On March 24, 2005, IPFW named Dane Fife as its new head men's basketball coach.

Fife was well known throughout the state of Indiana, but was an unknown quantity within the coaching ranks. But, the same energy, intensity, and work ethic that endeared him to the fans of the Indiana Hoosiers has been a catalyst for his success with the Mastodons.

Currently entering his fourth year as the `Dons head man, Fife has led the Mastodons to double-digit wins in each of his first three seasons.

In 2007-08 Fife guided the Mastodons to a Division-I school record 13 wins. In their first season of play in The Summit League, Fife's squad finished the conference campaign at an even .500 (9-9) and captured the school's first-ever conference tournament bid, and win, with a 66-62 win over Southern Utah in the Summit League Quarterfinals. IPFW would lead most of the way against eventual conference champion Oral Roberts, before falling to the top-seeded Golden Eagles in the Semifinals, 58-42.

Under Fife's guidance, IPFW also recieved its first All-Summit League post season nod as senior forward Jaraun Burrows was named to the Summit League's All-Conference second team. Burrows was also named to the 2007-08 Summit League All-Tournament Team. He and former Mastodon center Tyler Best are two of Fife's players that are continuing their careers as professionals in Europe.

As a player, Fife was the defensive catalyst behind Indiana's 2001-02 Big Ten co-champion and Final Four team. He broke the Hoosiers' career steals record (180) en route to league Defensive Player of the Year honors as a senior. Fife also ranks among the Hoosiers' all-time top 20 in assists (307) and three-pointers (99), and his .478 three-point field goal percentage in 2001-02 is sixth on IU's single-season list. Fife also holds Indiana's single-season record for games started (37) and is tied for sixth in career games played (131).

Fife was the Gary Steelheads' first-round pick in the 2002 CBA Draft and started five of the 34 games in which he played. He averaged 3.4 points and one rebound per game.

At 29, he is the youngest current NCAA Division-I men's basketball head coach, and in just his fourth season could move to third all-time in men's basketball coaching wins at IPFW.