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Position: Head Coach beau.baldwin@ewu.edu 509-359-2456 |
Previous College: Central Washington '96 Experience: 3rd Season |
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Beau BaldwinFootball playoffs have become second nature for Beau Baldwin. Eastern Washington University’s roller-coaster 2009 season was no exception.
Ever since his high school days when his Curtis High School team in Tacoma, Wash., won the State AAA title, Baldwin has been a part of playoff runs at three collegiate levels -- NCAA Football Championship Subdivision, NCAA Division II and NAIA. In all, his 16-season collegiate coaching résumé -- all at Eastern Washington or Central Washington -- includes one national championship, five conference championships and a 7-6-1 record in seven post-season playoff appearances.
Baldwin enters his third season as head coach at Eastern, going 8-4 in 2009 after a 6-5 debut season in 2008. In 2007, as head coach at Central Washington, Baldwin was 10-3, giving him a 24-12 (.667) head coaching record. He is 17-7 (.708) in league games as a head coach, including an 11-5 mark in two seasons as head coach in the Big Sky Conference.
Two of his three seasons as head coach -- and two more at Eastern as an assistant -- ended with playoff berths. But those appearances also ended with losses, which means, national championships are the ultimate goal.
“That’s always the tough part -- unless you win it all, you end with a difficult loss,” he said. “You always want to try to advance as far as you can when you get into the playoffs, but the bottom line is that it’s a tough way to go out when you lose. But when I think back on what players accomplish every season, I become very proud.”
A 1996 graduate of Central Washington, Baldwin’s entire 20-year career as a player and coach has been spent at either CWU or EWU. His record as a collegiate coach is 105-70-1 (.599) with a 59-33 league mark (.641).
Baldwin first came to Eastern in 2003 and spent four seasons in EWU’s program as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. After helping lead the Eagles to FCS Playoff appearances in 2004 and 2005, Baldwin led Central to the 2007 NCAA Division II Playoffs. Baldwin then returned to become EWU’s 20th head football coach and lead the school in its 100th football campaign in his debut season in 2008. He followed that 6-5 season with a FCS playoff berth in 2009.
In his debut season, Eastern ranked seventh nationally in passing (299.9 per game) and 24th in total offense (398.5). Individually, national awards candidates Greg Peach and Matt Nichols led the way. Peach, who would go on to win the Buchanan Award given to the top defensive player in FCS, led the nation in sacks (1.64 per game) and tackles for loss (2.1). Nichols, a Payton Award candidate given to the top offensive player, ranked fifth in total offense (306.9) and sixth in passing offense (299.4).
That team finished 6-5 overall and 5-3 in the Big Sky Conference, and set the tone for what the Eagles would accomplish in 2009.
Eastern finished the 2009 season 8-4 and advanced to the playoffs for the fourth time in the last six seasons. The Eagles finished as the runner-up in the Big Sky Conference with a 6-2 mark, winning their last four regular season games by a combined 172-107 margin. Fighting injuries and fatigue from the long season, Eastern’s run came to an end with a 44-33 playoff loss at Stephen F. Austin.
That day, Baldwin said goodbye to 17 Eagle seniors who combined for 350 starts in their careers
“We’re going to miss all of those players, and the hardest thing is knowing that was their last ballgame,” he said following the loss. “They can hold their heads high for what they accomplished, not just in 2009 but in their careers.
“It’s tough that our seniors aren’t going to be around,” he continued, “but at the same time that’s part of college coaching and you look forward to the next challenge.”
The Eagles finished the season ranked 13th in the final NCAA FCS Sports Network Poll, and was also ranked 13th in the FCS Coaches poll and the AGS/anygivensaturday.com poll. Eastern battled injuries all season dating back to the previous spring, and also weathered a postseason ban by the NCAA in February that was overturned in late October.
“It became tough, but it was something we enjoyed the whole time -- it never felt at all like a grind,” said Baldwin. “We enjoyed the challenge of battling through adversity, and our players took that, ran with it and really battled. Once we did find out the good news that our appeal went through, we enjoyed making that run at the end of the year.”
“It was long and it was tough, but it was something we would do again in a heartbeat,” he added. “We had a blast this season. The athletes we had on this team and the senior leadership we had made the season very rewarding.”
Showing its consistency, Eastern had its 12th winning season in the last 14 years (1996-2009). Eastern is one of only eight schools (of 125 playing FCS football) to have made the playoffs at least four times in the past six years (2004-09).
Having spent his entire coaching and playing career in the state of Washington, Baldwin has great knowledge of recruitment within the region and the type of player his program seeks.
“First off, we want to find those student-athletes who fit the right mold from an academic standpoint, a social standpoint and on the field,” he explained. “A lot of times, the on the field part comes easy. There are things you can do when they are between the ages of 18 and 23 to help mold and develop their character. We are going to work hard.
“We’re fortunate to be a great state when it comes to recruiting,” he added. “Some colleges aren’t as fortunate to have that corp of high school players available. I believe that we are going to keep making strides and get better and better. It’s going to be hard work, but I think everybody in our department is willing to work hard to keep us improving.”
