David Elson has coached defensive players at Wake Forest and Purdue, and served seven seasons at Western Kentucky’s head coach.
Now, he’ll serve under Sycamore head coach Curt Mallory to guide the ISU defensive safeties. ISU announced Elson’s hiring on Monday.
Elson is the latest new addition to Mallory’s staff. He joins the previously announced John Bear (offensive coordinator/quarterbacks), Jalen Banks (running backs), Tito Overton (wide receivers), and Austin Flyger (defensive line).
Elson served two seasons at Wake Forest as the Deamon Deacons’ defensive analyst. He joined WFU after spending the two seasons at Purdue. He was a quality control coach in 2021 and was the Boilermakers linebackers coach in 2022. He comes to Indiana State with 31 years of coaching at the collegiate level.
During his 2022 season at Purdue, the Boilermakers turned over opponents 21 times, ranking 38th-best nationally while Purdue also ranked 12th nationally in defensive touchdowns, totaling three in 2022.
Elson also formerly served as head coach at Western Kentucky, where his Hilltopper teams posted a cumulative record of 39-43 from 2003 to 2009. In his first four seasons at WKU, the Hilltoppers competed in the Gateway Conference, as did Indiana State, and Western Kentucky finished among the league’s top four teams each year, making the NCAA Division I-AA playoffs twice. WKU moved up to the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision in his final three seasons there and compiled a 9-27 total record.
Elson spent the 2020 season as the defensive coordinator and inside linebackers coach at Marion University in Indianapolis.
Prior to his lone season at Marion, Elson spent three years (2017-19) at Ball State as the Cardinals’ defensive coordinator. BSU led the Mid-American Conference in interceptions (15) and turnovers gained (24) during his final season in Muncie. Both stats cracked the top 15 nationally.
Elson has served as the defensive coordinator at a number of stops during his coaching career, including: Western Illinois, Southern Illinois, New Mexico State and WKU. He also spent one season as a defensive quality control staffer at Indiana.
With Elson calling the defense throughout the 2002 season, Western Kentucky captured the Football Championship Subdivision National Championship. Two years later, he was a finalist for the 2004 Eddie Robinson National Coach of the Year Award as the Hilltoppers’ head coach.
Elson earned his master’s degree from Southern Illinois 1995 while serving as a graduate assistant in his first coaching job before joining the Western Kentucky staff as an assistant coach in the 1996 season.
He graduated from Butler in 1994 with this bachelor’s degree after being a three-year letter winner and two-year starter at safety. He helped the Bulldogs win their conference championship in 1991 and 1992 and advance to the NCAA Division II playoffs in 1992.
