As Craig Rasmuson enters his seventh season on the University of Northern Colorado bench, the program is one step closer to finishing its reclassification process. The Bears, currently in the third year of a four-year transition from Division II to Division I, will play its final season as a Division I Independent in 2005-06 before becoming a member of the Big Sky Conference in 2006-07. "With the reality that the Big Sky Conference is a season away, it is truly exciting to be part of Northern Colorado athletics," said Rasmuson, who is currently the second longest tenured male coach at Northern Colorado. "We now have a true identity with a prestigious conference which brings us instant credibility within all facets of our program." While the finish line of joining a conference is now in sight, the Bears will look to put behind them two tough years that has seen them travel over 40,000 miles and play big conference schools from all over the country including Syracuse, Rutgers, Oklahoma, Utah, Iowa State and Colorado among others. In 2004-05, Rasmuson's squad compiled an 8-21 record and played 17 games away from Butler-Hancock Sports Pavilion, winning only one of those contests. But the team returns 72 percent of its scoring output and 63 percent of its rebounding from last year, including sophomore Kirk Archibeque who was the only non-senior on the Division I All-Independent first-team a year ago. "Both of the years of the transition have been a learning experience," said Rasmuson. "Last year was even more of an experience because it was the first full Division I schedule that we faced. Playing in venues with 20,000 people watching you was an awesome experience for our program and our university."

A year prior in the team's first year of reclassification, injuries were the story of the season, as the team saw four starters have their season's end early and the team finished with only a 6-22 overall record. "We were glad when that season was over," said Rasmuson. "We knew the transition was going be tough and we knew if we redshirted a few of our top kids it would limit our opportunities to win, but the injuries that year really compounded it for us." Rasmuson did reach a milestone during the 2003-04 season, as he registered his 50th win on the Bears bench with a 93-57 victory over Johnson & Wales (Feb. 21). Overall he is 58-105 (.356) in six years at Northern Colorado and 124-171 (.420) in 11 years overall as a head coach. With his first victory in 2005-06 Rasmuson will reach another milestone, his 125th career coaching victory. Rasmuson inherited a Northern Colorado program that had fallen on hard times in recent years. The Bears have endured 11 losing seasons since 1988-89, but Rasmuson led the Bears to a 14-13 season in 2001-02 in only his third season on the bench. That marked only the second winning season for the program in the past 13 seasons. In 2002-03, Rasmuson hit a career milestone when he earned his 100th career victory in his ninth season on the bench as a head coach. The milestone was achieved with a 77-73 victory over Adams State (Nov. 26). Rasmuson also coached in his 100th game on the Bears' bench on Feb. 8 at South Dakota. Although the sheer number of victories have not been there recently, almost every other aspect of the program has excelled. With the move to Division I, fan interest has increased, as was evident when 1,576 people, the largest crowd in 13 years, showed up to a game with Utah Valley State on Jan. 17, 2004. A year later, 3,311 fans came through the turnstiles to watch their Bears battle in-state rival Denver on a game broadcast to a national audience on Altitude Sports and Entertainment television. The crowd was the sixth largest in Butler-Hancock history and helped the Bears nearly double (they increased by 48 percent) their overall attendance from the previous season. Overall, average attendance increased by 33 percent. People around the country are also getting a chance to see the Bears play, as Northern Colorado had six games televised to a national audience a year ago. "The increased interest in our program is all part of the Division I vision of our administration," said Rasmuson. "It is exciting to play on national television and playing Division I teams that are all over the media. It has also helped us immensely in recruiting and getting our name out there and we are working hard to become a player in Division I." Bears players also do well in the classroom and stay on track to graduate on time. In Rasmuson's 11 years as a head coach 26 of the 31 players (83.9%) who have exhausted their eligibility have graduated. That percentage jumps to 85.7 for players in his six years at Northern Colorado, as 12 of the 14 players who have exhausted their eligibility have left with a diploma in hand. "We have done a wonderful job identifying and recruiting quality people, let alone quality student-athletes," said Rasmuson. "We pride ourselves in putting the classroom first and being involved in our community. I think it brings a great balance and is part of the learning experience for our student-athletes. "Besides the number of wins we have, everything in the program is flying high and right where we want it," Rasmuson added. "The type of players we are able to attract, the type of people they are off the court, graduation rates and community service is everywhere we want it to be. I set a goal six years ago and we have surpassed that mark in those areas. But the area we are evaluated in the hardest is wins and loses and we have to pick that up." Previous to taking over at Northern Colorado, Rasmuson spent five seasons as head coach at Lincoln Memorial University, an NCAA Division II school, in Harrogate, Tenn. In 1998-99, the Railsplitters earned a share of the Gulf South Conference Eastern Division Championship by going 17-10 and 11-3 in league play. Overall, Rasmuson's record at LMU was 66-66 (.500). In 1997-98, he was named Gulf South Conference Co-Coach of the Year as his squad went 19-8 and headed to the league's postseason tourney for the first time in school history. During that year, LMU also made several appearances in the NCAA II South Regional Poll, moving as high as No. 4 late in the season. While at LMU, Rasmuson coached two All-Americans, eight all-conference selections and 11 all-academic performers. In fact, LMU claimed the Gulf South Conference Freshman of the Year in 1997-98 and 1998-99. Prior to being named head coach at Lincoln Memorial in 1994, Rasmuson spent three seasons as an assistant on the LMU staff. He helped guide the Railsplitters to three consecutive winning seasons from 1991-94. During the 1990-91 season, Rasmuson served on the staff of Ben Braun at Eastern Michigan University. EMU claimed the Mid-American Conference title that year with a record of 26-7 and advanced to the "Sweet 16" of the NCAA Tournament, notching victories over Mississippi State and Penn State along the way. Braun is now the head coach at the University of California-Berkeley and mentor will meet pupil for the first time on the hardwood in 2005-06 when Northern Colorado plays at the Cal Golden Bear Thanksgiving Classic in November. Rasmuson also had a two-year stint (1988-90) as a student assistant coach at Ashland (Ohio) University. While completing his bachelor's degree, he helped the Eagles to two conference titles and a top-20 NCAA II national ranking. Ashland also made two NCAA Division II tournament appearances during that time. A 1990 graduate of Ashland, Rasmuson earned his bachelor's of science degree in criminal justice and sociology. He played two years of basketball before moving into the coaching ranks as an undergraduate. In 2004, Rasmuson served as one of 24 Division I coaches who served as NCAA Youth Education through Sports (YES) Clinic instructors at the Men's Final Four held in San Antonio, Texas. He worked alongside the likes of Pete Gillen (Virgina), Skip Prosser (Wake Forest) and Rick Stansbury (Mississippi State). In 2004-05 Rasmuson, a native of Victor, N.Y., got to live out a dream when Northern Colorado opened the season at the Carrier Dome against No. 6 ranked Syracuse. Growing up an hour west of Syracuse, Rasmuson grew up a supporter of the SU program. When the Bears and Orange met on Nov. 11 in the first round of the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic, many of his family and friends were in attendance. The Bears lost to Syracuse, who went on to win the CVC Championship, and lost a close battle with 2005 NCAA Tournament Cinderella Bucknell in the consolation round of the event. Rasmuson, 36, is married to the former Jennifer Mitchell of Ypsilanti, Michigan. The couple has two children, Ella Shea (born 11/8/96) and Mitchell Craig (born 2/10/01).

