SE: K-State OC Courtney Messingham Brings Plenty of Familiarity to Program
Jan 15, 2019 | Football, Sports Extra
By Corbin McGuire
Crazy as it might sound, Courtney Messingham's friendship with Chris Klieman started in fifth grade on a baseball field. The two were both infielders on a Waterloo, Iowa, rec team.
"We've been close friends ever since," Messingham said.
Later in life, the two played football at rival high schools. Each ended up at Northern Iowa as a defensive back, though Messingham eventually switched to quarterback. Still, the bond between them continued to grow. When they were done playing, both realized coaching was their path.
In the nearly 30 years since then, however, Klieman and Messingham have spent less five of them together. But they always talked, at minimum, once a month during that time apart. Occasionally the conversation would land on a dream of reuniting and getting to the highest level of college football.
The pair accomplished the former first at Missouri State in 1999, when both were assistant coaches for the Bears. More recently, they reunited at North Dakota State, where Messingham led the Bison's offense the last two seasons under Klieman. Now, their friendship has them leading K-State's football team, with Klieman as head coach and Messingham as the offensive coordinator.
"I think it's really a special situation from that standpoint because both of us thought, at some point, we could be together and be at the highest level," Messingham said. "It was something where we just hoped at some point we could get back together again. Obviously, that's happened."
Messingham said he and Klieman's familiarity allowed them to be so successful at North Dakota State. The numbers certainly back it up.
The Bison ranked in the top-10 in the nation in scoring offense in two FCS Championship seasons with Messingham on staff. This past season, a 15-0 campaign, they set the school and conference marks for points scored (622), touchdowns scored (80), rushing offense (4,293), total offense (7,076) and rushing touchdowns (54). Additionally, North Dakota State set a school record for yards per play (7.37) and ranked second in yards per rush (6.41) this past season.
"I think the biggest reason is we both have great respect for each other and really understand that each of us know our part of the game really, really well, and Coach Klieman has expanded on his part as he's become a head coach," Messingham said. "I've been really impressed, working with him the last two years, with how well he works with both sides of the ball, understands both sides of the ball so well. It really helps us from the offensive side of things because he brings a defensive mindset, and it helps me. It helps our offensive staff understand why a defense is doing what it's doing, and it's allowed us to grow as an offense, having a defensive guy sit in our meetings and give us great feedback."
Messingham brings more than just a familiarity with his head coach, too. He's also well acquainted with the Power Five level and, more specifically, the Big 12 Conference. He spent five seasons (2009-13) at Iowa State, including two as its offensive coordinator.
He said his understanding of how most teams play in the Big 12 — up tempo and spread out — reinforced an against-the-grain mentality he wants to bring to K-State's attack. He wants to be "wide open" offensively and take shots down the field, but he said he also recognizes the value of ball control and wearing a team down with an unrelenting ground game.
"I think being a little bit different is good. It forces other people in our league to game plan for something that's a little bit different," Messingham, who also spent two seasons on Indiana's staff, said. "I think the bottom line comes down to you have to take care of the football, you have to play great defense and you have to great special teams, and I think we'll understand that from an offensive standpoint.
"I've got no problem being wide open from an offensive mindset, but I also want to make sure that we're helping our defense, helping our special teams and moving the chains when we need to move the chains," he continued. "Obviously, you have to score points when you get an opportunity to, but you also need to grind the football a little bit, hold on to the ball and try to flip the field. If you're not scoring points, make sure their offense is having to go a long way."
On top of Messingham's close relationship with Klieman and his familiarity with the league, he's also well acquainted with the history of K-State football. He remembers when Hall of Famer Bill Snyder took the job at K-State. He kept a close eye on the remarkable turnaround that followed.
Messingham said it's important to continue honoring that history and tradition. It's what happened at North Dakota State, evidenced annually by an alumni practice that brought in upwards of 300 former Bison. The result, Messingham said, was a culture that created a drive to play for more than just their teammates.
"We have to make sure our players understand they're playing for the guy that played here in the '90s and they're going to be playing for the guy who will play here 10, 15 years from now. That's how you leave your legacy and your mark on a program that obviously has a great tradition and history," he said. "We have to continue that."
Another underlying factor to all of Messingham's success as a coach has been his approach to working with players. It starts with building a trust and rapport with them that goes beyond the field and film room.
"I think the biggest thing is the more the player understands that you're truly in it for them as well as K-State, then you have a fighting chance. They've got to know that their best interests and your best interests are all the same," he said. "The more they truly trust that you want to know about them as a person off the field, as well what's happening with them in the academic arena and, obviously, on the football field, the more you can build that trust, the more they can know that you truly care about them and love them.
