Dirks Named New Aggie Men’s Golf Coach
LAS CRUCES, N.M. — New Mexico State Athletics Director Dr. McKinley Boston announced today that Mike Dirks has been hired as the new men?s golf coach for the Aggies.
?Mike Dirks has certainly had a history of coaching success at several schools including one of the premier programs in the country at the University of Houston,? Dr. Boston said. ?I am very excited that he has chosen to lead our golf program. The search committee was unanimous in support of Coach Dirks and all have pledged to help him with his transition and supporting the golf program.?
?I?m excited about the opportunity Dr. Boston has given me and I?m looking forward to be the next head men?s golf coach at New Mexico State,? Dirks said. ?I feel we have great tradition and a great golf program that is going in the right direction and hopefully I can help take this team to the next level and compete in an NCAA Championship. We?re going to be a team that from the time we get to the practice round till the time we finish the tournament we?re going to give it everything we got and focus on every shot at hand.?
Dirks, former head golf coach at Sam Houston State, Houston and Tulane, spent three years as associate head men’s golf coach at SMU, after joining the Mustang staff in January 2008.
In his first two seasons, Dirks helped guide freshman Kelly Kraft to PING All-Region honors, Conference USA Newcomer of the Year accolades and two All-C-USA selections. In 2009, Dirks led James Kwon to All-C-USA honors and an All-C-USA Freshman Team selection. In 2010, Dirks guided SMU to an NCAA Regional appearance, helping Kelly Kraft to All-C-USA honors and a PING Honorable Mention All-American honor.
Dirks arrived in Dallas after spending two-plus seasons directing the men’s and women’s programs at Sam Houston State. Under his tutelage, Sam Houston won the 2007 Southland Conference Women’s Golf Championship and his two squads combined to win 12 tournament titles overall. In addition, six Bearkat golfers earned All-Southland Conference honors a total of eight times and, in 2007, he had golfers named SLC Newcomer of the Year and Freshman of the Year.
Prior to taking over the Bearkat golf program, Dirks served as Director of Eagle Golf Instruction in Friendswood, Texas, from 2003 to 2005. He was head men’s golf coach at Houston from 1994 to 2003 and at Tulane from 1990 to 1994.
In 2005, Dirks was named Conference USA Men’s Golf Coach of the Decade. He was a three-time C-USA Coach of the Year (1997, 1998, 1999) who produced 10 All-Americans, four league individual medalists, 14 first-team All-Conference USA selections, three C-USA Freshmen of the Year and the 2003 NCAA Central Regional individual medalist. Dirks also coached six C-USA Commissioner’s Academic Medal recipients and nine members of the C-USA Commissioner’s Honor Roll.
Houston won the Conference USA men’s team championship in 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, and 2001, and was NCAA Central Regional champion in 1997. Dirks was named the NCAA District VI Men’s Golf Coach of the Year in 1998 and 1999 and was selected to coach the USA Junior National Golf Team in Japan in 2001.
At Tulane, Dirks was named Metro Conference Coach of the Year in 1994, and in 1986, he directed Lamar to a seventh-place finish at the NCAA Championships.
A Fort Worth, Texas, native, Dirks was a four-year golf letterman at Lamar from 1982 to 1985. He won the Southland Conference Championship in 1982 and received both all-conference and honorable mention All-America honors.
Dirks has served as an officer for the Golf Coaches Association of America, a member of the NCAA District VI Advisory Committee and All-America Scholar Selection Committee and conducted the 1995 NCAA Central Regional Championship.
Dirks received his bachelor’s degree in business administration from Lamar in 1985. Dirks and his wife, Laurie, have three children David, Ben and Emilie.
Dr. Boston and the athletics department would like to thank the following individuals for serving on the search committee: Pat Gavin, Mickey Klute, Larry Beem, Joe Bullock, Van Bullock, Larry Lujan, Dan Koesters, Steve Macy and Maria Roth.
Source: NMSU Athletics
