1st Year as Assistant Football Coach – Defensive Coordinator/Linebackers Coach
Hometown: Farmington, Michigan
College(s): University of Wisconsin-Whitewater
Steve McCollom enters his first season on the coaching staff for Dodge City football, serving as Defensive Coordinator and linebackers coach. He joined the coaching staff following the 2025 season in November.
McCollom with six years of experience in the Jayhawk Conference, serving as the Defensive Coordinator the past two years at Garden City Community College, and before that spent four seasons at Independence Community College serving primarily as the Defensive Coordinator.
During his two seasons at Garden City, he helped the Broncbusters have a top defense in the KJCCC. He served as Associate Head Coach and Defensive Coordinator, working with linebackers, while also overseeing strength and conditioning. In 2025, he guided Garden City to have the second-best scoring defense in the KJCCC at 19.2 points per game, while leading the KJCCC in interceptions and defensive touchdowns, and leading the NJCAA in interceptions and ranking ninth in sacks and ppg. During the 2024 season, Garden City had the top passing defense in the KJCCC (161.8 YPG) and led the conference in fumble recoveries. During his two seasons in Garden City, he had 13 players on the defense earn All-KJCCC honors.
While coaching at Independence CC as the Defensive Coordinator in 2021, his defense was #2 in points against, total yards, fumble recoveries, and #5 in passing/rushing yards in the NJCAA. In 2022, they were #1 in total yards, #2 in pass defense, and #3 in points against the KJCCC. In 2020 (Covid Spring 2021), they were #1 in fumble recoveries, defensive touchdowns, and #2 in sacks in the KJCCC. Independence CC won a share of the KJCCC in 2021 & in 2019 won a KJCCC championship.
Before coming to the KJCCC, McCollom was at the Division-I level with stops at The University at Buffalo and The University of Toledo. In 2018, he won a MAC East championship at Buffalo. In 2017, he won a MAC Championship at the University of Toledo and the Boca Raton Bowl Game Championship in 2015. He also spent time at Glenville State College and Wayne State University, working primarily with defensive backs during both stops.
As a player, he won Back-to-Back NCAA DIII National Championships at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, while also winning one as a student assistant coach. He played safety and back-up quarterback on Division III national championship teams in 2009 and 2010. He had an interception, fumble recovery and forced fumble in the 2010 national championship game. He served as a student assistant coach on Whitewater’s 2011 national championship team, then returned as a player for his senior season in 2012.
McCollom is married to his wife Kristen, and they have three children (Case, Charlotte, and Jackson). He earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater in interpersonal communications.
