BEN JACOBSON

Head Coach

University of Northern Iowa head coach Ben Jacobson personifies class and dignity on and off the floor as the leader of the Panther men's basketball team. As the UNI men's basketball program's all-time wins leader, he boasts an overall record of 374-245 (.604 winning percentage) through 19 seasons. Jacobson has averaged 19.6 wins per season at UNI.

He has guided the Panthers to four NCAA Tournament appearances and four NCAA victories. Jacobson is a five-time Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) Coach of the Year and is the league's all-time winningest coach in conference only wins with 209. He is also second in the league's 117-year history in overall wins.

Jacobson is the only coach in the history of the MVC to have recorded two wins over two different No. 1-ranked teams (Kansas in 2010, North Carolina in 2015).

Under Jacobson, UNI placed in the top half of the MVC during 14 seasons. Prior to him joining the staff in 2001, the Panthers had only finished in the upper half twice since joining the conference in 1991. At one point, UNI rolled off 16 consecutive top half finishes beginning in 2003.

Jacobson has guided the Panthers to postseason play in seven seasons including four trips to the NCAA Tournament (2009, 2010, 2015, 2016). UNI reached the Sweet Sixteen in 2010 following wins over UNLV and No. 1-ranked Kansas. UNI competed in the 2012 National Invitation Tournament (NIT) and scored a first-round road victory over Saint Joseph’s. The Panthers made their second NIT appearance in program history in 2022 with a first-round road win at Saint Louis, and made another NIT appearance in 2025. UNI also took part in the 2011 and 2013 CollegeInsider.com Tournament (CIT), advancing to the semifinals of the CIT in 2013. The Panthers scored a 71-54 win over Wyoming in the 2015 NCAA Tournament to secure the fourth all-time tournament victory for the program. UNI produced its fifth NCAA Tournament win with a 75-72 triumph over Texas in the 2016 tournament.

Jacobson has 11 players earn First Team All-MVC, ten earn second team, and 11 earn third team or honorable mention in his tenure. He has also seen UNI honored with four Larry Bird MVC Player of the Year honorees in Adam Koch (2010), Seth Tuttle (2015) and AJ Green (2020, 2022).

Jacobson has also seen his athletes earn 38 MVC All-Academic Team selections in his time at UNI. Adam Koch (2010), Nate Buss (2015), AJ Green (2020, 2022) and Tytan Anderson (2025) each earned MVC Scholar-Athlete of the Year honors for the Panthers.

The Panthers have had many make immediate impacts during Jacobson's tenure with 12 players earning a spot on either the MVC All-Newcomer or MVC All-Freshmen teams since the 2006-07 season. Seth Tuttle earned MVC Freshman of the Year honors in 2012, with AJ Green earning the honor in 2019 and Bowen Born in 2021.

Since arriving in Cedar Falls as an assistant coach in 2001, Jacobson has helped develop over two dozen players that have gone on to play professionally across the world. This includes two-time MVC Player of the Year AJ Green, who signed with the Milwaukee Bucks in 2022 and became the first former Panther to play in an NBA regular season game.

Following the 2020-21 season, Jacobson was awarded a two-year contract extension that will run through March 31, 2029.

Northern Iowa once again battled in a competitive MVC title race in 2024-25, finishing third in the league standings with a 14-6 record. Despite a tough quarterfinal exit at Arch Madness, the Panthers earned their third NIT selection, where they came up short in the opening round at SMU. In a season that saw Jacobson become the first coach in MVC history to surpass 200 career conference wins, Tytan Anderson earned First Team All-MVC recognition, along with Scholar-Athlete of the Year honors, completing his career as a top-ten performer all-time in program history in games played, steals and rebounds. Trey Campbell was also named Third Team All-MVC, while freshman forward Will Hornseth set a new single-season program record for field goal percentage at 68.3% (minimum of 50 made shots).

