Luke Bengtson is entering his first season as Wide Receivers Coach and Special Teams Coordinator at Fairmont State University after joining the staff in the spring of 2017.
Prior to arriving in Fairmont, Bengtson was in charge of quarterbacks and wide receivers and was the Recruiting Coordinator at Greensboro College in North Carolina during the 2016 season.
In 2015, Bengtson was an assistant coach on the offensive side of the ball at Dowling Catholic working primarily with Wide Receivers and Tight Ends. The 2015 Dowling Catholic Maroons were the Iowa Large Class (4A) State Champions with an undefeated 13-0 record. Seven players were named First Team All-State from the 2015 state championship team as the offense led the state in scoring at 44 points per game.
In 2014, Bengtson was a member of the Arkansas Razorbacks under head coach Bret Bielema and offensive coordinator Jim Chaney. His role was Offensive Quality Control/Assistant Tight Ends Coach. His tenure at Arkansas was highlighted by wins over LSU, Ole Miss at home and Texas 31-7 in the “Texas Bowl” in Houston. Seven players from that Arkansas team went on to the NFL, including tight end AJ Derby, who was drafted by the New England Patriots. He also coached the Mackey Award Winner, Hunter Henry, as the nation’s best tight end.
In 2012, he was a member of the UConn football program as a graduate assistant coach under Paul Pasqualoni. He was the Assistant Offensive Line Coach as well as assisted the offensive coordinator, George De Leone, with day to day duties of the overall offense. The highlight of the season 2012 season was a win over Louisville and having eight players sign NFL contracts, including 5 draft picks that season.
Bengtson began his coaching career at Central Missouri under head coach, Jim Svoboda in 2010-2011, working with the running backs as a graduate assistant coach. Central Missouri had their best season in school history in 2010, finishing 11-3 with a top 5 national ranking. He coached two running backs that signed professional contracts while at Central Missouri.
In 2004 and 2005, Bengtson played wide receiver at Northwest Missouri State and was a member of the 2005 team that advanced to the NCAA Division II Championship Game.
He finished his playing career at St. Cloud State (Minn.), playing in 2006 and 2007 before becoming a student assistant coach for the 2008 and 2009 seasons. He coached both the wide receivers and offensive line, as well as worked with special teams.
He has worked under some of the best minds in football including Bret Bielema, Jim Chaney, Sam Pittman, Don Brown, Paul Pasqualoni, George DeLeone, Jim Svoboda, Shane Day, and many others.
A native of Des Moines, Iowa, Bengtson attended Johnston High School where he was an award-winning football and basketball player. A two-time all-state wide receiver, he set the state record for catches in a game and holds multiple conference and school receiving marks. He also helped the squad to the state playoffs for the first time in school history. On the basketball court, he was a multiple-time all-conference performer and led the team to the state tournament.
Bengtson earned his bachelor's degree in physical education from St. Cloud State and a master's degree in sports business and athletic administration from Central Missouri with a 3.74 grade-point average.
