UC Davis Athletics

He has taken his family on vacation to Machu Picchu in Peru. Most recently put on a football clinic in Quito, Ecuador. He taught science, jumped out of airplanes, and coached football in 20 different countries. For Dan Hawkins, who was introduced as football's new head coach on November 28, 2016, those aren’t simply items to cross off a bucket list, they have been opportunities to learn. It’s that thirst for learning, and application of that knowledge, that brought Hawkins, a 1984 UC Davis alumnus who played and coached with legendary head coach Jim Sochor, back to his alma mater. 

By incorporating the program’s core principles of uncommon engineering, quality balance of life and excellence with class, the Aggies thrived both on and off the field, and built the foundation for the program’s #AGScension since he returned home. The 2018 campaign, Hawkins' second as head coach and 100th in the history of the program, was a historic campaign that no UC Davis football fan will ever forget. 

What started with the program's third victory over a FBS program, in its season opener, continued with a Division I program-record six-game win streak, and undefeated home record, 10 overall and seven league victories — both new program records — and ended with multiple new milestones.

By defeating Sacramento State, 56-13, in this year's rivalry game, UC Davis clinched its inaugural Big Sky Championship. The next day, the Aggies officially earned a First Round bye in the first FCS playoff appearance in program history, thanks to its No. 6 playoff seed, hosted its first-ever FCS playoff game two weeks later and recorded the program's first FCS postseason victory with its 23-16 result versus Northern Iowa.

By leading the Aggies to their most successful season at the Division I level, Big Sky officials bestowed Coach of the Year honors to Hawkins. Following UC Davis' playoff run, Hawkins became UC Davis' inaugural recipient of the Eddie Robinson Award, presented to the top head coach in the NCAA's Division I Football Championship Subdivision. 

In addition to excelling inside the classroom at the fifth-ranked public school in the nation, football student-athletes also set a new precedent in the program's history: By moving spring practices to middle of the winter quarter, student-athletes can participate in internships, community service projects, or study abroad — opportunities available to students on campus that are unheard of within a football program at any level across the nation. Thanks to the integration of Hawkins' core principals, new football alums are now pursuing graduate degrees abroad — an uncommon opportunity for any UC Davis student.

Within two seasons, Hawkins successfully created a culture focused on providing a well-rounded college experience that combines elite academics with the opportunity to compete at the highest level of college athletics.

During Hawkins’ first year at UC Davis, his team set 46 new Big Sky era records, faced more ranked teams (or teams receiving votes) since joining the league, won five games against Division I competition— equal to the combined total from the previous three seasons, — and collected five Big Sky Player of the Week awards, matching the total from the last four years combined.

For the first time in program history, UC Davis also ended the season as the Big Sky's No. 1 offense. 

Under Hawkins’ tutelage, the Aggies earned 10 All-Big Sky awards, including two of the league’s top honors: wide receiver Keelan Doss was named offensive player of the year and quarterback Jake Maier was named the conference’s newcomer of the year. 

In addition to its on-field success, UC Davis football posted the highest APR — a team-based metric that holds institutions accountable for the academic progress of their student-athletes — of any Big Sky program for the fifth straight year when the NCAA released its annual report. 

The Aggies returned to the FCS postseason for the second time in school history after navigating two years of the COVID-19 pandemic.

UC Davis finished 8-4 overall in 2021 to earn an at-large bid in the FCS Playoffs and finish the season ranked No. 17 in the STATS Perform poll and No. 16 by the AFCA Coaches.

Twelve Aggies garnered All-Big Sky Conference honors while Daniel Whelan capped off his record-breaking punting career on the STATS Perform and Hero Sports All-America squads.

Two new UC Davis Health Stadium records were broken during the 2021 football season, hitting a high of 12,315 against Sacramento State with an average of over 11,000 in attendance across the five home games.

Coach Hawkins was rewarded for his efforts, inking a contract extension through the 2027 season.

The Ags continued their winning ways by going 6-5 in 2022, their third straight winning season and fourth in the past five years. 

UC Davis student-athletes were recognized with 11 All-American accolades and 15 All-Big Sky honors.

Hawkins, who also served as a college football studio analyst at ESPN in recent seasons, brings a unique depth of experience and innovative offensive approach back to his alma mater. During his career, Hawkins built Boise State to elite status on the college football landscape and coached in the Big XII at the University of Colorado.

"We are very excited to welcome Dan Hawkins back to UC Davis to lead an exciting new era of football at his alma mater. Dan is a highly experienced head football coach who possesses in-depth expertise about what it takes to be successful in the modern era of Division I college football," said Blue. 

"Dan demonstrates an uncommon intellectual curiosity and shares our earnest commitment to the scholar-athlete ideal. His understanding of our successful football history, combined with his knowledge and experience in contemporary college football, makes him the ideal coach to move our program forward," Blue added.

Hawkins, the 17th head coach in the program’s history, is married to the former Misti Rae Ann Hokanson.


Head Coach Dan Hawkins

• Played fullback for legendary UC Davis head coach Jim Sochor from 1981-82
• Member of the 1982 football team that advanced to the NCAA Division II Championship after winning the 12th of 20 consecutive conference titles
• First-generation college student
• Served as an assistant coach for his mentor, Sochor, from 1983-85
• Graduated from UC Davis in 1984 with a bachelor’s degree in physical education
• Earned a master’s degree in educational administration from Saint Mary’s (Calif.) College in 1993
• First college head coaching opportunity took place at Willamette University
• That football program, one that enjoyed just three winning seasons in the eight prior to Hawkins’ arrival, posted a combined 39-12-1 mark during his tenure (1993-97)
• Included in that winning overall record is a pair of 5-0 conference records, a 13-1 overall record and NAIA national runner-up finish in 1997
• Turned Boise State from a "school with the blue football turf" into a perennial national power as its head coach from 2001-05
• During the Hawkins era, the Broncos posted a 56-11 overall record, which included a 37-3 record and 31-game win streak in the Western Athletic Conference
• Boise State led the country in scoring (45.6) and total offense (501.5) in 2002
• Hawkins coached 20 All-WAC first-team selections, three All-Americans, and 10 players that played in the NFL
• Coach Hawkins led the Broncos to four WAC titles, collected Coach of the Year honors in 2002 and ’04, and ended the 2004 season as a finalist for the Paul "Bear" Bryant College Football Coach of the Year Award
• Took over a rebuilding Colorado (2006-10) program and gained invaluable experience during his tenure with the Big XII Conference
• Remained within the collegiate ranks after Colorado and served as a studio analyst at ESPN before returning to UC Davis
• Also coached at Christian Brothers High School (1986-87) in Sacramento, College of the Siskiyous (1988-91) and Sonoma State (1992)
• Led the U.S. National Football Team to a gold medal at the 2015 IFAF World Championship