san diego state football -...

2005 SAN DIEGO STATE FOOTBALL �� 47

InsideTom Craft 48

Fred Bleil 52

Andy Buh 52

Jim House 53

Thom Kaumeyer 53

LeCharls McDaniel 54

Dennis McKnight 54

Ray Peterson 55

Brian Stark 55

Ed White 56

Mike Fisher 56

Adam Nyssen 56

Dave Powroznik 56

Steve Irvin 57

Support Staff 57

Coaches & StaffS A N D I E G O S TAT E F O O T B A L L

S A N D I E G O S TAT E F O O T B A L L

�� 2005 SAN DIEGO STATE FOOTBALL

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Coach Tom CraftIn three seasons at the helm of the

San Diego State football program,Tom Craft's list of accomplish-

ments are lengthy, his list of goalsremains long and his overall blueprintfor the program continues to takeshape.

On all fronts, San Diego State foot-ball seems poised to take a leap for-ward. The academic side has beenshored up, attendance has jumpeddramatically and the depth chart nowfeatures a mixture of battle-tested vet-erans and fleet-footed underclassmenwho have been part of the MountainWest's top recruiting effort over thepast three seasons, and earned Craftthe title of the best recruiter in theleague by The Sporting News.

Two of Craft's three teams have fin-ished in the upper division of theMountain West Conference, some-thing SDSU had never achieved priorto his arrival. His offensive and defen-sive units have made some of thebiggest improvements in the countrysince he returned to his alma materand he has coached some of theMountain West's most outstandingplayers.

And the really good news is that heis just getting started.

Tom Craft enters his fourth season as the head coachat his alma mater. He has led the Aztecs to twoupper division Mountain West Conference finishes inhis first three seasons.

TToommCCrraafftt


Coach Tom Craft

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The changing of the guard atthe top of a college footballprogram is one of the mostscrutinized processes in allof sports. The experts are

numerous and the expectations aredownright scary.

But it is also a chance to re-invent aprogram.

That opportunity presented itselffollowing the 2001 football season andSan Diego State officials set out to findthe right man for the job.

It was a simple edict.All the Aztec brass had to do was

sort through the pretenders and con-tenders for the job to find the personto lead San Diego State's recovery. Ithad to be someone who could recap-ture the imagination of the Aztec fanswho hungered for the offensive fire-power that the San Diego State faith-ful feel is their heritage. It had to besomeone aware of San Diego State'spast but with a strong vision of theprogram's future - as well as thefuture of college football. It had to besomeone with a proven track recordas a winner and with the confidenceto turn around a program heavy inpotential but lacking in recent suc-cesses. It had to be someone whocould evaluate talent and at the sametime take on the sport's heavy hittersfor a player's signature.

It had to be Tom Craft.A San Diego State graduate, a for-

mer Aztec quarterback and a formeroffensive coordinator on MontezumaMesa, Craft was introduced as SanDiego State's 15th head football coachon Dec. 6, 2001.

In his first season as the Aztec headcoach, he led a mini-revival. SanDiego State showed the biggestimprovement in the country in pass-ing offense. After ranking 89th in thatcategory in 2001, Craft's first offense

was fifth nationally with an averageof 330 passing yards per game and seta school record with 4,302 passingyards for the season.

The Aztecs also made a monumen-tal jump in total offense, rising from98th to 29th with virtually the samelineup that had sputtered the yearbefore. Only Purdue, SouthernCalifornia and Oklahoma Stateshowed more improvement.

But the improvement was morethan cosmetic.

The Aztecs finished third in theMountain West Conference afterbeing picked for last. It was SDSU'sfirst upper-division finish in the newleague and its first winning record inleague play since the 1998 Las VegasBowl team. The Aztecs picked uptheir first-ever Mountain West winsover Air Force and Utah, pushedColorado into the fourth quarter andlost on the last play of the game inCraft's debut at Fresno State.