"Because in the long run it's more about the players than it is about the Xs and Os."
Crazy as it might sound, Courtney Messingham's friendship with Chris Klieman started in fifth grade on a baseball field. The two were both infielders on a Waterloo, Iowa, rec team.
"We've been close friends ever since," Messingham said.
Later in life, the two played football at rival high schools. Each ended up at Northern Iowa as a defensive back, though Messingham eventually switched to quarterback. Still, the bond between them continued to grow. When they were done playing, both realized coaching was their path.
In the nearly 30 years since then, however, Klieman and Messingham have spent less five of them together. But they always talked, at minimum, once a month during that time apart. Occasionally the conversation would land on a dream of reuniting and getting to the highest level of college football.
The pair accomplished the former first at Missouri State in 1999, when both were assistant coaches for the Bears. More recently, they reunited at North Dakota State, where Messingham led the Bison's offense the last two seasons under Klieman. Now, their friendship has them leading K-State's football team, with Klieman as head coach and Messingham as the offensive coordinator.
"I think it's really a special situation from that standpoint because both of us thought, at some point, we could be together and be at the highest level," Messingham said. "It was something where we just hoped at some point we could get back together again. Obviously, that's happened."
Messingham said he and Klieman's familiarity allowed them to be so successful at North Dakota State. The numbers certainly back it up.
The Bison ranked in the top-10 in the nation in scoring offense in two FCS Championship seasons with Messingham on staff. This past season, a 15-0 campaign, they set the school and conference marks for points scored (622), touchdowns scored (80), rushing offense (4,293), total offense (7,076) and rushing touchdowns (54). Additionally, North Dakota State set a school record for yards per play (7.37) and ranked second in yards per rush (6.41) this past season.
"I think the biggest reason is we both have great respect for each other and really understand that each of us know our part of the game really, really well, and Coach Klieman has expanded on his part as he's become a head coach," Messingham said. "I've been really impressed, working with him the last two years, with how well he works with both sides of the ball, understands both sides of the ball so well. It really helps us from the offensive side of things because he brings a defensive mindset, and it helps me. It helps our offensive staff understand why a defense is doing what it's doing, and it's allowed us to grow as an offense, having a defensive guy sit in our meetings and give us great feedback."
Messingham brings more than just a familiarity with his head coach, too. He's also well acquainted with the Power Five level and, more specifically, the Big 12 Conference. He spent five seasons (2009-13) at Iowa State, including two as its offensive coordinator.
He said his understanding of how most teams play in the Big 12 — up tempo and spread out — reinforced an against-the-grain mentality he wants to bring to K-State's attack. He wants to be "wide open" offensively and take shots down the field, but he said he also recognizes the value of ball control and wearing a team down with an unrelenting ground game.
"I think being a little bit different is good. It forces other people in our league to game plan for something that's a little bit different," Messingham, who also spent two seasons on Indiana's staff, said. "I think the bottom line comes down to you have to take care of the football, you have to play great defense and you have to great special teams, and I think we'll understand that from an offensive standpoint.
"I've got no problem being wide open from an offensive mindset, but I also want to make sure that we're helping our defense, helping our special teams and moving the chains when we need to move the chains," he continued. "Obviously, you have to score points when you get an opportunity to, but you also need to grind the football a little bit, hold on to the ball and try to flip the field. If you're not scoring points, make sure their offense is having to go a long way."
On top of Messingham's close relationship with Klieman and his familiarity with the league, he's also well acquainted with the history of K-State football. He remembers when Hall of Famer Bill Snyder took the job at K-State. He kept a close eye on the remarkable turnaround that followed.
Messingham said it's important to continue honoring that history and tradition. It's what happened at North Dakota State, evidenced annually by an alumni practice that brought in upwards of 300 former Bison. The result, Messingham said, was a culture that created a drive to play for more than just their teammates.
"We have to make sure our players understand they're playing for the guy that played here in the '90s and they're going to be playing for the guy who will play here 10, 15 years from now. That's how you leave your legacy and your mark on a program that obviously has a great tradition and history," he said. "We have to continue that."
Another underlying factor to all of Messingham's success as a coach has been his approach to working with players. It starts with building a trust and rapport with them that goes beyond the field and film room.
"I think the biggest thing is the more the player understands that you're truly in it for them as well as K-State, then you have a fighting chance. They've got to know that their best interests and your best interests are all the same," he said. "The more they truly trust that you want to know about them as a person off the field, as well what's happening with them in the academic arena and, obviously, on the football field, the more you can build that trust, the more they can know that you truly care about them and love them.
"Because in the long run it's more about the players than it is about the Xs and Os."
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