Ian Sanders enters his eleventh season in 2024 for the Bruins as an assistant coach to Chris Casey. Sanders oversees the linebackers, special teams, and team equipment for the Bruins and joined Casey's staff after playing for and coaching with him previously.
In his ten completed seasons, Sanders has coached three All-Americans, three All-West Region linebackers, two NWC Defensive Players of the Year, 19 All-NWC selections, and 16 Team of the Week honorees between his dual roles as linebackers coach and special teams coordinator.
Sanders, a native of Tigard, Ore., played free safety and corner at Whitworth University from 1996-2000 and earned All-Northwest Conference honors twice. He was named Second Team All-NWC in 1999 and was a First Team All-NWC selection in 2000 after leading the league in passes defended. He was also named an All-Little Northwest Second Team Defensive Back, which included NAIA, NCAA Div. III and Div. II.
Sanders joined Coach Casey at Aloha (Ore.) High School from 2005-2012, serving as the special teams' coordinator and wide receivers coach for eight years, defensive backs coach for seven, and linebackers coach for one. He personally coached 22 all-league players and three all-state players for Aloha between his various position groups and was a part of the Aloha staff which captured the Oregon 6A state championship in 2010.
A graduate of Whitworth with a bachelor of arts in sociology, Sanders and his wife Natalie have two children, Holden and Sloan.
