Dan Hipsher, an 18-year collegiate head coaching veteran with over 250 victories as a head coach, enters his second season as a special advisor to Drew Valentine in 2022-23. Prior to his arrival at Loyola, Hipsher spent three seasons as the associate head coach at Oakland University before retiring in 2019.
“This is a home-run hire for our program,” Valentine said. “I was fortunate to spend a season coaching with Coach Hip and I learned so many valuable lessons about this profession in my short time alongside him. He will help me tremendously as I make this transition. Coach Hip has accomplished so much and has worn so many hats throughout his coaching career that his perspective will be critical not only for me, but for my staff as well. We are very lucky to have him and his wonderful wife, Sue, on board.”
Hipsher has served as the head coach at four different institutions, three of which were at the NCAA Division I level, during his career. A long-time assistant under Don Donoher at the University of Dayton, Hipsher also had stints as an assistant at the University of Arkansas, University of South Florida and University of Alabama, in addition to being the head coach at Wittenberg University, Stetson University, the University of Akron, and University of Texas Rio Grande Valley.
During the 2022-23 campaign, Hipsher helped Loyola to its second straight NCAA Tournament appearance and a 25-8 overall record. The Ramblers earned the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament by capturing the Missouri Valley Conference Championship crown. Hipsher’s work played a role in Loyola earning an Associated Press Top 25 Poll ranking in January and Lucas Williamson collected MVC Defensive Player of the Year and First Team All-MVC accolades.
At Wittenberg, Hipsher guided the Tigers to three NCAA Division III Tournament appearances in four years, including a trip to the Elite 8 and won 23 or more games three times, while winning at least a share of the North Coast Athletic Conference regular-season title in each of his four seasons. Under Hipsher’s leadership, Wittenberg posted a 97-18 (.843) overall record including a 50-6 (.893) mark in league play and he was tabbed NCAC Coach of the Year in 1990.
In two seasons as the head coach at Stetson, Hipsher steered the Hatters to finishes of third place or better and was named Atlantic Sun Conference Coach of the Year in 1995 after piloting the program to an 11-5 league record.
Hipsher spent nine seasons as the head coach at Akron, and in 1997-98, took the Zips to a first-place finish in the Mid-American Conference East Division, finishing with a 13-5 league slate. Over a three-year period from 1997-98 through 1999-2000, Akron went 36-18 in MAC play under HIpsher.
He spent six seasons as an assistant coach in the Southeastern Conference, including four as the associate head coach at Alabama under Anthony Grant, helping lead the Crimson Tide to a NCAA Tournament berth in 2012 in addition to a pair of National Invitation Tournament appearances, including a runner-up finish in 2011. During his two years on the staff as an assistant at Arkansas, the Razorbacks collected NCAA Tournament berths each year.
HIpsher graduated from Bowling Green State University in 1977 with a bachelor’s degree in chemistry and biology and was a two-time team captain and Academic All-American for the Falcons.