Baldwin Coaches Eastern’s Top Two Quarterbacks in School History . . .
While at Eastern, Baldwin has coached two of the greatest quarterbacks in NCAA FCS history -- Erik Meyer (2002-2005) and Matt Nichols (2006-2009). At Central, he coached three of its all-time greats -- NFL veteran Jon Kitna, current Eastern assistant coach Zak Hill and Mike Reilly.
In 2009, Nichols earned prestigious first team NCAA Football Championship Subdivision All-America honors from the American Football Coaches Association, as well as three other All-America honors. He finished fourth in the voting for the Payton Award given to the top player in FCS, and was also the Big Sky’s Offensive Player of the Year for the second time in his career.
He broke 14 school records and six Big Sky Conference marks in his 47-game career (45 as a starter) before playing in the East-West Shrine Game and signing a free agent contract with the Dallas Cowboys. He passed for 3,830 yards and 33 touchdowns as a senior, giving him a total of 12,616 yards and 96 touchdowns in his career. His career yardage total ranks sixth in FCS history and his touchdown total is 10th.
“It just shows his toughness and longevity,” said Baldwin. “A record like that shows a lot of things. A lot of players have talent but get hurt along the way, or this or that, but Matt was constant and was one of those guys week-in and week-out who just brought it. He deserved the records -- he worked hard to get them and I am really proud of him.”
Nichols completed a career-best 65 percent of his passes in 2009 to give him a passing efficiency rating of 156.5 to rank eighth in FCS. He was fifth in total offense (327.7 per game) and third in passing offense (319.2). As a team, the Eagles finished the 2009 season ranked in the top 10 in four offensive categories in the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision, including passing (3rd, 321.3), total offense (4th, 462.2), scoring (8th, 33.7) and passing efficiency (4th, 154.5).
As a junior in 2008 -- Baldwin’s first season as EWU’s head coach -- Nichols earned honorable mention All-BSC honors as he ranked sixth nationally in passing (299.4) and fifth in total offense (306.9). Eastern ranked seventh nationally in passing (299.9 per game) and 24th in total offense (398.5).
Nichols had a school-record 17 interceptions as a freshman when a youthful Eastern team finished just 3-8. In that learning season, Eastern was 77th in FCS in total offense (310.3 yards per game), 34th in passing (201.90) and 77th in scoring (19.5). The following season, a more experienced EWU team advanced to the 2007 FCS Playoffs as Nichols won Big Sky Conference Offensive Player of the Year honors and threw a school-record 34 touchdown passes.
“He helped improve my mechanics, my footwork and my accuracy,” Nichols said of Baldwin. “He took me from being a high school quarterback and helped me become a college quarterback. He’s a great coach.”
In 2004 and 2005 with Baldwin as coordinator, Eastern had one of the best offenses in the nation thanks to the arm and legs of Meyer. In 2005, the Eagles averaged 477.8 yards per game to rank fourth nationally, and were 14th in scoring (35.0). A year earlier, the Eagles averaged 475.5 yards and 37.5 points per game to rank sixth. Eastern also ranked in the top 10 nationally both years in passing offense and passing efficiency.
Meyer had 84 touchdown passes with just 17 interceptions in his career to set a FCS record for passing efficiency (166.47). The All-American broke 14 school records and two Big Sky marks as he was twice selected as the league’s Offensive Player of the Year before winning the Payton Award as the top player in the FCS.
In Baldwin’s first season at EWU in 2003, the Eagles ranked 29th in I-AA in scoring (31.27) and were 47th in offense (380.0).
Baldwin Takes Over Highly-Successful Program From Paul Wulff . . .
Baldwin took over an Eastern football program that advanced to the FCS Playoffs three out of the previous four seasons under Paul Wulff, who left Eastern in December 2007 for the head coaching position at Washington State University. Eastern was 9-4 in 2007 and advanced to the quarterfinals of the playoffs behind an offense that included sophomore starter Matt Nichols at quarterback and three sophomore starters at wide receiver.
At the same time, Baldwin was guiding Central Washington to a nearly identical successful season.
In 2007, both the Eagles and Wildcats finished the season among the top eight teams in their respective classifications. On Nov. 24, 2007, the Wildcats scored two touchdowns in the final 2:49 to upset previously undefeated and top-seeded Nebraska-Omaha 20-17 in the second round. In the quarterfinals on Dec. 1, Central lost to No. 1 ranked and two-time defending champion Grand Valley State 41-21.
On those very same days in the FCS Playoffs, Eastern had similar fate. The Eagles opened the playoffs on Nov. 24 by handing second-seeded and No. 3 ranked McNeese State its first loss of the season with an overwhelming 44-15 victory. Eastern was then edged 38-35 by two-time defending champion Appalachian State in the quarterfinals on Dec. 1.
The Wildcats averaged 398.5 yards of total offense per game in 2007, including an average of 263.5 passing. Central averaged 31.4 points per game, including five games with at least 40 points.
