Lee Pronschinske - Football Coach - Southern Illinois University Athletics

Lee Pronschinske

Title:
Defensive Coordinator/Safeties
Email:
lee.pronschinske@siu.edu

Southern Illinois head coach Nick Hill promoted Lee Pronschinske (pronounced pron-CHIN-ski) to defensive coordinator after the 2024 season. Pronschinske will continue to serve as the team's safeties coach. In 2024, he mentored a a pair of all-conference safeties in Ubayd Steed and Iverson Brown.

"Coach Pron is a young, rising star in our profession," Hill said. "He communicates really well and is a highly detailed guy. He sees how the roster pieces fit into the scheme he wants to run and being able to attack that in recruiting, as well."

Pronschinske has familiarity with the Missouri Valley Football Conference, serving as a defensive assistant for North Dakota State for two years, including its 2021 FCS National Championship season.

He was the defensive coordinator and safeties coach at Division II Western New Mexico in 2023, and served as the defensive coordinator and interim head coach at Division II Minot State in 2022.

With the Bison, Pronschinske was involved in all aspects of defensive game-planning and assisted linebackers and defensive backs. He was also the offensive coordinator for the scout team and coordinated the scout team’s special teams.

A native of Arcadia, Wis., Pronschinske played safety and linebacker at Winona State where he earned Academic All-Conference honors in 2017.

He started his collegiate coaching career at his alma mater in 2018 as a tight ends, fullbacks and safeties coach. From there, he spent one season as defensive backs coach at Emporia State (2019) and one season coaching DBs at Northern State (2020).