Jerry Wagner
Head CoachÂ
7th Season
Jerry Wagner returns for his seventh season as head coach of the Skylight Volleyball Program. He came to MSU-Northern from the University of Texas at El Paso, where he served as an assistant coach for three years (2016-2018).
At UTEP, Wagner was responsible for middle blockers and recruitment, and had a huge role in the growth of many players on this team. He was instrumental in the development of players who saw their stat sheets soar, and worked with players who went on to receive accolades such as Conference USA Defensive Player of the Week.
Before his stint at UTEP, Wagner served as the head coach at the University of Montana for nine seasons (2006-2014). During his tenure with the Grizzlies, Wagner compiled a 102-147 record, including a 74-78 mark in Big Sky Conference action. He coached 46 All-Academic All-Big Sky Conference selections and his teams posted a 3.0 GPA or better every semester. Many players earned All-Big Sky Conference honors under Wagner, and in 13 of his 16 seasons, his teams managed a GPA of 3.2 or above. With his strong emphasis on education, he guided three of his teams to earn the AVCA Team Academic Awards.
Prior to Montana, Wagner was an assistant coach at Gonzaga for the 2005 season. The Bulldogs finished the season with a 10-21 record, a six-win improvement from the 2004 season.
Before taking the Gonzaga job, he served as an assistant coach for four years (1999-2002) and associate head coach for two (2003-2004) at Montana State. In six seasons at Montana State, Wagner coached teams that went 117-54 (.684). He landed some of the best recruiting classes in the Northwest, including the Big Sky Conference Freshman of the Year in 2000 and 2001 and the Big Sky Newcomer of the Year in 2002.
Prior to working at Montana State, Wagner spent eight years (1991-1999) at Oregon State beginning his stint with the Beavers under former Montana State head coach Dave Gantt in 1991. While at OSU, he helped guide the Beavers to 125 wins, including back-to-back trips to the National Invitational Volleyball Championships in 1993 and 1994.
Wagner joined the OSU staff after serving as assistant coach at the University of Montana from 1988 to 1991. In his three seasons at Montana, the Grizzlies registered a 61-27 record, including a 37-11 mark in the Big Sky Conference. Wagner helped the Grizzlies to two 20-win seasons and the program’s first NCAA tournament appearance in 1990.
In addition to his experience as assistant coach, Wagner also worked as the head coach at Montana State University-Northern in 1987 and was head coach at Havre High School from 1984-1987. He guided MSU-Northern to a third-place finish in the Frontier Conference in 1987.
After six seasons here at MSU-Northern, Wagner is on track to return a highly talented & competitive squad to the floor this season. The 2021 Skylights Volleyball Team produced the first winning season since 2013, ending the year with a 15-13 record overall along with several other notable achievements. Last year’s 2024-25 team had six team members awarded Frontier Conference Volleyball Academic All-Conference accolades and had four players receiving the NAIA Daktronics Scholar-Athlete Award. Last season, Alana Graves was chosen for unprecedented fourth straight time to the Frontier Conference First Team All-Conference.  Emily Bird was chosen to the Frontier Conference All Freshmen Team. Macee Murphy was named the Skylights 2024 Frontier Conference Champion of Character.  Macee Murphy was also chosen to the 2024 Frontier Conference Second Team All-Conference.   Alana Graves for the second straight year was also elected to the Honorable Mention AVCA All-Region Team for the All-Northwest Region.
Wagner received his degree in health and physical education from Northern Montana College in 1986. He has earned Level I and II USA Coaching Accreditation Program (CAP) certificates, as well as a Level I American Coaching Effectiveness Program (ACEP) certificate.
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