Baldwin’s quarterback was Mike Reilly, who was one of 24 national candidates for the Harlon Hill Trophy as the top player in Division II football. He earned All-Region honors after completing 62 percent of his passes for 3,386 yards, 30 touchdowns and just 10 interceptions for a passing efficiency rating of 145.8.
Baldwin, a quarterback himself at CWU and a former teammate of NFL starter Jon Kitna, watched from 2 1/2 hours away in Ellensburg, Wash., as Eastern and Nichols produced similar statistics in 2007. The Eagles finished the season with an average of 462.3 yards of offense per game (sixth in FCS), including 295.4 passing (eighth).
Two-Time Team Captain Was Backup Behind NFL Standout Jon Kitna . . .
Before coming to EWU, Baldwin spent seven seasons and nine overall at CWU with positions as quarterbacks coach and co-offensive coordinator. A 1996 graduate of CWU, he served seven years under head coach John Zamberlin, a former EWU assistant coach and now head coach at Idaho State.
A former Wildcat quarterback from 1990-93, Baldwin passed along his knowledge to two of the greatest quarterbacks in CWU history en route to two of the school’s best-ever seasons. He was quarterbacks coach in 1994-95 when All-American Jon Kitna was in Ellensburg, leading CWU to a 10-3-1 record and the NAIA Championship in 1995. The Wildcats also advanced to the NAIA Playoffs in 1998.
Baldwin also coached All-American Zak Hill – now an assistant coach at EWU – as the Wildcats finished the 2002 season 11-1. Central ranked fifth in NCAA Division II before losing in the first round of the playoffs.
In six of his nine seasons at CWU, the Wildcats led their conference in passing and were at least second in scoring and total offense. In 2002, Central ranked second in NCAA Division II in passing offense (315 yards per game) and was fourth in total offense (465) and 11th in scoring (36.8).
As a player, Baldwin was a two-time team captain and completed 121-of-197 passes for 1,655 yards and eight touchdowns. His career completion percentage of .614 is a school record. In a 38-35 win versus Simon Fraser in 1991, he set single-game school records for attempts (52), completions (32), yards (467), total plays (66) and total yards (550). He had a 6-yard touchdown pass with four seconds left to give the Wildcats the win.
A year later, Baldwin came off the bench to lead CWU to the greatest fourth-quarter comeback in Columbia Football Association history. He completed 21-of-33 passes for 222 yards as the Wildcats scored 26 points in the final quarter to overcome a 28-3 deficit and defeat Eastern Oregon 29-28.
His final two seasons he was a backup to Kitna, who now plays for Dallas in the National Football League along with former Eagle Matt Nichols. Baldwin then coached Kitna for two more seasons, including the national title year in 1995.
Baldwin graduated in 1990 from Curtis High School in Tacoma, Wash. He earned three letters in football and three in baseball and helped lead Curtis to the 1989 State AAA title in football along with his fellow EWU coach Torey Hunter and former fellow EWU coach Brian Strandley. Eastern offensive coordinator and offensive line coach Aaron Best is a 1996 graduate of Curtis.
Baldwin was born May 21, 1972, in Santa Barbara, Calif. He and his wife Nicole have a girl named Mia Jenae who was born Dec. 29, 2004. Their second daughter, Macie Patricia, was born Nov. 22, 2006. Although spelled differently, Macie received her name because she was born the day before Thanksgiving Day and the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade gave her parents the idea.
Nicole (formerly Nicole Monforton) is a graduate of Eastern (bachelor’s degree in journalism in 2001) and Spokane’s Valley Christian High School (1997). She met Beau while working as a graduate student in EWU’s sports information office.
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Position: Associate Head Coach/Defensive Coordinator/Linebackers john.graham@ewu.edu 509-359-6918 |
Previous College: Central Washington '92 Experience: 3rd Season |
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After spending 13 seasons at Central Washington University, Graham enters his third season as EWU’s defensive coordinator, and his second as Associate Head Coach. He is also taking over as coach of EWU’s linebackers this fall.
In 2009, Eastern’s defense helped the Eagles finish sixth in the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision in turnover margin, averaging 1.25 less turnovers per game than its opponents. With EWU finishing with 17 interceptions and 15 opponent fumbles recovered, Eastern was 6-0 during the regular season when it won the turnover battle. Eastern had a 22-4 advantage in those six games.
Along the way, Eastern had a 16-0 shutout against Northern Colorado, which was EWU’s first shutout at Woodward Field since 1983. Individually, linebacker J.C. Sherritt was named to all six FCS All-America teams and was second in the voting for the Buck Buchanan Award given to the top defensive player in FCS. He set school and Big Sky records with 170 total tackles as he led FCS with an average of more than 14 stops per game. Sherritt was a first team All-Big Sky selection, as was defensive lineman Renard Williams, who finished the year with 9 1/2 sacks.