Along the way, the moniker of "AirCraft" was developed by the media,playing off of the most successful

period in San Diego State history,known as "Air Coryell" as well asCraft's love for throwing the ball.Craft's first team saw wide receiversJ.R. Tolver and Kassim Osgood setNCAA records for productivity bytwo teammates. Both players now col-lect checks from the National FootballLeague after earning all-conferencehonors.

The first year of the Craft era endedwith a recruiting class ranked as oneof the school's best ever, as theMountain West's top class and amongthe nation's top 40. "Aztecs MakeTheir Move" heralded SuperPrep mag-azine after the recruiting dust had set-tled.

Craft's second season providedmore highlights.

The Aztec defense came to beknown as "The Dark Side" and waslaunched into national headlineswhen it limited second-ranked anddefending national champion OhioState without an offensive touchdownand just 196 yards of total offense in a16-13 down-to-the-wire loss. The unitended the season as the eighth bestdefense in the country and tops in theMountain West. It was also thenation's most improved defensiveunit in 2003.

The Aztecs overcame numerousinjuries down the stretch to win threeof their final four games and earn a.500 season for the first time since1998. SDSU finished its regular seasonwithout its starting quarterback, lead-ing rusher or leading receiver.

Craft's third team scared anothernational foe when No. 17 Michiganescaped the Aztecs, 24-21. SDSUachieved a first when it defeated AirForce for the third consecutive seasonand it did so with a roster depleted byinjury. In fact, six freshmen were

The Tom Craft File

Birthdate: Nov. 12, 1953

Birth Place: Iowa City, Iowa

High School: Pacific Grove(Calif.)

College: BA in PhysicalEducation San Diego State,1977; MA in PhysicalEducation Azusa Pacific,1983

Playing Career: The nation'sleading passer (by percent-age) at Monterey PeninsulaJunior College and a two-time all-Coast League selec-tion. Played two years atState and was the startingquarterback on a 10-1 teamas a senior. Aztec teammatesincluded New York Jetshead coach HermanEdwards and CarolinaPanthers head coach JohnFox.

Coaching Career:1977-82 Palomar College,

Assistant Coach1983-93 Palomar College,

Head Coach1994-96 San Diego State,

Off. Coordinator1997-01 Palomar College,

Head Coach2002 - San Diego State,

Head Coach

Family: Wife, Kathy, andchildren, Lacey Jaye, Kevinand Kyle



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Coach Tom Craftstarting on the offensive side by theseason finale.

In just three seasons, Craft hascoached the Mountain West freshmanof the year (Lynell Hamilton) and theleague's defensive player of the yearin Kirk Morrison, who became thefirst conference player to earn thataward in consecutive season. Sevenplayers have been named first-teamall-Mountain West during Craft'stenure.

Tom Craft is the first San DiegoState graduate to lead the football pro-gram since Bob Breitbard in 1945 andis one of just 19 coaches in Division Iemployed by his alma mater. His hir-ing is a true return to San DiegoState's historic past, when SDSU wasamong the nation's most successful

programs in the 1960s and 1970s. Hisphilosophies are near and dear to thehearts of the Aztec faithful.

Craft's San Diego State roots areclearly evident at all times. Many ofthe team's workouts have been pre-ceded by words of encouragementfrom past Aztec players and coaches,including current New York Jets headcoach (and former Craft teammate atSDSU) Herman Edwards and formerSDSU standout and College FootballHall of Fame member Fred Dryer,now best known for his television roleas "Hunter". On the road, San DiegoState has heard from a variety of for-mer Aztecs, including receiver HavenMoses, a member of the Aztec andDenver Broncos Hall of Fame, and St.Louis Rams offensive lineman and

former Aztec Kyle TurleyThe legend himself, Don Coryell,

was on tap for an Aztec workout lastfall, as was NFL offensive guru andformer SDSU assistant Ernie Zampeseand recent Aztec Hall of Fameinductee Claude Gilbert, the secondwinningest coach in school history.

