MOTZKO'S JOURNEY BRINGS HIM BACK TO SCSU AS HEAD COACH
The journey began as a player and then assistant coach in 1986 under Coach Herb Brooks for the then fledgling SCSU men's hockey program making it's move to NCAA Division 1 status. After graduating from SCSU in 1987, he went to North Iowa of the USHL where he coached four years and won a National Junior championship. The road then took him to Miami of Ohio in 1991, Denver University in 1993, and back to Miami in 1994 to help lead the program to it's first and only CCHA championship. Sioux Falls of the
USHL came calling in 1999 and he packed his bags to undertake the task of starting a team from scratch and ultimately seeing 26 of his 40 players over two years obtain NCAA scholarships. Known for his ability to recruit, he was hired as an assistant coach by the University of Minnesota in 2001 and he hit the ground running snaring a number of high profile recruits who led the Gophers to two consecutive national championships. The journey was completed full circle when SCSU Athletic Director Dr. Morris Kurtz announced the hiring of Motzko to fill the vacant head coaching position for the Huskies men's ice hockey program in August.
"We've watched Bob's career with great pride and excitement and welcome him and his family back to St. Cloud State," Kurtz said.
"Bob (Motzko) and I have talked for several years about him returning to St. Cloud State, so I'm thrilled that we have the opportunity to add him to our staff" Dahl said when Motzko was initially hired as an assistant . I firmy believe we've added one of the top assistant coaches in the nation to our program, and I'm delighted that once again Bob will be part of Husky Hockey."
Subsequently, Motzko was named interim head hockey coach on August 31, 2005 with the departure of long-time head hockey coach Craig Dahl.
In hiring Motzko, the Huskies not only return an alum with 19 years coaching experience but also a coach with the reputation of being one of the top college recruiters in the country. His goal for the first year is quite straight forward. He wants to help energize SCSU's recruiting, open additional inroads within US junior hockey, and bring the SCSU hockey program back to national prominence. A proven winner, Motzko has seen his teams win national titles,league championships and many NCAA victories. He's simply happy to be back at a program where he started his career and to suceed Coach Dahl whom he has a great deal of respect for.
Motzko is a native of Austin, MN and played his junior hockey in Dubuque, Iowa for the Fighting Saints and then two years at SCSU under coach John Perpich. He subsequently held various coaching positions over the years including assistant coach at SCSU, head coach and general manager at North Iowa, assistant and associate head coach positions at Miami and Denver, head coach and general manager at Sioux Falls of the USHL and assistant coach at the University of Minnesota.
In over 19 years of coaching hockey, Motzko has worked with many of the top coaches in the game including Brooks, Dahl, Don Lucia (Minnesota), Mark Mazzolini (Harvard and Green Bay), George Gwozdecky (Denver) and Frank Serratore ( Air Force).
Bob and his wife Shelley are the parents of three children.