In Graham’s first season at the helm of the defense, Eastern overcame a rocky start to hold five-straight opponents from Oct. 11 to Nov. 15 to 19 points or fewer. That was something EWU has never done since becoming a member of the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision in 1984. The Eagles closed the year by limiting Weber State’s high-powered offense to 26 points in a 33-26 Eagle victory over the league champions.
A graduate of nearby Reardan High School, Graham spent his final 12 seasons at Central as the defensive coordinator while coaching defensive backs and linebackers. He also served as secondary coach in 1995, and in 1997 served as interim head coach for a three-month period. He also served as recruiting coordinator, travel coordinator and camp coordinator at different times during his tenure, as well as serving as an assistant to the athletic director in charge of fundraising and the department’s alumni golf tournament.
As a defensive coordinator, Graham helped coach Central to an 89-51 overall record with five conference championships and the NAIA title in 1995. As a defensive backs coach, two Wildcats earned All-America honors, three were conference defensive players of the year and 18 earned first team all-conference accolades.
Graham spent two previous seasons (1993-94) as head coach at DeSales High School in Walla Walla, Wash., where his teams compiled a 13-6 record overall and 8-2 mark in league play. In 1993, his team was undefeated in the league and advanced to the semifinals of the State B Playoffs as he earned Southeast District 9 coach of the year honors. He also served as athletic director and as an assistant basketball and track and field coach at DeSales. In addition, he spent one year (1992) as an assistant coach at Kent-Meridian High School in Kent, Wash.
Graham is a 1992 graduate of CWU, earning a bachelor of science degree in business education. He played as defensive back for the Wildcats in 1990 and 1991, earning honorable mention all-conference honors as a senior. In 1991, Graham had 30 tackles and three interceptions. Prior to enrolling at CWU, he played two seasons at Walla Walla CC where he earned first team all-conference honors as a defensive back and received his associate of arts degree in 1989.
Graham graduated from Reardan High School in 1987. He earned four letters each in football, basketball and track. He was a three-time all-league linebacker and two-time all-league quarterback, as well as serving as team captain and earning most inspirational honors. He was student body president at Reardan.
Graham was born on Feb. 7, 1969, in Ellensburg. His wife’s name is Becky and they have two sons, Andrew, 14, and Ty, 12, and a daughter named Sara.
His father, Dan Graham, was inducted into the Washington State Football Coaches Hall of Fame in January 2008. The long-time head coach at Reardan High School directed his team to State B-11 titles in 2002 and 2003.
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Position: Offensive Coordinator/Offensive Line/Academic Coord. aaron.best@ewu.edu 509-359-6541 |
Previous College: Eastern Washington '01 Experience: 10th Season |
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Aaron Best enters his 14th year as an Eagle, including four years at Eastern (1996-99) as an All-America center and nine previous seasons as an assistant coach (2000-2006, 2008-2009). An academic honor student as an undergraduate at Eastern, Best also handles the team’s academic coordinator duties.
In 2009, his first season as offensive coordinator, the Eagles finished ranked in the top 10 in four offensive categories in the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision, including passing (3rd, 321.3), total offense (4th, 462.2), scoring (8th, 33.7) and passing efficiency (4th, 154.5). Senior quarterback Matt Nichols, senior tight end Nathan Overbay and sophomore running back Taiwan Jones all won All-America honors and first team All-Big Sky honors. Nichols was the Big Sky Offensive Player of the Year and joined Overbay as free agent NFL signees.
He coached a trio of All-Big Sky Conference offensive linemen in 2009 -- senior tackle Chris Thomas, senior guard Ryan Forney and sophomore center Chris Powers -- who all earned honorable mention accolades. In 2008, three earned honorable mention as senior center Charlie Wullf was joined by a pair of underclassmen in tackles Chris Thomas and Brice Leahy.
Best spent the 2007 season as an offensive line specialist for the Toronto Argonauts in the Canadian Football League. Best helped the Argonauts win the Eastern Division championship with an 11-7 record before losing in the first round of the playoffs. Although Toronto was last in the league in total offense, Best’s offensive line ranked third in fewest sacks allowed with 40. Eastern Hall of Fame member Bill Diedrick Jr., was also an offensive coach for the Argonauts.
Best was a guest coach at Toronto’s training camp in May 2007, and then was asked to return as a full-time coach in July. In 2006, he attended Calgary Stampeders training camp as a guest coach to offensive coordinator Steve Buratto, who graduated from the University of Idaho and spent the 2007 season coaching in Toronto.
In his previous stint at Eastern, Best had the opportunity to coach two All-Americans in the 2004 season and another in 2005. He was the school’s primary offensive line coach from 2002-2006 after previously helping coach that unit as a graduate assistant in 2001 and as a student assistant in 2000.
Matt Alfred earned All-America honors in 2005, and he was recognized on the All-Big Sky squad along with Kraig Sigler and Rocky Hanni. All five of Eastern’s starting offensive linemen earned All-Big Sky Conference honors in 2004, including first team selections Michael Roos and Rocky Hanni. Both players went on to earn All-America honors, with Roos also being selected as the Lineman of the Year by I-AA.Org.
