Former Monmouth College offensive lineman Joe Freitag, an all-region selection in 2006 and a three-time all-conference performer, will be returning home to fill the dual roles of offensive coordinator and offensive line coach. The No. 1 choice for head coach Chad Braun spent the last three seasons in suburban Chicago filling the same duties for Benedictine University after a two-year stint at Augsburg College in Minneapolis as the offensive line and special teams coach.

      "This is really a special opportunity to come back to my college home," said Freitag. "My wife is also a graduate of Monmouth College so it was really a family decision. I've always had a special relationship with Coach Braun, and it's really a dream come true for my wife and for me to return to Monmouth and be coaching alongside Coach Braun. I'd be remiss if I didn't thank the College's Athletic Director, Roger Haynes and President Clarence Wyatt for giving me this tremendous opportunity."      

      Freitag embraced the Scots' no-huddle up tempo style as a player and is eager to make good on Braun's promise to continue that style of play. After running the slower huddle offense at his two previous stops, Freitag is anxious to get back to what he knows best – the Scots' no-huddle. That made him the perfect fit for Braun.

      "Joe is a great leader, person and coach," said Braun, who recruited Freitag out of Sacred Heart-Griffin High School more than 10 years ago. "He's got all the components I was looking for. He was definitely my top target when it came to hiring a staff. We've had a great relationship from the recruiting process, through college and then in his career. We're extremely lucky to land such a great individual with a great football mind."

      Fighting Scots fans will remember Freitag as an agile offensive tackle who helped the Scots to an undefeated regular season in 2005, securing their first conference title since sharing the league crown with Cornell and Knox in 1976. During Freitag's four-year playing career, the Scots posted a record of 34-7. 

      With Freitag in the trenches, Monmouth established itself as an offensive juggernaut. The Scots averaged more than 32 points per game in three of his four seasons and, in 2006, the offensive line allowed just nine sacks, which ranks as the program's third best all-time mark.

     Freitag broke the mold at Monmouth, showing versatility on and off the field by taking his talents to the performing arts. At 6-foot-4 and 270 pounds, Freitag didn't fit the profile of what most would imagine as a concert violinist. As a member of the college's String Ensemble, Freitag battled gridiron injuries to keep playing on the field and in the concert hall, an experience that makes him well aware of the challenges student-athletes face.

      "It has posed some challenges," said Freitag, who also is adept at mandolin and guitar, in a 2007 interview for the college's alumni magazine. "I get more small injuries because I play on the offensive line. Hand injuries are the worst for playing a stringed instrument, but I will enjoy playing violin the rest of my life."

      Freitag, who earned his undergraduate degree in history from Monmouth in 2007 and his master's degree from Coe two years later, will reside in Monmouth with his wife, Amy, who is also a 2007 Monmouth graduate.