On Jan. 1, 2001, Horan started his head coaching journey and has passed many milestones in his first 23 years as head coach. Most recently, he became only the third Concordia football coach to win 100 MIAC conference games. Horan has an impressive 110-67 mark in league play and has amassed 143 overall wins during his tenure. He needs one more to pass the legendary Jake Christiansen for second place on the program’s all-time win list.

The summer of 2021 was another high point in Horan’s coaching career as he was inducted into the Minnesota Football Coaches Association (MFCA) Hall of Fame. He joins legendary Cobber coaches Jake Christiansen and Jim Christopherson, who also received the prestigious honor.

During his 23-year tenure, Horan has posted a very consistent 63.8% winning percentage. He has guided Concordia to 16 top-4 finishes in the MIAC in the past 18 seasons. Horan shows no signs of resting on his early success as he has helped the Cobbers record seven-win seasons in six of the past 10 years. Concordia has recorded more than 45 wins in the past eight years, which is in the top 3 of any school in the MIAC. The Cobbers have finished in the top 3 of the MIAC in six of the past 10 seasons and have won five conference games in seven years during that span.

In 2015, Horan became only the third coach in program history to reach the 100-win milestone. In 2007, Horan became the first coach in school history to win 50 games in the first seven seasons as head coach. He was also the fastest coach in program history to eclipse the 40-win mark in conference games. That win record was fueled by helping guide the Cobbers to the MIAC championship in 2004 and back-to-back NCAA playoff appearances in 2004 and 2005 — the first time any Cobber football team has ever achieved back-to-back playoff appearances.

In his first 23 seasons of leading Concordia back to the top of the MIAC, Horan has been named MIAC Coach of the Year twice (2002 and 2004) and was named the American Football Coaches Association Region Coach of the Year in 2004.

The coming out party for Horan and the Cobbers on the national and conference scene came in 2004 when Concordia captured their first outright MIAC championship since the 1986 season with a perfect 8-0 mark. The team finished the year with an 11-1 overall record and was ranked in the top 25 in the nation for most of the season. All told, Concordia has spent 28 consecutive weeks in the top 25 of Division III.

During his time at Concordia, Horan has coached many outstanding student-athletes, including 13 All-Americans, 22 All-Region, and 196 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) All-Conference Players.

Horan and his wife, Michelle ’92, reside in Moorhead. They have four children: Meghan ’19; Thomas, who is set to graduate from Concordia in 2025; Tate, who is a current student at Concordia; and Annie.