Roos played in the Senior Bowl and East-West Shrine Game, and was invited to the NFL Scouting Combine. He became the highest NFL draft choice in school history when he was chosen in the second round – 41st overall – by the Tennessee Titans in 2005. Including 35 starts to end his EWU career, Roos enters the 2010 season having made 139 consecutive starts as an offensive tackle. His last 104 starts have come as a Titan (two AFC playoff games, 80 regular season games, 21 pre-season contests and as a starter in his first-ever Pro Bowl on Feb. 8, 2009).
"I was very lucky to have the best offensive line coach possible in Aaron Best," praised Roos in response to having his jersey retired at EWU on Oct. 24, 2009. "He taught all of us the meaning of hard work and perseverance.”
Eastern’s offensive lines helped the Eagles rank fourth in NCAA Football Championship Subdivision in total offense in both 2004 and 2005. In 2005 the Eagles averaged 477.8 yards per game, and were 14th in scoring (35.0). A year earlier the Eagles averaged 475.5 yards and 37.5 points per game to rank sixth.
In 2003, Eastern averaged 380.0 yards per game and ranked 21st in FCS in passing offense (247.3). In 2002 the Eagles finished third nationally in passing offense (317.6) and were sixth in total offense (447.6) a year after leading FCS in total offense (514.5) and scoring (41.9) in 2001.
Best started 22 straight games at center for Eastern in 1998 and 1999, earning honorable mention All-Big Sky honors as a junior and first team honors as a senior. He also earned honorable mention All-America honors his final season.
An outstanding student with a 3.3 grade point average, as a senior he was selected to the CoSIDA Academic All-District VIII team and was selected to the FCS Athletic Directors Academic All-Star Team. Twice he was selected to the Big Sky All-Academic team. He received his bachelor’s degree in social science from EWU in 2001 and is currently working toward his master’s degree in physical education.
He was Eastern’s long-snapper for four seasons and was a backup lineman in 1997 when Eastern led NCAA Division I-AA in total offense (505.6 yards per game). That team finished 12-2 and advanced to the I-AA “Final Four.” The Eagles were 31-16 in the four seasons Best played for the Eagles, and the Eagles had a 1,000-yard rusher each year – a streak that reached eight straight seasons until it was broken in 2003.
Best graduated in 1996 from Curtis High School in Tacoma, Wash., where he had a 3.75 grade point average. He was co-captain his senior season as Curtis won the State AAA championship. His brother Tyler Best was a starting catcher for the Lewis-Clark State baseball team, which won its second straight NAIA World Series title in 2003.
Best was born Jan. 27, 1978, in Tacoma, Wash. He and the former Kim Walker were married on July 15, 2007, in Everett, Wash. Their first child, Tank William Best, was born April 12, 2008. Tank weighed in at 10 pounds, seven ounces and was 20 1/2 inches long. They had a second child, Tenli Dakotah, on July 30, 2010.
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Position: Running Backs/Camps Coordinator chris.hansen@ewu.edu 509-359-2307 |
Previous College: Eastern Washington '91 Experience: 12th Season |
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A true veteran of the Eagle coaching staff, Chris Hansen has been a part of the EWU program for a total of 12 years since the mid-1980s. He is now coaching running backs, but coached tight ends in 2008 and cornerbacks from 2003-07. A volunteer assistant in the secondary in 2002 and 2003, Hansen helps run EWU summer camps and the annual coaches golf tournament.
Among the running backs he coached in 2009 was All-American Taiwan Jones. A first team All-Big Sky selection, he finished with 1,213 rushing yards in 2009 to rank as the sixth-most in school history. He ranked in the top 10 in FCS in rushing (ninth, 101.1 per game), scoring (sixth, 9.50 per game) and all-purpose yards per game (second, 195.4). His 2,345 all-purpose yards (rushing, receiving, returns) were the second-most in school history, and his 19 touchdowns and 114 total points both rank fourth.
One of the tight ends he coached in 2008 was honorable mention All-Big Sky tight end Nathan Overbay. Overbay went on to earn All-America honors as a senior in 2009 and sign a free agent contract in the NFL.
Hansen’s group of cornerbacks in 2007 included honorable mention All-Big Sky selection Ira Jarmon, who finished with three interceptions as Eastern finished the year with 22 interceptions to rank third in the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision.
Eastern’s 2005 team featured a pair of senior cornerbacks in Jesse Hendrix (first team All-Big Sky) and Isaiah Trufant (missed six games with an ankle injury). They combined for 16 interceptions, 65 passes broken up and 287 total tackles in their Eagle careers. That duo had a combined 85 games of experience, including 69 career starts.
In 2004, Hansen coached three All-Big Sky cornerbacks in Trufant (first team), Ryan Phillips (first team) and Hendrix (honorable mention). All three went on to play professional football, with Phillips earning Canadian Football League All-Star honors with the B.C. Lions.
