Spence Nowinsky

Position: Assistant Head Coach/Defensive Line Alma Mater: Minnesota State, 1994

Spence Nowinsky is in his third season as an assistant coach at Illinois State and is in his first season as the team's assistant head coach. Nowinsky works primarily with the team's defensive lineman.

Under Nowinsky's watch, Eric Brunner has matured into one of the best defensive lineman in the Missouri Valley Football Conference. In 2010, Brunner earned First Team All-MVFC honors at defensive tackle and led the Redbirds with four sacks and 9.5 tackles for loss. Nowinsky also helped redshirt freshman Shelby Harris improve throughout the season on way to earning a spot on the MVFC All-Newcomer Team.

In 2009, Nowinsky helped guide Brunner to a breakout season as a sophomore when he ranked fifth on the team with 47 tackles, including 23 solo stops, on way to being named a second-team All-MVFC selection. Brunner added 1.5 sacks, 7.0 tackles-for-loss and was credited with a team-high seven quarterback hurries on the year. Senior Doni Phelps also peaked in his final season by leading the team in tackles-for-loss (8.5) and sacks with seven.

The Redbird defensive line solidified late in the year and allowed just 69 yards per game on the ground in the last four contests on way to a 3-1 record. The unit also accounted for 33.5 tackles-for-loss and 19.5 of the team's 25 sacks on the season.
Nowinsky came to Illinois State following two years as the associate head coach and defensive line coach at NCAA Division II member Emporia State.

He had prior experience coaching at the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) level, including previous assistant coaching positions at Western Athletic Conference (WAC) member Idaho (2003) and Big Ten Conference school Wisconsin (1999-2002).
Prior to coaching at Emporia State, Nowinsky spent three seasons at his alma mater, Minnesota State, where he coached the defensive line during the 2004 and 2006 seasons. In 2005, Nowinsky coached the Mavericks' offensive line.

Nowinsky spent the 2003 season as a defensive line coach for Idaho. He began his collegiate coaching career as a defensive graduate assistant at Wisconsin from 1999-2002. The Badgers won the 2000 Rose Bowl with a 17-9 victory over Stanford.

Nowinsky was an assistant coach at Wittenberg-Birnamwood (Wis.) High School from 1997-99 and began his coaching career in 1995-97 as an assistant at Lake Crystal-Wellcome Memorial (Minn.) High School.

Nowinsky was a four-year letterwinner for Minnesota State from 1991-94 as a defensive lineman. He and his wife, Jen, reside in Bloomington, Ill., with their son, Tommy.

NOWINSKY COACHING FILE