Longtime coach still has passion for kids, community, football

In 1969, Dwight Lundeen was a young teacher looking for a place to start his life with his soon-to-be wife. He found that place in Becker and never left. More than 50 years later, he’s still at the school after shaping one of Minnesota’s top high school football programs and generations of young men who played for him.

While Becker, the defending AAAA State Champions, is now known as a powerhouse program, the football team had much more humble beginnings when Lundeen was asked to be the head coach for their inaugural season in 1970.

Coach Lundeen remembers the time fondly, even if it came with challenges. In their first season, the Bulldogs fielded a team of just 17 students. 

Lundeen admits the first season was “a slow start,” but it also shaped the way he approached the game. “I learned very early that the result on the scoreboard is not what defines who I am,” he said. “It’s my purpose to impact young men and a growing community.”

The Becker community has grown tremendously since then. Once among the least-resourced districts in the state, it transformed into a prosperous area after the construction of two Northern States Power plants.

That growth fueled the football program as well. With more families moving in and stronger community support, Becker High School has evolved into one of the healthiest football programs in Minnesota. Today, the Bulldogs have 120 players and a coaching staff of about 15.

While Coach Lundeen has won four state titles, he maintains that his goal isn’t about the team’s record. It’s about building great young athletes through a strong community. Lundeen says that the environment creates wins for the program.

“Whenever I’m asked how we’re so successful, I always say it’s by instilling hope. Hope is a wonderful thing, and I live my life with great hope. As coaches, we need to build that hope into our kids,” Lundeen said. “If we can do that, we can get the next win and the win after that. If not, so be it. It’s something I’m very passionate about. We hope that’s enough to win the next game.”

Much of Lundeen and Becker’s success comes from the coach’s consistent and positive messaging, but they wouldn’t have the success they do without a strong philosophy on the field as well.

One of the hallmarks of Becker’s game is its commitment to being strong at the quarterback position. Coach Lundeen was an early adopter of the spread offense that now dominates football at all levels. Even before his teams played the spread, Lundeen identified that the quarterback position would be a key focus at Becker.

“I figured out real early in my coaching career that you have to be good at quarterback. Given the number of players we have, it’s challenging to coach each one closely. But I will guarantee that the team will have really good quarterbacks on Friday night,” Lundeen said. “We work hard at throwing the ball, especially in the red zone, where everybody gets packed in there, and it’s hard to run the ball, but it’s really difficult to play man-to-man. We win a lot of games that way.”

Another core tenet of Lundeen’s on-field coaching philosophy is holding consistency across multiple levels of youth football in Becker. Lundeen uses the same playbook for fifth-graders as he does for the varsity team. This consistency allows players to feel confident and familiar with the system when they reach the highest levels.

Lundeen’s philosophy has indeed led to a massive number of wins. With 413 career wins, Becker’s head coach is just 24 away from breaking the Minnesota high school record.

Lundeen achieved his 400th win last season, an event that functioned as a celebration not just of his career, but the rich history of youth football in Becker. Players who played for Lundeen throughout his entire career were invited to celebrate, once again showing the coach’s team and community-first approach.

“In the 55 years we were celebrating, our teams never went winless. Whether someone played for me in the 70s, 80s, or so on, they had a part in the 400 wins,” Lundeen said. “This was about Becker Football’s 400 wins.”

While Coach Lundeen is approaching  the Minnesota High School wins record, he says that plays no part in his decision to continue coaching. Instead, he intends to be at the helm of Becker football as long as his health allows. 

All these years later, he’s still just excited to start a new season.

“I think if I ever lose that passion, I will say, ‘hey, it’s time to get out’. I still look forward to it (the start of the season). There’s nothing I dread about it,” Lundeen said. “I’m excited to see the kids, to see the coaches, and get back to doing what we do.”