Hansen played one season at Eastern Washington in 1983, finishing with 25 tackles as an outside linebacker for a team that lost its first five games of the season and won its last five. Before that he played the 1980 and 1981 seasons at Spokane Falls Community College and spent one season as a non-lettering walk-on at Washington State in 1982.
He eventually returned to Eastern as an assistant coach in 1988 and spent three seasons as a student assistant under head coach Dick Zornes. He coached safeties his first year – including former NFL standout Kurt Schulz – then coached tight ends the following two seasons.
After receiving his bachelor’s degree from Eastern in secondary education in 1991, he returned to coach and teach at his alma mater – Liberty High School in Spangle, Wash. – for seven years. He coached football, basketball and track, serving as an assistant when Liberty won the 1992 State B title in football. He was head coach of the girls’ track team that won the 1993 State B championship.
He received his master’s degree from Gonzaga University in 1996, and then returned to Eastern in 2002 as a volunteer assistant coach.
Hansen is a 1979 graduate of Liberty High School in Spangle, Wash. He was born April 10, 1961, in Morristown, N.J. He has two daughters – Amanda (23) and Chelsee (18). His younger brother Aaron Hansen played for the Eagles from 1987-90 and was an All-Big Sky Conference defensive end. He finished with 25 sacks and had 207 career tackles.
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Position: Safeties/Special Teams Coord./Video Coord. jeff.schmedding@ewu.edu 509-359-2837 |
Previous College: Eastern Washington '02 Experience: 6th Season |
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The 2010 season will be Jeff Schmedding’s sixth year on the Eastern Washington coaching staff. He will coach safeties this season after coaching linebackers for the past two seasons. He will also continue as coordinator of EWU special teams and as video coordinator.
The linebackers he coached in 2009 included junior J.C. Sherritt, who was named to all six FCS All-America teams and was second in the voting for the Buck Buchanan Award given to the top defensive player in FCS. He set school and Big Sky records with 170 total tackles as he led FCS with an average of more than 14 stops per game. Sherritt earned first team All-Big Sky honors and senior Makai Borden earned honorable mention.
In 2008, a trio of Schmedding’s linebackers earned honorable mention All-Big Sky Conference honors – Borden, Sherritt and Zach Johnson. In addition, return specialist Nicholas Ramos earned honorable mention for special teams play.
Schmedding coached safeties in 2007 -- including two-time All-Big Sky performer Bryan Jarrett -- and is in the process of completing his master’s degree in sports psychology. He previously worked with linebackers (2005) and the secondary (2004) as a graduate assistant in his first two seasons at EWU.
He graduated in 2002 from Eastern with his bachelor’s degree in health education and a minor in physical education/coaching. He was a health and fitness teacher at University High School in Spokane Valley for two years, and coached football. He was defensive coordinator and coached linebackers for the Titans in 2002 and 2003.
While he was a EWU undergraduate, he also did his student teaching at U-Hi in 2001 and coached football. In 1999 and 2000 he coached the defensive line, and in 2001 he coached linebackers. The Titans were Greater Spokane League champions in 2000. He also helped coach track and field from 2002-2004.
Schmedding graduated in 1996 from University High School where he was a standout wrestler and football player. He was the runner-up at the State 3A Wrestling Championships in the 215-pound division.
He and his wife Kristine were married in July 2006. Their son, Jack Conrad Schmedding, was born on Oct. 27, 2009 -- conveniently between EWU’s victories over Montana State on Oct. 24 and Portland State on Oct. 31.
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Position: Cornerbacks/Travel Coordinator torey.hunter@ewu.edu 509-359-7463 |
Previous College: Washington State '03 Experience: 3rd Season |
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A former standout defensive back at Washington State University, Hunter enters his third season on EWU’s staff as defensive backs coach after spending the 2007 season coaching wide receivers for Beau Baldwin at Central Washington. He also has additional duties as EWU’s travel coordinator.
He coached a pair of players to All-Big Sky honorable mention accolades in 2009 as senior free safety Kevin Hatch and sophomore strong safety Matt Johnson were honored. Eastern finished with 17 interceptions (Johnson had six) as the Eagles finished sixth in FCS in turnover margin (plus 1.25 per game). In his first year coaching the secondary in 2008, senior cornerback Ryan Kelley and Johnson earned honorable mention All-Big Sky honors. Eastern’s defense overcame a rocky start to hold five-straight opponents from Oct. 11 to Nov. 15 to 19 points or fewer.
From 2003-2006, Hunter was cornerbacks coach at Idaho State where he served under Bengals head coach Larry Lewis. Prior to that, Hunter coached the secondary under John Ely at Western Washington in 2002.
Hunter played at Washington State University and was selected in the third round of the 1995 NFL Draft by the Houston Oilers. Hunter played in 12 games for the Oilers, and then spent the 1996 season with the Amsterdam Admirals of NFL Europe. He played professionally for eight years, including the 2002 season in the Arena Football League for the Detroit Fury. He also played in the Canadian Football League for the Montreal Alouettes (1997-1998, 2001) and the Edmonton Eskimos (1999-2001). He earned CFL All-Eastern Conference honors in 1997.
