ST. PAUL, Minn. – Concordia-St. Paul Director of Athletics Regan McAthie has announced that Joshua Schumacher has been named the next head coach of Concordia football.
 
The 11^th head coach of Concordia football, Schumacher most recently served as the associate head coach and special teams coordinator at Saginaw Valley State University (Mich.), where he also coached the linebackers for a Cardinals squad that produced a 6-5 overall season and a 5-2 record in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Conference (GLIAC).
 
Prior to his season at SVSU, Schumacher had an impressive eight-year run as the head coach at Concordia University Ann Arbor (Mich.), leading the Cardinals to a 59-25 record, including a pair of MSFA Mideast League championships and five NAIA playoff appearances.
 
He has deep ties to the Concordia University System (CUS), earning his degree from Concordia University Chicago in 2007 before securing his master's degree from Concordia University Irvine (Calif.) in 2012.
 
"Coach Schumacher rose to the top of our deep pool of applicants thanks to his unique combination of proven past success and institutional fit," said McAthie. "I am confident he has the tools to help our student-athletes succeed both on and off the field and am excited to watch him usher in the next era of CSP football."
 
Schumacher built the CUAA Cardinals into a power during his time in Ann Arbor, as the Cardinals were ranked as high as sixth in the country during three different seasons (2018, 2020, 2021) including back-to-back league titles in 2020 and 2021 when he was named the AFCA Regional Coach of the Year in each of those championship runs.
 
"I am excited to serve at Concordia-St. Paul. My belief in CSP is rooted in its foundation of Christ and the clear teaching of the Gospel. I am motivated by the University's remarkable growth and its commitment to student success," said Coach Schumacher. "My goal is to build a football program defined by relationships that extend far beyond the stripes. I believe these connections will grow roots through a culture of accountability and shared success. We will recruit men who are dedicated to building something greater than themselves and who are eager to make a lasting impact on their community. Our goals will be honorable, and we will be relentless in pursuit of them."
 
The author of six winning seasons among his eight leading the CUAA program, Schumacher never had his squads dip below five wins, with one of those seasons being the final football season in CUAA's history as the institution halted its athletic programs following the 2024-25 academic year.
 
He was named MSFA Mid-East Coach of the Year twice, the first following his 2017 debut head coaching season as well as the 2020 COVID-shortened campaign.
 
The CUAA Cardinals made five consecutive NAIA playoff runs, including three trips to the national quarterfinals (2018, 2020, 2021), and the program was ranked in the top-15 in the NAIA in six of his eight seasons.
 
A well-connected coach, Schumacher served as the second Vice President of the NAIA Football Coaches Association, was a 2019 AFCA 35 Under 35 honoree and served two years on the AFCA All-America Committee (2022, 2023).
 
During his eight seasons as head coach, Schumacher recruited and developed 14 NAIA All-Americans, six Academic All-Americans and four MSFA Mideast Players of the Year.
 
He was originally brought to Concordia Ann Arbor in 2013 as the defensive coordinator, serving in that capacity under former head coach and athletic director Lonnie Pries through the 2016 season, when Pries stepped away from the sidelines to focus on his administrative role at CUAA, promoting Schumacher to the head coaching position immediately following the 2016 season.
 
Pries was the head coach of Concordia Chicago's football program during Schumacher's senior season through 2012, when he took the CUAA position and hired Schumacher as defensive coordinator.
 
Schumacher and Pries coached together from 2013-16, inheriting a young program that competed in official contests starting with the 2011 season, going 0-21 prior to their arrival. The duo helped the program win its first game in 2013, then increased to three wins in 2014, five wins including their first two conference wins in 2015 and the program's first-ever winning season (7-4) in 2016 with a 4-2 conference finish.
 
His coaching career began at the prep ranks as defensive coordinator for five seasons at Faith Lutheran High School in Las Vegas, Nevada from 2008-12, where he also taught math.
 
Rooted in the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod (LCMS), Schumacher was a four-year letterwinner and a team captain for Concordia Chicago, compiling 142 tackles, 15.0 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, three forced fumbles and a blocked kick in 35 games.
 
He earned his undergraduate degree in physical education and mathematics, while his graduate degree is in coaching and athletic administration.
 
The son of a Lutheran pastor and school teacher, Joshua is a graduate of Bristol Eastern High School in Connecticut. Joshua and his wife, Laura, have four children: Griffin, Gordon, Hadley and Lainey.