Joe Bettasso is going into his fourth season with the Green and Gold in 2022 as the defensive coordinator. In 2018 served as the Interim Head Coach of the Lions for the final eight weeks of the season.
In 2021 the Lions saw a jump in production across the board along with steady production from the linebacking group. Richard Jordan Jr. was an All-American and along with Coleman Booker and Colton Winder were the top three tacklers for the team. Of the Lions ten All-MIAA performers six were on the defensive side. Dylan Bolden hauled in five interceptions and returned two for a touchdown while Solomona Fetuao and Nick Kruse were able to finish with more than five tackles-for-loss on the defensive line.
Year two for Bettasso saw the Lions post two of the top linebacking performances in the MIAA as Richard Jordan Jr. led the league in tackles, while freshman Colton Winder posted the most stops by a freshman in the league, was second overall in total tackles in the MIAA and ranked second nationally in tackles by a freshman.
Bettaso came to Southern after three seasons at McKendree University where he served as the Bearcats’ Defensive Coordinator.
The 2017 Bearcats’ defense helped the team to a 7-4 record and was led by Austin Weltha who had 129 total tackles with 12.5 for a loss and five interceptions with two sacks. McKendree ranked second in the GLVC in sacks and led the league in interceptions.
The Bearcats' 2016 defense ranked among the top units in the Great Lakes Valley Conference once again. For the second year in a row, McKendree led the league in scoring defense, allowing a paltry 18.4 points per outing. The Bearcats also had the conference's top overall defensive squad, giving up just 315.7 yards per contest. As a team, McKendree set a new program record with 53 sacks and ranked among NCAA Division II team leaders in the category.
Bettasso guided two of the top defensive players in the GLVC during their final seasons in a Bearcat uniform in 2016. Linebacker A.J. Wentland set a school single-season record for the third consecutive year with 145 tackles, and became the Bearcats' career leader in stops with 421. For his efforts, Wentland was named the 2016 GLVC Defensive Player of the Year, becoming the second McKendree player in three seasons to capture the honor.
The other McKendree GLVC Defensive Player of the Year, defensive end Lucky Baar (who was the 2014 winner) made his assault on both the McKendree and NCAA record books in 2016. In just nine games, Baar registered 17 1/2 sacks and 21 1/2 tackles for loss, which led the Bearcats. With the final sack of his career, Baar became the NCAA Division II career leader in the category, finishing his playing days with 46 1/2 sacks. He also collected 65 1/2 tackles for loss, which is also a new McKendree program mark.
Baar earned numerous post-season honors, including first-team All-GLVC accolades for the third straight season. He was an AP Little All-American for the second time in three years, and also collected first-team All-America accolades from the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA).
In his first year at McKendree in 2015, Bettasso helped engineer a turnaround that saw the Bearcats rise to become one of the top units in the GLVC. McKendree paced all GLVC teams in scoring defense, allowing just 19.8 points per contest. In addition, the Bearcats ranked third among all conference squads in total defense. In the final NCAA Division II statistical report for 2015, McKendree was fourth among all teams in sacks per game, taking the opposing quarterback down behind the line of scrimmage 3.5 times per game.
Seven Bearcats collected All-GLVC honors in 2015, led by junior linebacker A.J. Wentland. For the second year in a row, Wentland established a new program record for tackles in a season, posting 135 stops which was good for eighth among all NCAA Division II players. Defensive ends Brett Pearman and Lucky Baar combined for 27 tackles for loss and 15 1/2 quarterback sacks in 2015.
In 2014, the McKendree linebacking corps continued to shine and was led by sophomore linebacker A.J. Wentland. A starter in all 11 games at middle linebacker, Wentland rewrote the Bearcats' annals by registering a school-record 132 tackles. He also tied for the team lead with two interceptions on his way to first-team All-GLVC honors. Four of McKendree's top five tacklers in 2014 were linebackers, including senior Bryce Colvin. A three-year starter for the Bearcats, Colvin matched his uniform number with 52 tackles to close his career with 178 stops.
Bettasso came to McKendree after spending three years on the coaching staff at Quincy University. Bettasso joined the Hawks’ staff as a defensive backs coach before being elevated to the role of defensive coordinator prior to the 2013 season. He was responsible for all facets of the Quincy defensive scheme, including play-calling. Under his leadership in 2014, the Hawks ranked second in Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) in total defense and rushing defense.
Before his time at Quincy, Bettasso spent five seasons at McPherson College in Kansas. From 2007-09, He served the Bulldogs’ defensive coordinator and recruiting coordinator during that time while also coaching the program’s linebackers and defensive backs. Following the 2009 season, Bettasso was promoted to the role of head football coach at McPherson, a position he held for two years before heading to Quincy.
In 2010 – Bettasso’s first as the head coach at McPherson – he led the Bulldogs to a school-record 10 victories and the program’s highest NAIA national ranking at No. 6. He was named as the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference (KCAC) and American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Region 4 Coach of the Year for his efforts. Bettasso guided McPherson to the school’s first KCAC championship since 1952 and the program’s second NAIA Football Championship Series berth. Ironically, McPherson hosted McKendree in a first-round playoff game that year, with the Bearcats posting a 38-14 win in the meeting. That game marked the Bearcats' final post-season football victory as members of the NAIA. It was also the 200th collegiate coaching win for former McKendree head coach Carl Poelker.
Bettasso began his coaching career as a student assistant and later a graduate assistant coach at his alma mater, Missouri Southern State University. Bettasso was also a four-year letterman as a defensive back with the Lions. He paced Missouri Southern with 8 ½ tackles for loss as a junior in 2004 and followed that with a team-leading two fumble recoveries during his senior season of 2005.
Bettasso and his wife, Shandi, have three children, Grace Tobias, Gabe Tobias and Cole Bettasso.
