Recruiting Areas: Iowa
Matt Bacoulis joined the Augustana coaching staff in 2013 after spending the previous three seasons at St. Olaf with head coach Jerry Olszewski. Bacoulis is the run-game coordinator, offensive line coach and video coordinator.
In 2022, he saw Blake Larson garner several postseason accolades including D2Football Elite 100, Don Hansen All-America honorable mention and D2CCA All-Region honors.
After the canceled 2020 season, Bacoulis' offensive line had a stellar 2021 enroute to winning the NSIC Championship. The offensive line did not allow a sack for more than half the season and ended the year ranked 10th in the nation with less than a sack allowed per game. The offensive line protected an offense that ranked eighth in the nation with 467.1 yards per game. In addition, Trevor Burkhart and Blake Larson each earned First Team South Division All-NSIC honors.
Bacoulis mentored Jake Lacina, an undrafted signee to the Minnesota Vikings, to the Rimington Award Trophy in 2019, given to the nation’s top center. Lacina earned First Team All-America honors from the AFCA while also claiming first-team all-NSIC accolades.
The 2019 season saw Augustana record a 9-3 mark and advance to the NCAA Division II Playoffs. The nine wins tied a school record for wins in a season. Head coach Jerry Olszewski was named the NSIC Coach of the Year as the Vikings finished the year with a 6-0 mark inside Kirkeby-Over Stadium.
In 2018, Bacoulis saw Cody Rofshus and Lacina earn all-NSIC South Division honors. Lacina and Rofshus anchored a dominant offensive line that led the NSIC with just nine sacks allowed all season. Lacina went on to earn third-team honors on the Don Hansen All-Super Region Four team.
Under Bacoulis’ tutelage, lineman Sam Lee earned a pair of All-America accolades in 2017 along with first-team all-NSIC South Division honors. After Lee’s dominant season, he went on to earn a contract with the Birmingham Iron of the Alliance of American Football in 2019.
The Bacoulis-led offensive line paved the way for another record-breaking season in 2016. Augustana set single-season records each of the last three seasons, starting in 2014 with 5,124 yards of total offense, before 5,527 yards of total offense in 2015 and raising the bar even higher with 5,617 yards in 2016.
Behind the arm of 2016 Harlon Hill Finalist and two-time NSIC Offensive Player of the Year, Trey Heid, Augustana set single-season records for passing yards with 3,603 in 2015 before he raised it to 3,786 yards in 2016. The Vikings scored 65 total touchdowns in 2016, a new single-season record after putting up 64 touchdowns in 2015.
Bacoulis has coached numerous players to all-conference honors during his time at Augustana, including Brian Long, who was a first-team selection in 2015 before being named to the Don Hansen All-Region and All-America teams. Chris Mathieu anchored the right tackle position for four seasons under Bacoulis and ended his career as a three-time All-NSIC selection. Kyle Griffin started 35 consecutive games at left tackle for Augustana from 2014-16 and earned All-NSIC Honorable Mention honors in 2015 before being named to the Second Team as a senior in 2016.
Augustana had the fourth-best passing offense in the country in 2016, averaging 344.2 yards per game. The Vikings finished the year ranked eighth nationally averaging 510.6 yards per game and senior quarterback Trey Heid led the country in total offense (391.2 yards per game) and finished second with 41 touchdown passes.
Augustana finished the 2015 season ranked first in the country with a 172.3 passing efficiency rating. The Vikings ranked 28th in the country averaging 460.6 yards per game and 17th in passing offense. The offensive line paved the way to a 49.3 percent conversion rate on third down, which ranked ninth in the country.
Long was also named All-Region by Don Hansen Football Gazette and the Conference Commissioners Association before being named to the Don Hansen Football Gazette All-American Honorable Mention team. Long started all 12 games in 2015, finishing his career with 45 consecutive starts on the offensive line. Long started every game of his career at Augustana.
Bacoulis tutored two All-NSIC Second Team selections in 2014, Chris Mathieu and Long. The Viking offense took off in a big way behind the young but experienced front five. Augustana’s offense set a single-season record in 2014 with 5,124 yards of total offense. The Vikings finished the season ranking fourth in the NSIC and 27th in the country averaging 465.8 yards of total offense per game. Augustana ranked seventh in the NSIC with 175.9 rushing yards per game while ranking third in the league and 28th in Division II with 289.9 passing yards per contest. The offensive line helped pave the way to 34.5 points per game which ranked sixth in the NSIC and 45th in the nation. Augustana had seven individual 100-yard performances last season, including six games with a 100-yard rusher.
In 2013, Augustana averaged 292.1 yards of total offense, including 112.4 rushing yards and 179.7 passing yards per game. The Vikings had three players with 300-plus rushing yards, including Dajon Newell’s team-high 530 yards on the ground. CJ Ham also ran for 387 yards and four touchdowns while quarterback Trey Heid rushed for 339 yards and five touchdowns.
In each of his first two seasons at St. Olaf, the Oles’ offensive line provided the openings for a 1,000-yard rusher. The top rusher in 2012 finished with 990 yards. During his tenure with the Oles, Bacoulis mentored five All-Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference offensive linemen. In 2011, the Oles accumulated 3,842 yards of total offense, eighth-best in the program’s history. The Oles were 8-2 in 2011, one win shy of the school single-season record. During Bacoulis’ stint, the Oles posted an overall record of 21-9.
Bacoulis played for the University at Buffalo, a member of the NCAA Division I Mid-American Conference. For the first four games of his senior season, Bacoulis was the Bulls’ starting center. He was a four-time letter winner and suffered a season-ending injury during his senior year.
He majored in communication at Buffalo and graduated in 2010 before earning his Master's Degree in coaching and athletic administration from Concordia University Irvine.
Bacoulis resides in Sioux Falls with his wife, Ashley, their sons, Brayden and Colin, and daughter Addison.