During the 2023-24 season, Jacobson's Panthers won six of their final eight regular season games to secure a tie for fourth place in the MVC standings and earned a first round by for the conference tournament. UNI would score a quarterfinal win over Belmont in St. Louis during Arch Madness, a game that saw forward Tytan Anderson set the program's single-game postseason rebounding record with 19 boards. Guard Nate Heise would earn Third Team All-MVC honors for a career season, while Bowen Born cracked the program's top-ten lists in multiple career statistical categories.

Jacobson would pick up his 188th win in conference play on Jan. 20, 2024 in a victory over Southern Illinois, passing Hall of Fame coach Henry P. Iba for the MVC's conference only wins record. During the year, he also passed former Creighton/Saint Louis coach Eddie Hickey for second on the league's overall wins list.

The 2022-23 campaign saw the Panther participate in the NABC Hall of Fame Classic in Kansas City against San Francisco and Grand Canyon, as well as Towson in the Legends of Basketball Showcase at the United Center in Chicago.

Bowen Born led the Panthers through the 2022-23 season earning Second Team All-MVC honors and becoming the 45th member of the program's 1,000 career point club, helping UNI put together a strong 6-2 in January. Forward Tytan Anderson led the league with 11 double-doubles, while Michael Duax and Landon Wolf earned MVC All-Newcomer and All-Bench team recognition respectively.

During the 2021-22 season, after starting the year 4-7 in November and December, the Panthers won 16 of the next 21 games. UNI clinched the program’s fourth MVC regular season champion, and third outright in the final game of the regular season in an overtime thriller over Loyola-Chicago. After falling in a rematch with the Ramblers a week later at the MVC Tournament, UNI competed in the NIT, picking up a first round victory at Saint Louis, before falling at BYU in the second round.

AJ Green was named the Larry Bird MVC Player of the Year for the second time in three seasons, becoming the first Panther to win the award multiple times. Green also earned First Team All-MVC honors, while Noah Carter was named Second Team All-MVC. Guard Bowen Born was selected as Sixth Man of the Year and to the All-Bench Team. Jacobson also made history as the first coach in MVC history to be named the league’s top coach five times.

During the 2020-21 season, UNI faced adversity in the form of injuries and playing a season through the COVID-19 pandemic. The Panthers finished in a tie for fifth with a 10-15 record and 7-11 mark in league play after wins in three of their last four games and an added victory over Illinois State in the opening round of the MVC Tournament. However, UNI had its quarterfinal tilt cancelled by the Missouri Valley Conference due to "City of St. Louis Board of Health Department COVID orders.

Austin Phyfe earned First Team Scholar-Athlete and Third Team All-MVC recognition for the 2020-21 season. Bowen Born was named the MVC Newcomer of the Year and claimed spots on the All-Newcomer Team and the All-Freshman Team. Nate Heise also received All-Freshman Team honors.

The 2019-20 season saw Jacobson guide the Panthers to a 25-6 record with a 14-4 mark in the Missouri Valley Conference. The Panthers beat South Carolina at the Cancun Challenge and received national attention, receiving votes in the USA Today Coaches Poll and the AP Poll. The Panthers then traveled to Colorado and Arizona, picking up wins against #24 Colorado and Grand Canyon University, the Panthers would then receive votes for remainder of the season.

The Panthers picked up the Teams’ second Regular Season Title under Jacobson with a 70-43 win over in-state rival Drake in Des Moines. UNI took home a handful of awards including the 2020 Larry Bird Player of the Year in AJ Green. Green also took home First Team All-MVC honors, joining sophomore center Austin Phyfe. Isaiah Brown was honored as the leagued top defensive player, earning the MVC Defensive Player of the Year honor. Trae Berhow was named to the MVC Most Improved Team.

The Panthers were exceptional on the floor and in the classroom. For the third time under Jacobson a Panther was named MVC State Farm Scholar Athlete of the Year with AJ Green taking home the honor in 2020. Austin Phyfe was named First Team Scholar Athlete and Redshirt Senior Justin Dahl was named an Honorable Mention Scholar Athlete.

