ORANGE CITY, Iowa – Northwestern College has announced the hiring of Chris Yaw ’92 as its next women’s basketball head coach.
Yaw returns to Northwestern after three years of serving as the principal at MOC-Floyd Valley Middle School in Alton. During that time, he continued coaching, leading the Lady Dutch high school basketball team for the past two seasons. Prior to his appointment at MOC-FV, Yaw coached the Red Raider women’s basketball program for 10 seasons, winning 224 games, including the 2012 NAIA Division II National Championship.
“The opportunity to influence and impact people through sport on a Christ-centered campus such as Northwestern College is both humbling and motivating,” Yaw said. “God called me to, away from, and back to the special challenge of Honoring Christ through Excellence in Athletics. I look forward to fostering relationships, investing in people and this basketball program, and the competition!”
He brings over two decades of coaching experience to the role, starting his coaching career as the head girls basketball coach at MOC-FV. Then, after working as an assistant coach at Wayne State College, Yaw was hired by Northwestern in 2004 to assist then-head coach Dr. Earl Woudstra ’78, a role that he held until his promotion in 2011.
“I’m thankful that God placed a calling within Chris’ heart to return to Northwestern College,” Vice President for Athletics Tony Hoops said. “Chris has had a profound impact on Northwestern. He loves this place and is deeply committed to our mission. I look forward to seeing the impact he will make for our women’s basketball program and the lives of each individual athlete.”
In Yaw’s first stint, his teams qualified for the national tournament seven times, won the national title in 2012, and reached the Fab Four three times (’13, ’18, ’19). His teams compiled a record of 18-6 in the NAIA tournament and were ranked among the top 25 in the final coaches’ poll seven times. Northwestern also had success at the conference level, winning the GPAC regular season title in 2014 and 2019 and winning the GPAC tournament in 2014.
Yaw is a 1992 graduate of Northwestern College, holding a bachelor’s degree in biology. In 2001, he completed a master’s degree in education administration from Buena Vista University.