Hunter played at WSU from 1990-94, earning All-Pacific 10 Conference honors all four years. He participated in the 1995 Senior Bowl and helped lead Washington State to bowl victories in the Alamo Bowl (1994) and Copper Bowl (1992). He eventually earned his bachelor’s degree in sociology from WSU, where he was president and vice president of the Student Athlete Advisory Board. He was also co-founder of the Cougar Athlete Resource Enrichment peer mentoring organization and did an internship in 1999 that helped raise funds for renovation of the school’s athletic facilities.
Hunter attended Curtis High School in Tacoma, Wash. – the same school fellow Eastern coaches Beau Baldwin (’90) and Aaron Best (’96) attended. Hunter served as senior class president as well as three years on student council. He and Baldwin helped lead Curtis to the 1989 State AAA football title. Hunter also played basketball and baseball, and was an All-State selection in both football and basketball.
Hunter was born on Feb. 10, 1972 in Tacoma. His older brother Darryl Hunter played for Eastern as a defensive back from 1983-86. Darryl was a member of EWU’s 1985 team that was inducted into the Eastern Athletics Hall of Fame in 2005 on the 20th anniversary of the school’s first-ever appearance in the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision Playoffs.
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Position: Defensive Linemen/Recruiting Coordinator ryan.sawyer@ewu.edu 509-359-7077 |
Previous College: Central Washington '03 Experience: 3rd Season |
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Having seen both sides of the experience see-saw in his first two seasons as Eastern’s defensive line coach, Ryan Sawyer enters his third season as an assistant in Eastern Washington’s program. This is also his second season as recruiting coordinator.
With three new starters in the lineup in 2009, Sawyer had his work cut out for him. However, sophomore Renard Williams -- the lone returning starter -- earned first team All-Big Sky Conference honors after finishing the season with 9 1/2 sacks. Senior Jacob Kragt earned honorable mention from the league as the Eagles finished with 29 total sacks and ranked sixth in FCS in turnover margin (plus 1.25 per game).
In his first season on the staff in 2008, senior Greg Peach won the Buck Buchanan Award, which is given to the top defensive player in the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision. Peach was honored on five different All-America teams and was the Big Sky Conference Defensive MVP after finishing with a school-record 18 sacks as a senior. Sawyer also coached second team All-Big Sky selections Lance Witherspoon and Jason Belford -- also seniors. Eastern’s defense overcame a rocky start to hold five-straight opponents from Oct. 11 to Nov. 15 to 19 points or fewer.
Sawyer worked four previous seasons under defensive coordinator John Graham at Central Washington. A four-year starter at defensive end for the Wildcats from 1996-99, Sawyer spent the 2007 season as CWU’s defensive line coach under Graham and head coach Beau Baldwin. Sawyer also served as the team’s strength and conditioning coach.
Prior to spending 2003-07 as owner of a residential painting business in Kent, Wash., he spent three previous seasons at CWU as a student assistant wide receiver coach (2001-2002) and as a tight end/offensive line coach (2000). In 2002 he coached three wide receivers who earned all-conference honors, including All-American Brian Potucek, as Central finished the season 11-1.
Sawyer earned second team all-conference honors in 1998 during a streak in which he made 36-straight starts for the Wildcats. He earned his bachelor of science degree in individual studies in spring 2003, with an emphasis on studies in health and coaching.
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Position: Wide Receivers jadams@ewu.edu 509-359-4639 |
Previous College: Montana State University '04 Experience: 2nd Season |
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Junior Adams, a former All-America wide receiver at Montana State, enters his second season as coach of Eastern’s wide receivers corp.
In his first season at EWU in 2009, he coached a group of receivers that featured senior All-American Aaron Boyce. Boyce was injured in the middle of the season, but eventually earned second team All-Big Sky honors along with senior Tony Davis. Boyce finished second in school history in receptions (222), yards (3,330) and touchdown catches (29), and Davis finished his career third in catches (213) and fourth in yards (2,566). In part because of Boyce’s injury, three freshmen played significantly in 2009 and all three are expected to compete for starting assignments in 2010.
Adams originally attended and played at Oregon State, and then transferred to Montana State where he made an immediate impact for head coach Mike Kramer, who was head coach at Eastern from 1994-98. In 2001, Adams earned second team All-Big Sky Conference honors as both a wide receiver and return specialist. He averaged 19.0 yards per punt return, with three touchdowns in a total of 20 returns. One of his touchdowns was an 84-yard return against Eastern in a 48-38 victory over the Eagles at Albi Stadium in Spokane on Oct. 6, 2001. He caught 40 passes for 652 yards and six touchdowns for the 5-6 Bobcats.
As a senior, he caught 66 passes for 983 yards and eight touchdowns to earn All-America honors. He broke a Big Sky Conference record when he averaged 60.5 yards per reception (two catches for 121 yards) against Weber State. He helped MSU to a 7-5 overall record as the Bobcats finished 5-2 in the Big Sky Conference to earn a piece of the league title. He scored the winning touchdown in a 10-7 victory over rival Montana at Washington-Grizzly Stadium in Missoula that ended MSU’s 16-game losing streak versus the Grizzlies. Earlier in the season, he caught 11 passes for 181 yards in a 45-28 loss at Washington State.
