Colin Bruton is in his 11th year as head coach of the Lakeland football team in 2025. He also serves as the school’s associate director of athletics for external relations.
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The Muskies have posted a combined 53-42 overall record and a 43-24 mark in the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference in Bruton’s first 10 years leading the program, including three conference championships and three trips to the NCAA Division III Playoffs. Lakeland made consecutive appearances in the Division III playoffs for the time in school history in 2015-17. His 53 career wins are also second-most for a coach in Lakeland football history.
The Muskies finished 4-5 a year ago, including a 4-4 mark in the NACC. Lakeland continued making small steps forward, improving its conference record one game after consecutive 3-5 finishes in the NACC, and the Muskies were close to a much better record with two losses by a combined five points. The season included a win in the highest-scoring game in school history, a 66-61 victory over Concordia Chicago in September.
Lakeland also finished 4-6 in 2023 and 3-7 in 2022, when youth and injuries combined especially for a rocky start that included five straight losses to start the season, three by nine points or less. The below .500 seasons came after Lakeland posted a combined 11-2 mark over the previous two seasons, including finishing 8-2 in 2021 and placing third in the NACC with a 6-2 mark. The eight wins tied for the most by a Lakeland team since 1997 and the winning percentage was the program’s best in a full season since 2003.
The Muskies also finished 3-0 in the COVID-19 pandemic delayed and then abbreviated 2020-21 season, winning all three of their games in the NACC North Division. Lakeland was the No. 1 seed in the North in the postseason tourney which was eventually canceled due to coronavirus protocols.
Lakeland won three straight NACC championships in Bruton’s first three years from 2015-17, making three consecutive trips to the NCAA Division III playoffs. The 2017 team finished 8-3 overall in 2017 and swept through the NACC with a 6-0 mark, led by one of the best offenses in the country. Led by All-American and three-time NACC Offensive Player of the Year quarterback Michael Whitley, Lakeland finished second in Division III in total offense, fourth in first downs and eighth in scoring offense. The Muskies’ dominance was displayed by both their passing and rushing games ranking in the top 25 nationally. The defensive unit coached by Bruton also led the NACC in passing defense and third down conversion percentage, and Bruton was named the conference’s coach of the year for the second time in three years.
The Muskies also finished 7-4 in 2016 and with a 5-1 conference mark and shared the NACC title with Aurora. Lakeland routed the Spartans in their regular season meeting to clinch the conference’s automatic berth to the playoffs, and there the Muskies pushed top-ranked UW-Whitewater in an eventual 45-27 loss. In Bruton’s first season in 2015, Lakeland finished undefeated in the NACC and made its first trip to the NCAA Division III playoffs since 2009. The Muskies finished 8-3, winning eight games for the first time in 10 years, and concluded the regular season on a seven-game winning streak before falling to Wheaton in the first round of the playoffs.
Bruton is in his 18th year overall at Lakeland, taking over the head coaching position after serving as the team's defensive coordinator under former coach Kevin Doherty for eight years. The Muskies’ 2014 defense ranked them among the top defenses in all of Division III, finishing in the top 25 in 10 national statistical defensive categories last season, including the top 10 in seven categories. Bruton was recognized for the team's fine season as he was named one of six finalists nationally for the FootballScoop.com Division III Coordinator of the Year.
Under Bruton, Muskie defenses also led the NACC in scoring defense and total defense in 2011 and were second in total defense in both 2008 and 2010 as well as second in scoring defense in 2010. Lakeland also led the conference in turnovers forced in 2010 and ranked in the top half in the conference in turnovers forced three times in four years from 2008-11.
Prior to arriving at Lakeland, Bruton served for three years as an assistant coach at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville. He played collegiately at Benedictine, where he was a two-year starter and three-year letter winner from 1999-2001.
Bruton completed his bachelor's degree in 2004 at the University of Illinois, where he majored in political science. He also has a master's degree in adult education from UW-Platteville, which he completed in 2006.
Bruton and wife Brenda married in 2013, and the couple resides in Sheboygan with sons Colton and Canaan and daughter Blakely.
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| Colin Bruton Coaching Record |
|
| Year |
Overall Record |
Conf. Record |
Conf. Finish |
| 2015 |
8-3 |
6-0 |
1st |
| 2016 |
7-4 |
5-1 |
tie-1st |
| 2017 |
8-3 |
6-0 |
1st |
| 2018 |
4-6 |
4-3 |
4th |
| 2019 |
4-6 |
3-4 |
tie-4th |
| 2020-21 |
3-0 |
3-0 |
1st-North |
| 2021 |
8-2 |
6-2 |
3rd |
| 2022 |
3-7 |
3-5 |
6th |
| 2023 |
4-6 |
3-5 |
6th |
| 2024 |
4-5 |
4-4 |
5th |
| Career |
53-42 |
43-24 |
.558 win % |
