Coaches

Jeff Bakke

Jeff Bakke returns for his 11th season as the Red River Boys Track and Field Coach in the spring of 2026. Bakke joins Bob Zimney (1979-2015) and Ken Hallgrimson (1968-1978) as the only head coaches in Red River High School’s 59 years of existence. Previously, he spent three years as the head track and field coach at the International School of Stavanger (ISS), Norway. During his time at ISS from 2012-2015, he also spent two years as an assistant coach for the school’s cross country team, taught physical education and health, and served as the the school’s athletic director during the 2014-15 school year. While in Norway, he also coached with Sandnes IL, one of the top club teams in the country. From 2010-2012, Bakke was an assistant track and field coach at the University of Colorado-Colorado Springs, where he received a master’s degree in health promotion in 2012. He graduated from Concordia College in Moorhead, MN with degrees in physical education and health and a four year career with the Cobber Track and Field team. A Red River alumnus, he competed in track and field, tennis, and hockey, as well as played American Legion baseball throughout high school. He has also served as an assistant with the Red River Boys and Girls Cross Country teams in past seasons. Bakke teaches health and physical education at Red River and can be reached at jbakke260@mygfschools.org. 

Tim Delmore

Tim Delmore begins his 50th (yes, 50!) season as assistant boys track and field coach at Red River in 2026. Widely respected as one of the finest jumps coaches in the state, he has mentored overall state record holders in the high jump and the triple jump, as well as coached two state high jump champions (1983, 2003), two state long jump champions (2005, 2010), four state triple jump champions (1992, 1998, 2016, 2017), and a state pole vault champ (1983). In addition, he works with the Red River girls jumpers, who have also earned numerous state titles and accolades under his coaching. Delmore was inducted into the North Dakota High School Track and Field Hall of Fame in 2015 and has been a finalist for the National Assistant Coach of the Year on two occasions. From 1982-2008, he also served as the jumps coach at the University of North Dakota. He is a retired health and physical education teacher. In the summer of 2021, Delmore was inducted into the North Dakota High School Coaches Association Hall of Fame. 

Vyrn Muir III

Vyrn Muir begins his 25th season working with the team’s short sprinters in 2026. During his time, the sprinters have broken the 4×100 Relay School Record on five occasions and the 4×200 Relay School Record twice. He also serves as Red River’s Head Football Coach and teaches in the science department at Red River. 

Richard Dafoe

Coach Dafoe is in his 17th season as the boys distance coach.  He works with a wide range of athletes, from the 400 meter dash up to the 3200 meter run. Dafoe is also Red River’s head cross country coach and was named the Boys State Coach of the Year on several occasions, leading the RR Boys to EDC XC titles in 2015, 2017, 2018, 2020, 2021, 2023, and 2024. 

Tim Tandeski

Tim Tandeski enters his 41st season as an assistant coach for the Red River Boys team in 2026. He specializes in coaching the javelin throw, as well as overseeing the entirety of the Grand Forks Throwing Program (Red River & Central Boys and Girls). He is widely regarded as one the most successful high school javelin coaches in the nation. During his coaching career, he has coached 34 individual state champions in the Boys and Girls Javelin throw and 149 state placewinners. Tandeski was an athlete on Red River’s 1983 State Track and Field Championship Team, where he placed 5th in the state in the javelin throw. He was also an Assistant Coach on the 1992 State Track and Field Championship team. He has been selected as a State Assistant Coach of the Year and nominated for the National Assistant Coach of the Year. In 2015, he was inducted into the North Dakota High School Track and Field Hall of Fame. He teaches mathematics at Red River. 

Lee Baker

The 2026 Season marks Lee Baker’s 37th season as assistant throwing coach. In his storied career, he has mentored 25 State Champions in both the shot put and the discus throw. Baker-led athletes include numerous North Dakota Top Ten All-Time performers in the girls and boys shot put and discus, as well as the overall state record holder in the boys discus. In the summer of 2017, 2018 and 2019 one of his mentored athletes won National Championships in the girls 15-16 and 17-18 age categories. In 2024, he was inducted into the North Dakota High School Track and Field Hall of Fame. He teaches mathematics at Schroeder Middle School.

Matt Fischer

Matt Fischer has been part of the Grand Forks Throwing program since he competed in High School for Grand Forks Central (1996-1999). Leaving Grand Forks to pursue a BS and MS in Communication at North Dakota State University, Matt competed in the Javelin for the NDSU Men’s Track & Field Team. He was All-Conference in the Javelin all four years at NDSU and competed at the DII National Championships his senior season (2003). After finishing Graduate School, Matt moved back to Grand Forks and has coached the throws as a volunteer (2005-2010) and was added to the coaching roster in 2010. He has mentored numerous state champions during his time with the Grand Forks Throwing program. 

Brent Dorsey

Coach Dorsey joined the RR Coaching Staff in 2019. Dorsey ran for the Air Force Academy collegiately, competing in cross-country and track and field for the Falcons. After one season with the XC team, he specialized in the middle distances (400m-1500m) on the track. He retired as a Lieutenant Colonel in the United States Air Force in January of 2019, where he held the position of Deputy Group Commander of Global Hawk Operations. For the Riders, Dorsey is in charge of the middle-distance athletes.

Tyler Enerson

Former Roughrider Tyler Enerson began coaching with the program in 2024. Enerson graduated from Red River in 2017. During his senior year, he was named Most Valuable Athlete after scoring 349 points across hurdle, jump, and relay events. Today, he ranks #7 All-Time in career points. At the collegiate level, he competed as a decathlete for North Dakota State. At Red River, he primarily works with the hurdlers and jumpers. 

Jak Urlacher

Jak Urlacher is in his first season coaching the pole vaulters in 2026. Urlacher, one of the most accomplished vaulters in North Dakota history, comes back to Grand Forks after a standout career at the University of Minnesota. There, he was an All-American and Big Ten Champion for the Gophers. In high school, Jak set a new State Meet record (15’7.5) in 2021 while competing for Grand Forks Central. He was also a state placer in the 200 and 4×400 Relay. He holds a lifetime best clearance of 18’4 in the pole vault.