Late in August, right around the start of the high school football season, Becker football coach Dwight Lundeen was asked how long he intended to coach the Bulldogs.

“I’ll know when it’s time,” Lundeen said. “I’m getting close to 80 years old. It’s almost time to turn it over to younger people.”

He answered the question specifically Monday, at an end-of-season meeting with his coaching staff, telling them he intended to coach one more season and then step down after 2026.

One season after leading the Bulldogs to the Class 4A state championship, Lundeen, in his 56th season at the helm, guided the Bulldogs to an uneven 5-5 record. Their season ended with a 27-26 loss to Fergus Falls in the Section 8 finals on Halloween night.

Lundeen said in a text that retiring will be “difficult” but that he felt the timing is right.

“I’m walking away healthy and looking forward to doing all the special things ONE MORE TIME,” he wrote.

Lundeen is the only head football coach Becker has had in its nearly 60-year existence. He’s No. 2 in coaching victories in Minnesota history, with a record of 417-172-3. The Bulldogs won state championships in 2005, 2014, 2015 and 2024.

Verndale’s Mike Mahlen is No. 1 in coaching victories with 440. Eden Prairie’s Mike Grant is third; he is up to 401.

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