The Panthers would fall to the Drake Bulldogs in the quarter finals of the MVC Tournament. Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic the Panthers were unable to participate in postseason play.

In the 2018-19 season, Jacobson guided the Panthers to a berth in the MVC Tournament championship game with a 16-18 overall record. In conference, UNI finished with a .500 record including tournament wins over Southern Illinois and Drake.

Freshman guard A.J. Green earned a spot on the All-MVC Third Team, All-Newcomer Team, and All-Freshman teams. Junior Isaiah Brown was recognized on the All-Defensive Team.

In 2017-18, the Panthers participated in the Battle 4 Atlantis, reaching the title game to be pitted against eventual National Champions Villanova. UNI earned a win over Evansville in the MVC Tournament before falling to Final Four participant Loyola by four points. The season ended with a .500 record.

In 2015-16, Jacobson led the Panthers to a 23-13 overall record and the program's eighth NCAA Tournament appearance. UNI earned a spot in the 2016 NCAA Tournament by capturing the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament title with wins over three 20-plus win teams in Southern Illinois, Wichita State and Evansville in St. Louis.

UNI then scored a 75-72 victory over Texas in the first round of the 2016 NCAA Tournament on a half-court buzzer-beater by senior Paul Jesperson.

The 2015-16 season included so many ups and downs. It featured wins over No. 1 North Carolina, No. 5 Iowa State and No. 25 Wichita State. It also saw the Panthers limping at 10-11 overall and 2-6 in Missouri Valley Conference play on Jan. 23. But behind the leadership of seniors Matt Bohannon, Paul Jesperson and Wes Washpun, the Panthers and Jacobson turned their season around by winning 13 of their next 14 games - including the MVC Tournament title.

Even though the season came to an end in the second round of the NCAA Tournament after a 92-88 double-overtime loss to Texas A&M - UNI was among 13 schools in the nation to have reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament in back-to-back years with at least 54 combined wins.

Jacobson guided UNI to a 31-4 record in the 2014-15 season, which included a school-record 16-game winning streak, an MVC Tournament title and the school’s first-ever top-10 national ranking. UNI finished the season ranked No. 14 in the final Coaches Top 25 poll. He led UNI to its fourth all-time NCAA Tournament victory with a 71-54 triumph over Wyoming in the second round. The 2014-15 season also saw UNI’s Seth Tuttle earned consensus second-team All-America honors.

For the third time in nine seasons, Jacobson was awarded the Missouri Valley Conference's Coach of the Year Award. Jacobson led the Panthers to a school-best 16 MVC wins in league play.

The Panthers posted their fourth consecutive top-three finish in the 2015 Missouri Valley Conference standings with a 16-2 league mark.

Jacobson became the fastest coach in Panther history to tally 100 career wins. It took him only 149 games as the Panther head coach to accomplish the feat. The previous mark was set by Art Dickinson at 164 games.

What a season it was in 2009-2010 for the UNI Panthers under fourth-year head coach Ben Jacobson. The Panthers posted a 30-5 mark to eclipse the school record for wins by seven games and earned the program's first-ever Sweet 16 appearance by knocking off the No. 1-ranked Kansas Jayhawks in the NCAA Tournament's second round in Oklahoma City, Okla.

The Panthers finished the 2009-2010 season ranked No. 13 in the final ESPN/USA Today Coaches' Poll - marking the highest ranking in school history. UNI ranked No. 2 in the nation in scoring defense in 2009-10 giving up only 55.1 points per game. UNI also ranked No. 10 in the nation in fewest turnovers per game (10.7).

Jacobson-coached squads have made defense a priority and none more prevalent than the 2008-09 and 2009-10 seasons, which saw the Panthers named the Missouri Valley Conference's Army National Guard Defensive Team of the Year in back-to-back years.

