Mark Jeffreys was named the head coach of Southern Nazarene University's inaugural men's and women's bowling programs in July 2022, and will enter his fifth season as the Crimson Storm's head men's and women's bowling coach in 2026-27.
Coach Jeffreys came to Southern Nazarene from Blanchard High School in Blanchard, Oklahoma, where he guided the boys basketball team to two state tournament appearances and two State Academic Championships.
Prior to his time at Blanchard, Jeffreys served as a lay coach at multiple schools and retired as a Regional Vice President for United Parcel Service (UPS) after a 25-year career with the company. He was also part of the original management team that formed UPS Capital. In addition, Jeffreys founded one of the top digital media companies in the outdoor industry and was nominated for the Bass Fishing Hall of Fame in 2022 for his journalistic work covering professional bass fishing.
Jeffreys brings an abundance of bowling experience to Southern Nazarene. He has been a member of the Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) for more than 32 years and has won 22 local and regional titles. He continues to compete on the PBA50 Tour and in PBA50 Regional events.
Jeffreys' coaching style is unique. During his first conversations with recruits and their families, he often says, "I am not a bowling coach. I am a coach who knows a lot about bowling." He relies on his extensive experience coaching basketball and baseball, as well as his background as a former collegiate athlete, to complement his knowledge of bowling. He also utilizes relationships with outstanding players, industry leaders, and respected figures in the sport. Jeffreys treats collegiate bowling as a true sport and his players as student-athletes, not just bowlers.
Jeffreys earned his first major collegiate bowling championship during the 2024-25 SWIBC Championship in San Antonio, Texas. In just the program's second season, the Crimson Storm men's team defeated Texas A&M and Dallas Baptist to capture the championship.
This past season, Jeffreys led the SNU men's team to the 2026 USBC Intercollegiate Team Championships in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Crimson Storm earned a fifth-place finish after upsetting No. 1 seed Weber International and No. 7 seed McKendree University during an impressive tournament run before falling to eventual national champion St. Ambrose University, 4-3.
The Crimson Storm's appearance at the USBC National Championship marked just the third time in the 51-year history of collegiate bowling that a program qualified for the national championship within its first three seasons.
Jeffreys graduated from the University of Oklahoma. He and his wife, Caroline, have two sons, Mark and Aaron. Away from bowling, Jeffreys is an avid St. Louis Blues fan and played hockey for many years in California, Missouri, Kansas, and Oklahoma.
