Phil Ockinga was hired as Blugold Football's Offensive Coordinator in April of 2026.
Ockinga comes to Eau Claire after spending four seasons as the head coach and offensive coordinator at Peru State College. During his time with Bobcats, Peru State saw a shift in competitiveness as Ockinga held an overall record of 24-19.
In addition to his time at Peru State, Ockinga holds more than 20 years of coaching experience with experience ranging from NAIA all the way up to NCAA DI FBS. Prior to Peru State, Phil spent five seasons with the University of South Dakota where he originally served as the Running Backs Coach/Special Teams Coordinator in 2016 before he moved up to Assistant Head Coach/Recruiting Coordinator/Wide Receivers Coach from 2019-2021. The Coyotes made the 2021 FCS playoffs for the second time in school history.
Before South Dakota, Ockinga held positions at Western Illinois and Hutchinison Community College where he helped the Leathernecks to the second round of the FCS playoffs and coached one of the top teams in the Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference with the Blue Dragons.
Ockinga’s stint at the FBS level was at Florida International from 2009-2012. He coached the defensive ends in 2009 as a graduate assistant. In 2010 he coached the defensive backs as a graduate assistant. Ockinga helped the Panthers to their first bowl game, winning the Little Caesars Pizza Bowl over Toledo. They were the number one in total defense, scoring defense and passing efficiency in the Sun Belt Conference.
During his years of coaching, Phil has coached 15 players in the NFL most notably Alvin Kamara.
Ockinga earned his bachelor's degree in physical education from Hastings College after transferring from the University of Wyoming where he began his career as a football player. In addition to his bachelor's degree, Ockinga earned his master's in health and human performance from Fort Hays State.
Ockinga resides in Eau Claire with his wife Kelsie and their four children – Miles, Blaise, Claire, and Ellie.
