Madison College Esports Head Coach Joe Hanson Is Stepping Down Following His Five Years of Tenure
Joe Hanson joined Cleary Building Corp. in June 2007 as a help desk technician but left in February 2009.
May 15, 2026
This article was last updated by Manoj Gadtaula on May 15, 2026
Madison College Esports head coach Joe Hanson is stepping down and will continue his duties as an enterprise systems engineer.
According to Joe Hanson’s official handle, he is originally from Madison, Wisconsin, and attended Madison Area Technical College from 2005 to 2007.
From October 2006 to June 2007, he served as the technology service intern at Madison Area Technical College.
Later, he joined Cleary Building Corp. in June 2007 as a help desk technician but left in February 2009.
He also served as head coach of WolfPack Esports, an enterprise systems engineer, and a computer support engineer at Madison Area Technical College.
Madison’s Head Coach Joe Hanson Is Stepping Down After Five Years
Madison College’s Esports head coach, Joe Hanson, recently that he is finally stepping down. He spent five years at Madison and won ten national championships.
Hanson, hired in September 2026 to help start the athletic department’s newest program, immediately turned the WolfPack into a perennial power in national collegiate gaming.
As per the source, he will continue his day-to-day duties as an enterprise systems engineer.
In a statement released by Madison College, Joe expressed his experience serving as the head coach and thanked everyone who helped build the Esports program from the ground up. He said,
“This experience has been unforgettable and will remain special to me long after I’ve stepped away,” “When we launched Esports as a varsity program in Fall 2026, it started as a vision and a belief that Esports could thrive at our college, and become a platform for student success both in-and-out of the games. That vision has become a reality beyond anything I could have imagined. Beyond the trophies, it’s the growth of our players, the bonds we’ve built, and the culture we’ve established that matter most to me. Watching our students grow as student-athletes, teammates, and leaders has been the most rewarding part of this journey. They’ve shown what’s possible with hard work, resilience, and passion, and they’ve set a standard that will inspire future players for years to come. Thank you to every player, coach, staff member, and supporter who helped build this program from the ground up.”
Joe Hanson won ten national championships for Madison College. (Source: )Director of Athletics Jason Verhelst thanked Joe for coaching the Esports team in 2026. He added,
I am so glad I was able to talk Joe into coaching our Esports team back in 2026. I knew he would do a terrific job, and he certainly did,” “Not only did he do a phenomenal job getting our Esports space up and running, and having extremely successful teams, but Joe was also a mentor to so many student-athletes as they navigated college. We will miss him but know that our next coach will have Joe around and the foundation set for continued success.”
Following the initial struggles of putting together Madison College’s first Esports roster during a worldwide pandemic, Joe was rewarded with two national titles by Kaden Crockett.
In addition, Hanson has also numerous other teams into the postseason, with six national runner-up finishes and even more appearances in national semifinals and quarterfinals.
To date, he has coached 19 Esports student-athletes who have been awarded NJCAA Academic Award Winners, with likely more on the way following the 2026-25 academic year.
At the 2026 WOLFIES, Joe was named the Madison College Athletics Coach of the Year.
He also helped Madison College host several Rocket League Summer Series tournaments and Wisconsin High School state championships.
In Case You Didn’t Know
- Joe Hanson grew up playing many games in many genres, including FPS, racing, RPG, RTS, and dungeon crawlers.
- Hanson lives in Stoughton, Wisconsin. In his spare time, he enjoys playing hockey with his son and remodeling his home.
- He worked with the Squirt teams as an assistant coach.
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