Many spring workouts ended withCraft quizzing his squad on Aztectrivia and San Diego State's footballheritage. There is little doubt that thecurrent San Diego State football teamwill have a deeper appreciation forthe Red and Black tradition than mostof its predecessors.

Craft has a direct link to San DiegoState's glory years under Coryell. Heplayed at State under Claude Gilbert,who was an assistant under Coryell

An Aztec Family�� The Craft family is famil-iar with Montezuma Mesa.Not only is Tom Craft a SanDiego State grad, but so ishis wife, Kathy. His daugh-ter, Lacey, just completedher career as an Aztec soft-ball player and son, Kevin,is a freshman on the 2005football team.

Tom Craft Year-By-YearYear School Title W L T Noteworthy1977 Palomar College Assistant Coach 7 31978 Palomar College Assistant Coach 4 61979 Palomar College Assistant Coach 3 61980 Palomar College Assistant Coach 1 81981 Palomar College Assistant Coach 2 81982 Palomar College Assistant Coach 2 86-Season Totals 19 39

Year School Title W L T Noteworthy1983 Palomar College Head Coach 4 61984 Palomar College Head Coach 4 61985 Palomar College Head Coach 6 41986 Palomar College Head Coach 5 51987 Palomar College Head Coach *5 4 11988 Palomar College Head Coach 4 61989 Palomar College Head Coach 7 4 Mission South Champions1990 Palomar College Head Coach 7 4 Mission South Champions1991 Palomar College Head Coach 10 1 Co-National Champions1992 Palomar College Head Coach 10 1 Orange County Bowl Champs1993 Palomar College Head Coach 11 0 National Champions11-Season Totals 73 41

Year School Title W L T Noteworthy1994 San Diego State Offensive Coordinator 4 7 30.2 points per game1995 San Diego State Offensive Coordinator 8 4 482.1 yards of offense per game1996 San Diego State Offensive Coordinator 8 3 Offensive average 38.9 points per game3-Season Totals 20 14

Year School Title W L T Noteworthy1997 Palomar College Head Coach 6 5 No-Fear Bowl Champions1998 Palomar College Head Coach 11 1 Co-National Champions1999 Palomar College Head Coach 8 3 Shrine Bowl2000 Palomar College Head Coach 7 4 Southern California Bowl2001 Palomar College Head Coach 10 2 Southern California Bowl Champs5-Season Totals 42 15

Year School Title W L T Noteworthy2002 San Diego State Head Coach 4 9 Aztecs first upper-division MWC finish2003 San Diego State Head Coach 6 6 SDSU s first .500 season since 19982004 San Diego State Head Coach 4 73-Season Totals 14 22

Career Record As A Head Coach: 129-78-1 (19 years) Career Collegiate Coaching Record: 168-131-1 (28 years)Career Record As Palomar College Head Coach: 115-56-1 (16 years) Career SDSU Coaching Record: 34-36 (six years) Career Record As SDSU Head Coach: 14-22 (three years) * Includes forfeit victory


Coach Tom Craft


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during the school's blistering 12-yearrun. Gilbert succeeded the legendwhen Coryell left for the NationalFootball League. Coryell left behind astunning record of 104-19-2 andGilbert followed with a 61-26-2 mark.

As a player, Craft was the startingquarterback and team captain for theAztecs in 1976 and led San Diego Stateto a 10-1 record while completing 69percent of his passes. In fact, duringCraft's two years on the San DiegoState campus, the Aztecs posted acumulative mark of 18-4. His team-mates at State included HermanEdwards and Carolina Panthers headcoach John Fox.

The success he tasted as a playerbecame a way of life for Craft as acoach. As a coordinator at San DiegoState (1994-1996), he led the Aztecs totheir three best offensive years in thepost-Marshall Faulk era. Each of hisunits averaged more than 30 pointsper game, including an eye-popping38.9-point average his final year ascoordinator in 1996. During his lasttwo seasons on campus, San DiegoState was ranked among the nation'stop 10 teams in scoring and totaloffense.

