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Concordia announces Logan Hermes as first Esports coach
| | Tuesday, March 19th, 2019 |

Concordia announces Logan Hermes as first Esports coach

Hermes joins the Golden Bears from UW-River Falls

ST. PAUL, Minn. – Concordia-St. Paul Director of Athletics Regan McAthie has announced the hiring of Logan Hermes as the first head coach of Golden Bear Esports.

“We are thrilled to take the next step in our esports journey by adding such a dynamic head coach,” said McAthie. “Our search committee was blown away by Logan’s thoughtful and detailed approach as well as his overall knowledge of the competitive gaming landscape. His passion for both esports and student development makes him the perfect person to guide this new endeavor.”

Hermes comes to Concordia from the University of Wisconsin-River Falls where he is currently the assistant hall director for UWRF residence life. While serving in his position at UWRF, he has also been working towards a Master of Science in Education, pursuing a major in Student Affairs Administration in Higher Education from the University of Wisconsin-Lacrosse.

He also served as a complex manager for residence life at North Dakota State University where he earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in communication studies with a minor in sociology.

“Being a head esports coach is a dream come true, my inner child is screaming with excitement as I prepare for this journey into the world of competitive gaming,” said Hermes. “I cannot be happier with joining Concordia-St. Paul and representing their investment into uncharted esports territory in the Minnesota region. The Twin Cities is the perfect place to not only foster an esports team, but also a community that can flourish behind gaming.”

As part of his master’s degree at UWRF, Hermes is designing a program proposal for the university to establish a varsity esports program for the Falcons. Prior to the CSP esports announcement, Hermes had already been investigating the feasibility of a college varsity team in the Upper Midwest, researching scholarship models, locating student interest and concern and evaluating the financial needs and benefits of a student program.

“While starting a program can be a challenge in the “Wild West” environment of collegiate esports, it presents a rare opportunity to make a mark in a system that will only get larger as time goes on,” he said. “I am excited to work with NACE and other institutions as collegiate e-gaming becomes more sought after in the future.”

Hermes has been active in League of Legends since 2012, Hearthstone since 2015 and Overwatch since 2016.

In League of Legends, he has broadcasted games through the online streaming Twitch service, facilitated and recruited for local and online tournaments recreationally and is an active player and shot-caller for one of the largest multiplayer online battle arena games in history (MOBA).

In Hearthstone, Hermes was a participant in the 2017 Tespa Collegiate Hearthstone Tournament for North Dakota State University and he participated in early Major League Gaming tournaments online during the release of Overwatch in 2016.

Hermes will lead the first varsity esports program in the state of Minnesota.