Marian University

Ruffing joins the Sabre men's basketball coaching staff after serving as the head coach at West Bend East High School for one season.  The Suns improved their win total by two victories in his lone year and Ruffing helped lead the program to their first WIAA Regional Championship in 20 years with a 56-54 upset victory at Beaver Dam.  The team was also named the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Team of the Week on February 15.

He brings with him extensive coaching experience at the collegiate level with his most recent assistant positions being at NACC rivals Wisconsin Lutheran and Rockford. In his lone season at WLC, he served as the lead assistant with the Warriors winning their first NACC Championship in program history.  The Warriors would finish the season 19-7 with a 16-4 NACC record, the most conference wins in a single season for the program.  As a member of the Rockford coaching staff, the Regents set a program record for conference wins in the 2018-19 season, and reached the NACC Tournament for the first time since 2012.  The Regents were able to finish tied for fourth in the NACC standings that season marking the best finish for the program since the 2007-08 campaign.

Ruffing has also had stops at Williston State and Franklin College as an assistant coach.  At both institutions, he played a pivotal role in player development and the organization of strength and conditioning programs.

Ruffing spent the first two seasons of his collegiate career at Marian where he played in 50 games scoring 86 points with 64 rebounds and 80 assists. As a sophomore, he recorded 58 assists, which ranked second on the squad.  Ruffing then spent the final two seasons of his collegiate career at Concordia Chicago where he would be named a NACC scholar-athlete as a senior.  He also served as a representative for the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC).

"First and foremost, I am extremely grateful to coach Diener and director of athletics Jason Bartelt for giving me an opportunity to become a Sabre once again," commented Ruffing.  "I have been able to compete against coach Diener the last couple of seasons and have the utmost respect for him and his program.  His teams have improved every year since he has been at the helm and I am excited to work with him, coach Saiberlich, and coach Hoffmaster in building a top-notch program in the NACC.  I look forward to becoming a part of the Fond du Lac community along with reconnecting with the Sabre alumni."

He went on to earn a bachelor's degree in business management with a minor in sports management from Concordia University Chicago, and is currently pursuing a master's degree in education.