The Panthers made their mark in 2008-09 on the road as the squad put up an impressive 11-1 mark on the road against league foes. Included in that impressive road mark was a streak of eight straight victories away from the McLeod Center, which was the eighth-longest road winning streak in the history of the Missouri Valley Conference.

The 2007-08 UNI team, which posted an 18-14 overall mark and advanced to the semifinals of the MVC Tournament, ranked 14th in the nation in fewest turnovers per game, averaging just 11.8. The Panthers turned it over more than 13 times in a game just 11 times, with a low of five against both Loyola (Dec. 1) and Illinois State (Jan. 30).

Jacobson's 2007-08 Panthers were also stalwarts on the defensive end of the floor. They led the Missouri Valley Conference in field goal percentage defense (.395), and were third in scoring defense (60.3 ppg) - ranking 17th and 14th nationally in those categories. UNI allowed only six opponents to score more than 68 points in any game in the 2007-08 season, holding its foes to 50 points or less six times, and holding 13 opponents to less than 38 percent shooting.

Jacobson finished his first campaign in 2006-07 at the helm of UNI with an 18-13 record. The 18 wins were the most for a first-year Panther head coach since the team joined the Division I ranks in 1980. In addition, UNI posted wins over Iowa State and Iowa - sweeping the Cyclones and Hawkeyes in the same season for just the second time ever - including posting a win in Iowa City for the first time in program history.

Jacobson also coached UNI as it became the first college program ever to represent the United States of America at an international basketball competition. In August 2007, UNI was chosen to be Team USA at the World University Games in Bangkok, Thailand. Donning the Red, White and Blue, UNI went 5-1 in the tournament, losing only to eventual gold medalist Lithuania, while posting wins over Angola, Turkey, China, Finland and Israel.

Academics also are of the highest priority under Jacobson. UNI finished the 2024-25 season with a 3.37 cumulative team GPA, the second-highest among UNI's men's athletic teams. Panther student-athletes have earned 48 first team, second team or honorable mention Academic All-Conference honors since 2003.

Jacobson was hired as head men's basketball coach on March 22, 2006, becoming the 21st head coach in UNI history.

Before taking over as head coach, Jacobson was the Panthers' top assistant coach starting in 2001, and was a key cog in bringing the Panthers from the basement of the Missouri Valley Conference to the penthouse. With Jacobson on staff, the development of UNI basketball has been remarkable.

While this is Jacobson's first head coaching job, he had 12 years of prior assistant coaching experience. Before joining former UNI head coach Greg McDermott in Cedar Falls beginning with the 2001-02 campaign, he served one season as an assistant coach under McDermott at Division II North Dakota State. His responsibilities there included serving as recruiting and academic coordinator.

Jacobson has a long history in the North Central Conference, having played at the University of North Dakota from 1989-93. He was a four-year letterman for the Sioux, a two-year starter, and he ended his career as the school's all-time assist leader. UND made two Elite Eight appearances and four regional appearances, along with winning two conference championships, during his career. He was team captain in 1991-92 and 1992-93, was named to the NCC's All-Academic Team in 1993, and was a player representative to UND's letterwinner's association from 1991-93.

In September of 2008, his 1989-90 team from the University of North Dakota - when he was a freshman guard for the Fighting Sioux - was inducted into the UND Athletics Hall of Fame. That squad finished 28-7 overall, including a perfect 16-0 at home, and finished third in the nation.

He was a student assistant coach at North Dakota from 1993-94. From 1994-96, he was a graduate assistant at UND and became a full-time assistant coach for the Sioux from 1996-2000. He served as an assistant coach at North Dakota State University in the 2000-01 season.

A native of Mayville, North Dakota, Jacobson graduated from Mayville-Portland High School in 1989 as valedictorian. He received his bachelor's degree in physical education from the University of North Dakota in 1994.

Jacobson and his wife, Dawn, have two children, Hunter and Tanner.