Dave Niland is our guest for this episode. He is the head men's basketball coach at National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III Penn State Behrend in Erie, PA. He just completed his 30th season guiding the Behrend Lions program. He comes from a family of legendary Buffalo (NY) sports leaders.

Niland has produced 29 winning seasons in the last 30 years to rank 20th among NCAA Division III programs for winningest teams of the decade. The Lions also have earned an NCAA or Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference (ECAC) postseason bid in 26 of the past 28 years. Niland is the all-time leader in men's basketball coaching victories with 580 entering the 2025-2026 season. The Lions have advanced to the NCAA Tournament eight times and has made 17 appearances in the ECAC South Region Tournament, winning the title in 1998-99 and 2009-10. 

Niland has been named the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference (AMCC) Coach of the Year seven times- a league and college record. His teams have won seven regular-season league titles and six conference tournament championships. In 2008-09, the men's basketball team forged a record of 18-10 and earned its third ECAC Tournament bid. The previous year, Niland led the Behrend Lions to an impressive 24-5 record, as the team captured the regular-season AMCC championship and the conference tournament before eventually falling in the second round of the NCAA Division III Tournament in Rochester, New York. That squad's defensive prowess was recognized for the second time in four seasons, as Behrend led NCAA Division III in scoring defense, limiting the opposition to a measly 54.6 points per game.  

During the 2006-07 season, Niland's team posted an impressive 21-8 mark and advanced to the ECAC Southern Region Tournament Championship Game. The year before, Niland's program received the Schoenfeld Award, the highest honor the Collegiate Basketball Officials Association (COBA) bestows each year. This coveted award is presented to the team identified as having "the highest degree of sportsmanship, character, and ethics among their players, coaches and spectators."

His 2003-04 team led all of NCAA Division III in scoring defense and posted a 22-3 record entering the NCAA Division III Tournament. The 1999-2000 team had the best season in school history, setting the school record for wins with 26 while advancing to the NCAA Elite Eight- the first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance for men's basketball. Also, in 1998-99, his squad earned the ECAC Southern Region Championship. 

Niland came to Behrend after spending four seasons as an assistant coach at Canisius College and one season at Elmira College. He was a four-year letterman and captain during his senior year as a basketball standout at LeMoyne College. He earned his master's degree in physical education from Canisius and is now also a lecturer in health and physical education at Penn State Behrend.

Dave and his wife, Debra, who has over three decades of service at Erie Homes for Children and Adults empowering individuals with intellectual disabilities through volunteerism and exploration, are the proud parents of Andy, Sara, and Matt.