Assistant Coaching Resume

Year	School	Record	Highlights
1988-89	Ashland University	16-11 (.593)
1989-90	Ashland University	22-8 (.733)	Advanced to Third Round of NCAA II Playoffs
1990-91	Eastern Michigan	26-7 (.788)	MAC Champions; Advanced to NCAA I "Sweet 16"
1991-92	Lincoln Memorial	15-13 (.536)
1992-93	Lincoln Memorial	17-9 (.654)
1993-94	Lincoln Memorial	16-10 (.615)

Head Coaching Resume

Year	School	Record	Highlights
1994-95	Lincoln Memorial	8-18 (.308)
1995-96	Lincoln Memorial	13-13 (.500)
1996-97	Lincoln Memorial	9-17 (.346)
1997-98	Lincoln Memorial	19-8 (.704)	Gulf South Conference Coach of the Year
1998-99	Lincoln Memorial	17-10 (.630)	Gulf South Conference Eastern Division Champions
1999-00	Northern Colorado	9-18 (.333)
2000-01	Northern Colorado	10-16 (.385)
2001-02	Northern Colorado	14-13 (.519)
2002-03	Northern Colorado	11-15 (.423)
2003-04	Northern Colorado	6-22 (.214)	First season of reclassification to Division I for Bears
2004-05	Northern Colorado	8-21 (.276)	Team played 8 NCAA Tournament teams
2005-06	Northern Colorado	5-24 (.172)	Coached in 300th Career Game
12 yrs.	Head Coaching Record	129-195 (.398)
7 yrs.	At Northern Colorado	63-129 (.328)