Americans.   This is Atterberrys second stop as a coach at SE after having served as the teams defensive coordinator from 2004 through 2006.   In those three seasons guiding the Storm defense they won or shared in the LSC-North Division title three times while posting a dominating 13-2 record against league foes in that span.   His defense in 2004 led the LSC and was ranked No. 16 in the nation in total defense which helped guide the program to its first ever NCAA Division II Playoff berth.   His 2006 defense, the final year if his first stop at Southeastern, gave up fewer than 200 points on the season and allowed just 19.2 ppg while leading the conference in pass defense and allowing opposing quarterbacks to complete fewer than half their passes.   Under his tutelage for those three seasons nine SE defenders earned First Team All-Lone Star Conference honor, including the 2004 Linebacker of the Year and the 2005 Defensive Back of the Year.   Atterberry is a 1998 graduate of Southeastern where he started his coaching career as a student and graduate assistant.   He also spent five years working at the high school level, spending four of those seasons in different capacities on staff at Bartlesville High School in Bartlesville, Okla.   Atterberry returned to SE as the defensive backs coach in 2003 before moving up to his role as defensive coordinator the following season.   He and his wife, April and daughter Jax, reside in Durant. Atterberry at SE 2015 - 6-5 2014 - 7-5 | Texarkana Live United Bowl

Brandon Smith returns to Southeastern in the spring of 2023 and will serve as the team's defensive coordinator and linebackers coach. Between his stops with the Savage Storm, he served as the linebacker coach at Arkansas Tech. In his first season as defensive coordinator, SE ranked fifth in scoring int he GAC and fourth in rushing defense. His 2023 squad was led by All-GAC honoree Cam Tate who racked up 69 tackles, while Kevin Simes was fifth int he league in sacks with eight.  Smith originally joined the Southeastern coaching staff prior to the 2018 season and directed the Savage Storm linebackers while heading up the program’s junior college recruiting efforts. Prior to his first stint at SE he spent a season as a pro scout with the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League. From 2013 through 2016 he was an assistant with East Texas Baptist, working across the defensive backfield. His first two seasons there he handled the cornerbacks, guiding Dominique Bailey to a pair of first team all-conference honors and the school record in career interceptions. In 2015 he handled the safeties with a first team all-conference selection before taking over as the defensive coordinator duties and linebacker coach in 2016. That season seven players would earn all-conference honors, includuing both his inside linebackers. He started his coaching career as a graduate assistant with West Texas A&M from 2010 through 2012 where he handle outside linebackers. Smith, a native of Crane, Texas, earned a B.S. in Sports Fitness Management from Midwestern State and added a M.S. in Sports Administration from West Texas A&M.  

Troy Parker returned to Southeastern in the spring of 2023 and will guide the team's defensive backs. Parker returns to his alma mater after a two-season stint as an assistant coach at Tioga HS. In his first season back with the Storm, Parker's defense was led by Michael Hookfin who logged 66 tackles, second most ont he team, and snagged a pair of interceptions with four pass breakups, while Joseph Jones's three picks led the team. He made his steps into coaching as a graduate assistant at SE for the 2019 and 2020 seasons after completing his playing career for the Savage Storm where he spent five seasons as a student-athlete, ending his career as an All-Great American Conference selection and a team captain. Parker completed his bachelor's in health and human performance in 2019 and would add a master's in sport studies and athletic administration in 2020.  

Chris Ellison joined the Southeastern coaching staff in the spring of 2021 where he works with the team's defensive linemen. He makes the move to join the Savage Storm after starting his coaching career at his alma mater McPherson as a defensive line coach in 2018. His 2021 season was highlighted by Alexce Marshall who earned All-GAC honors and led the defensive line in tackles with 53, including 8.5 tackles for loss, with Marshal again leading the way in 2022 on his way to a second All-GAC selection. The 2023 squad was led by Jordan Hood who was sixth on the team in total tackles with 44, while Kevin Simes posted a team-best nine sacks. Ellison played on the McPherson defensive line for two seasons (2012-13) after spending two seasons at Tyler (Texas) Junior College.  A native of Red Oak, Texas, Ellison earned an Associate of Arts in criminal justice from Tyler in 2011 and a Bachelor of Science in sociology from McPherson in 2013. 

Jaiveon Gardner joined the Southeastern coaching staff for the 2024 season and will assist with the team's defensive line. Gardner makes the transition to the sideline after four seasons with the Savage Storm, three on the field due to the cancelation of the 2020 season, and over that span he would play in 30 games and rack up 84 career tackles, 14.5 tackles for loss, and five sacks, including a career-best four his final campaign.