Men, join us on September 29 for an evening of great food and fun. We will get to enjoy a meal from Van’s Pig Stand and hear a message from Chris Jensen, OBU’s Head Football Coach. The cost is $10 if you register before Sept. 23, after that, the cost will be $15. Stick around for door prizes!
Learn about Chris Jensen:
“Hired in 2012, Chris Jensen is the first Oklahoma Baptist University head football coach since 1940. He enters his 12th season as head coach on Bison Hill.
Under his direction, OBU has compiled a 45-66 record and turned in four winning seasons, including back-to-back years in 2019 and 2021. Jensen has coached 20 All-Americans in Division II, NAIA, and NCCAA. He totals 71 All-Conference selections, and 85 players who were Academic All-Conference and one Academic All-American. Additionally, he has seen five players named NAIA Scholar Athletes.
Jensen posted his latest winning season on Bison Hill in 2023 (6-5), which featured the program's best home record (4-1) in its Division II era. The OBU defense played a key part in the team's success, holding opponents to the fewest amount of points per game since the school joined the NCAA. Oklahoma Baptist also turned in program bests in total offense and passing yards (146.2) allowed per game. The Bison finished the year as the No. 1 ranked passing defense in the GAC for the first time ever.
For their efforts, three defensive players earned All-GAC nods, a tie of the school's record, while two (Scooter Baker, Brett Karhu) became the first defensive All-Americans in the DII era. OBU turned in six total All-Conference honorees (Offense - Michael Marshall, Nick Harris, Jake Sitsler), the second-most in program history.
Jensen has seen three Bison sign major professional contracts, such as wideout Keilahn Harris, who inked a unrestricted free agent agreement with the Atlanta Falcons in 2023. Additionally, quarterback Preston Haire signed with the European Football League's Hamburg Sea Devils and offensive lineman Jake Foshee accepted a deal with the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League.
In 2021, Jensen steered the Bison to its best-ever NCAA Division II record at 8-4. That included a trip to the postseason where Oklahoma Baptist defeated UT-Permian Basin in the FunTown RV Heritage Bowl. That season, OBU extended its win streak over conference Oklahoma schools to 16 games.
Jensen saw 50-plus school records fall on the offensive and defensive sides of the ball, as his 2021 squad was one of the most prolific teams in his coaching career. Four Bison (Preston Haire, Keilahn Harris, Josh Cornell, Tyler Stuever) earned All-America honors and Keilahn Harris was named a D2CCA First-Team All-Region honoree. Quarterback Preston Haire was tabbed GAC Offensive Player of the Year for a second consecutive season after ranking amongst the top in Division II in statistics for another year.
Under Jensen's watch, the Bison offense set a program record and ranked fifth in the nation in first downs (313), along with leading the GAC in three other offensive categories. The passing attack accounted for 41 touchdowns, a significant jump from the 2021 total of 26. In fact the next closest touchdown occurred in 2018, when OBU racked up 28. The 2021 offense saw its best numbers in the following categories since joining Division II: Passing yards per game (287.08), passing yards (3,335), passing efficiency (149.52), completions (322), and completions per game (26.83).
The 2021 defense recorded a GAC-best 34.0 sacks after totaling 11.0 in 2019. Furthermore, OBU led the conference with 79.0 tackles-for-loss. Much of the credit was given to linebacker Josh Arnold, who led the charge with 20.0. Arnold finished as the all-time leading tackler in program history with 395 stops on Bison Hill. Additionally, Robert Lolofie, an All-GAC selection in 2021, led the team with 9.0 sacks, the most by a Bison player in the Division II era.
Jensen's 8-3 mark in 2014 landed the Bison in the No. 26 spot in the NAIA rankings and tied a school record for single-season wins. In 2017, the Bison finished No. 1 in the NCCAA power rankings.
Jensen came to OBU from Southmoore High School, whose football program Jensen also began. He rebooted the Bison program in 2012 and had the first season in the fall of 2013.
Jensen started the Southmooore football program in 2008. In his and the program's second year, the SaberCats were 11-2 and reached the Class 6A semifinals. Jensen was named Oklahoma 6A-1 Coach of the Year in 2009.
Jensen's coaching stops also include assistant posts at Westmoore (defensive coordinator), Bartlesville (offensive coordinator), Durant (offensive coordinator and assistant head coach), Moore (offensive line) and Little Axe (offensive line and outside linebackers).
Jensen was a varsity letterman at the University of Oklahoma, playing on the offensive line.
A self-described Army brat, Jensen graduated from Lawton High School and received a Naval Academy nomination. He achieved the level of Eagle Scout in Boy Scouts of America.
Jensen received his Bachelor of Science degree in education in December 1992 from OU. He earned his master's degree in education administration from Southwestern Oklahoma State University in May 2006.
Chris and his wife, Patti, have three children, Tayler, Tanner, and Camryn. They are members of Immanuel Baptist Church in Shawnee.”