Adams remained at MSU to serve as a wide receivers and returns coach under Kramer, and then spent the 2007 season in the same capacity at Prosser (Wash.) High School. He helped head coach Tom Moore finish the season 14-0 and win the WIAA State 2A title. Adams coached the 2008 season at Tennessee-Chattanooga before joining EWU’s program.
A native of Fremont, Calif., he enjoyed an outstanding prep career at Amador Valley High School in Pleasanton, Calif., where he rushed for 3,385 yards and scored 53 touchdowns in three seasons. After he graduated in 1998, Adams redshirted at Oregon State in the fall. He played two seasons for head coach Dennis Erickson and was a member of the 2000 Pacific 10 Conference championship team and played in the 2001 Fiesta Bowl against Notre Dame.
A 1998 graduate of Amador Valley High School in California, his full name is Alton J. Adams Jr. He was born on Oct. 20, 1979, in Fremont, Calif.
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Position: Quarterbacks 509-359-6046 |
Previous College: Central Washington '04 Experience: 4th Season |
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Zak Hill enters his second season as Eastern’s full-time quarterbacks coach after serving as a student assistant coach for the Eagles in 2004 and 2005,
In 2009, he coached record-breaking senior quarterback Matt Nichols, who finished fourth in the voting for the Payton Award given to the top player in FCS, and was also the Big Sky’s Offensive Player of the Year for the second time in his career. Nichols earned prestigious first team NCAA Football Championship Subdivision All-America honors from the American Football Coaches Association, as well as three other All-America honors.
Nichols broke 14 school records and six Big Sky Conference marks in his 47-game career (45 as a starter) before playing in the East-West Shrine Game and signing a free agent contract with the Dallas Cowboys. He passed for 3,830 yards and 33 touchdowns as a senior, giving him a total of 12,616 yards and 96 touchdowns in his career. His career yardage total ranks sixth in FCS history and his touchdown total is 10th.
A record-breaking quarterback himself from 1999-2003 at Central Washington, Hill spent the previous three seasons as a coach at Hillsboro High School in Oregon. After two seasons as offensive coordinator, Hill took over as head coach and led the Spartans to a 6-5 record in 2008 to advance to the first round of the Oregon School Activities Association (OSAA) Class 5A playoffs.
Prior to that, he served as an offensive assistant under EWU offensive coordinator Beau Baldwin in the 2004 and 2005 seasons when the Eagles had a collective 16-9 record, won a pair of Big Sky Conference titles and advanced to the NCAA Championship Subdivision Playoffs both years. Among the quarterbacks he helped coach was Erik Meyer, who won the Payton Award in 2005.
Eastern head coach Beau Baldwin was quarterbacks coach at Central during Hill’s freshman, sophomore and junior seasons. In 38 career games at Central, Hill re-wrote the Great Northwest Athletic Conference record books. En route to breaking more than 20 league records, he passed for 8,882 career yards (233.7 average per game) while completing 60.2 percent of his passes with 76 touchdown passes. He had 11 total games with more than 300 yards passing and 24 with at least 200.
After redshirting in 1998, he played seven games as a freshman in 1999 as Central finished 4-5. He earned All-Columbia Football Association honors in 2000 as Central was 5-5, but a knee injury limited him to two games in the 2001 season.
In 2002, Hill led Central to an 11-1 record as the Wildcats ranked fifth in NCAA Division II before losing in the first round of the playoffs. He passed for 2,694 yards in nine games, completing 209-of-308 passes for a school and league-record .679 completion percentage. He had 22 touchdowns, was intercepted only seven times and had a passing efficiency rating of 160.4. He was a third team All-America selection (Football Gazette) and earned a trio of All-Region awards.
As a sixth-year senior in 2003, Central was the preseason No. 1 team in NCAA Division II as selected by Sports Illustrated, but the Wildcats finished just 6-4. He passed for 2,325 yards and 24 touchdowns, completing 187-of-320 passes with nine interceptions. For the second-straight year, he earned first team All-Great Northwest Athletic Conference honors.
Hill was a 1998 graduate of Prairie High School in Battle Ground, Wash., where he lettered twice in football and three times in baseball while accumulating a 3.73 grade point average. He was team captain as a junior and senior, and twice earned all-league honors. He played football for his father, Butch Hill, who is a member of the Hall of Fame at Central Washington. His father was a two-time All-America pitcher at Central with 17 career victories (1967-68), and also played quarterback for four seasons. He passed for 2,210 yards and accounted for 24 touchdowns (13 passing and 11 rushing).
Zak Hill was born Sept. 14, 1979, in Portland, Ore., and will turn 31 three days after Eastern plays his alma mater on Sept. 11. He and his wife Hollie were married on July 14, 2007.
