Carthage College Athletics

Dustin Hass begins his sixth season as Carthage's head football coach in 2023-24 after serving as an assistant coach with the program for five seasons.

In his career, Hass has led Carthage to a 16-26 record overall and a 16-23 record in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin. His four wins in 2018 were the most by a first-year Carthage head coach since Ben Wagner went 4-5 in 1983.

Hass came to Carthage in 2013 as a special teams coordinator and defensive backs coach. In 2014, he was elevated to defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach, a position he held through the 2017 season.

Before being named head coach in 2018, Hass spent the previous five seasons transforming Carthage into a premier defense, which culminated with national top-25 rankings in 2017 across 10 statistical categories. His defensive backs carried that load, with 24 intercepted passes, which ranked fourth among NCAA Division III programs.

The 2017 defense was ranked seventh nationally in defensive touchdowns (5), eighth in first-down defense (138), 11th in total defense (258.9), 12th in third-down conversion percentage (.267), 21st in fourth-down conversion percentage (.286), 21st in rushing defense (91.6), 21st in team passing efficiency (101.00) and 23rd in turnovers gained (27). Carthage paced the CCIW in four of those categories, including intercepted passes, defensive touchdowns, first down defense, and turnovers gained.

Hass was instrumental in Carthage's 1.60 turnover margin, which landed them a 2017 NCAA Division III statistical national championship. Their defense also posted back-to-back shutouts for the first time since 1969, also marking the first time since 1921 that a Carthage team accomplished that feat to open a season.

Carthage collected 17 defensive All-CCIW selections over Hass's four-season tenure as defensive coordinator, six of those defensive backs. He was vital in the football program's turnaround as they went from 1-9 in 2013, 3-7 in 2014, 5-5 in 2015, to 7-3 in both 2016 and 2017.

Hass began his coaching career at Indiana University as a graduate assistant coach in 2010 and 2011 before moving on to the College of Wooster, where he served as an assistant coach for both football and track & field in 2012-13.

A native of Oconto, Wis., Hass attended Indiana and lettered on the 2007 and 2008 Hoosier football teams as a quarterback. He helped the 2007 Hoosiers register a 7-6 record, which secured them a spot in the Insight Bowl against Oklahoma State.

Hass graduated from Indiana in 2008 with a bachelor’s degree in outdoor recreation and resource management. He received his master’s degree in kinesiology, also from Indiana, in 2011.
 
Hass and his wife, Jenna, live in Kenosha with their three children Tyler, Tessa, and Caleb.