Mark Blackburn begins his sixth season on the Augustana coaching staff in 2010. He will continue to coach the linebackers this season after working with the safeties in 2006.
Blackburn is no stranger to Sioux Falls or football in the upper Midwest. He was a two-time All-North Central Conference first team selection at linebacker and safety at the University of South Dakota. He was second on the team in tackles as a junior in 2000 and led the Coyotes in tackles as a senior in 2001.
Blackburn played his first two years of college football at Mount San Antonio College and Riverside Community College in California. At Riverside, he led the team in tackles and was second in interceptions en route to earning All-Mission Conference honors.
Blackburn has continued his playing career as a member of the Sioux Falls Storm of the Indoor Football League (IFL) (formerly United Indoor Football). He has played seven seasons with the Storm and is the franchise’s all-time leading tackler. A team captain and All-UIF selection, Blackburn helped the Storm have the top-ranked defense in the UIF in 2006 and was a key figure in the team winning a professional sports record 40-straight games and four-straight United Bowl championships.
Blackburn, a Los Angeles native, earned a bachelor’s degree in education from South Dakota in 2003. He most recently earned his master’s in education from Augustana in 2008.
Blackburn and his wife Nicole live in Sioux Falls.
