Stephen Bourbon joined the Forester staff in 2024 and directs the team's quarterbacks.
Lake Forest went 10-1 overall and captured the Midwest Conference title with a perfect 9-0 record in league play. The Foresters also played in the second round of the NCAA Division III Tournament for the first time in program history. Starting quarterback Joshua Gasca set single-season program records for pass efficiency (172.1) and completion percentage (67.1%) while his 2,390 passing yards and 23 touchdowns rank among the top four marks in team history. He was a Second Team All-MWCÂ selection by the league's head coaches.
Bourbon came to Lake Forest after two seasons as a graduate assistant at Roosevelt University in Chicago. As the quarterbacks coach in 2022 and running backs coach in 2023, he helped lead the Lakers to a 13-7 record during that span.
Prior to his two years at Roosevelt, Bourbon was the quarterbacks coach at Trinity International University in 2020 and 2021 and an assistant at St. Charles High School, where he directed tight ends and H-backs the previous two seasons.
Bourbon, who graduated from the University of Illinois in 2015 with a bachelor's degree in news-editorial journalism, also serves as an assistant sports information director for basketball and softball. He earned his master's in business administration with a management concentration from Roosevelt in 2024.
