Athletic Hall of Fame
Lonnie Pries ‘93 earned his BA in secondary education. He earned his MS in education/counseling from Concordia University Wisconsin in 2001.
Pries played four years on the defensive line for the Cougar football team. He was named the team’s Outstanding Freshman Player for the 1989 season. Pries earned second-team All-Illini Badger Conference honors for his first three years. In 1992, Pries won the Illini-Badger Defensive Lineman of the Year honor. Later that year, he was named an honorable mention Champion All-American and became the third Concordia athlete in history to be named as a CoSIDA Academic All-American (second team). Pries’ four-year totals included 192 solo and 256 assisted tackles, 35 tackles for minus-yards, nine quarterback sacks, 28 sack assists, 14 forced fumbles, nine fumble recoveries and 36 pass break-ups.
Pries taught and coached a combined 13 years at St. John Lutheran High School in Ocala, Fla. and Milwaukee Lutheran High School in Wisconsin. While at MLHS, he took the Red Knights to their first two playoff appearances in 2002 and 2005 and was named the Conference Coach of the Year in 2005.
In 2006, Pries returned to Concordia as the 16th head coach of the Cougar football program. He led the team to victory in his first game, ending the Cougars’ 20-game winless streak. Three years later, Pries led the Cougars to a record-setting 8-2 season and earned 2009 Co-Coach of the Year honors in the Northern Athletics Conference. His 2010 team also finished 8-2 while his players combined to break 35 individual and team records over a two-year span.
