Mike DuFrane comes to Northern Michigan after two seasons as the Head Coach / Defensive Coordinator at Finlandia University.
With the Lions, DuFrane directed the growth of the program from eight players in the spring of 2021 to a full 85-90 man roster in the fall of 2023. He oversaw all the budgeting and fundraising efforts for the program as well.
Previously, DuFrane was the Defensive and Strength Coordinator at the College of St. Scholastica from February 2019 to March 2021. The defense had no shortage of success in 2019, ending the regular season fourth in turnovers, first in fumbles recovered, and ninth in defensive touchdowns. He also coached the second leading tackler across Division III, Eric Soderberg, who broke school records for total, solo, and assisted tackles.
DuFrane has also had stops at Marietta College from 2016-19 and Lyon College from 2014-16 as the Defensive Coordinator. At Marietta, he coached numerous All-Conference performers and helped guide Marietta to the team's best finish in over 20 seasons. DuFrane has also had coaching stints with Lawrence University, Carthage College, and Loras College overseeing the Defensive Line.
DuFrane graduated from Wisconsin-Whitewater in 2009 where he was a starting defensive tackle on the 2007 National Championship team and 2008 National Runner-Up team. He graduated with a Communications/Broadcasting degree and went on to achieve his Masters at Carthage College in 2015.