Under Craft's tutelage, San DiegoState has seen some of its greatestindividual achievements.Quarterback Billy Blanton, receiversJ.R. Tolver and Kassim Osgood, andrunning back George Jones etchedtheir names in the Aztec and nationalrecord books.

Blanton's 169.6 passing rating in1996 is still the best ever by an Aztecand his career passing efficiency markof 157.1 is third all-time by an NCAA

player who spent all fouryears at a Division I pro-gram, trailing onlyHeisman Trophy winnersDanny Wuerffel ofFlorida and Ty Detmer ofBrigham Young.

J.R. Tolver and KassimOsgood rewrote schooland NCAA record booksin 2002, combining for anNCAA-record 236 catchesand 3,337 receiving yards.Tolver set the school sin-gle-season mark with 128catches and Osgood hasthe second best season inAztec history with 108grabs.

And if you think theCraft attack is one dimen-sional, keep in mind thatGeorge Jones set theAztec single-season rush-ing mark of 1,842 yards in

1995 with Tom Craft as offensivecoordinator. In 2002, Lynell Hamiltonhad the best freshman rushing seasonby an Aztec since Faulk and becamejust the second freshman in MountainWest history named first-team all-league. He was also a freshman All-American.

Craft's stint as offensive coordina-tor ended with a pair of eight-win sea-sons in 1995 and '96. The 1995 SanDiego State team was the first inNCAA history with a 3,000-yard pass-er, a 1,500-yard rusher and a pair of1,000-yard receivers (Billy Blanton,George Jones and receivers WillBlackwell and Az Hakim).

As head coach at Palomar College,Craft's stint can only be referred to asan "era". After serving as an assistantcoach at the school from 1977 to 1982and with the school openly question-ing its commitment to football, hetook over head-coaching duties in1983. After a pair of 4-6 seasons, the

Comets' fortunes began to improve.By the time Craft left the San Marcosschool for the Aztec coordinator's job,Palomar was coming off of a three-year stretch of 31-2, had an offenseranked among the nation's top five forfive consecutive years and was sport-ing two national championships.

After three years at San Diego State,Craft returned to Palomar and spentfive more seasons at the school. TheComets produced eight-win, 10-winand 11-win campaigns and anothernational title.

Overall, Craft's stay at PalomarCollege included a record of 115-56-1.Five of his teams won at least 10games and he won three nationalchampionships and three Californiacommunity college state champi-onships. He was voted as the statecoach of the year five times and washonored as the Mission Conferencecoach of the year nine times. Hissquads posted a 9-3 record in bowlgames and won nine conference titlesin his last 10 seasons.

Craft was born in Iowa City, Iowa,on Nov. 12, 1953. He attended PacificGrove High School, where he was anall-conference selection in football,basketball and baseball. Before arriv-ing at San Diego State, he played foot-ball at Monterey Peninsula College,where he led the nation's junior col-leges in passing. He was a two-timeall-Coast Conference selection at theschool.

Craft graduated from San DiegoState in 1977 and earned his master'sdegree from Azusa Pacific in 1983.His wife, Kathy, is also a San DiegoState graduate. They have three chil-dren. Lacey Jaye played on theAztecs' women's softball teamthrough 2005. Kevin is a freshmanquarterback on this year s Aztec foot-ball team, while another son, Kyle, isa high school junior.

Craft vs. All FoesAir Force 3-0Arizona State 0-1Brigham Young 0-3Colorado 0-1Colorado State 0-3E. Washington 1-0Fresno State 0-1Hawai'i 0-1Idaho 0-1Idaho State 1-0Michigan 0-1Nevada 1-0New Mexico 0-3Ohio State 0-1Samford 1-0UCLA 0-3UNLV 3-0Utah 1-2UTEP 1-0Wyoming 2-1

All AztecsThe following is a look at hon-ors accumulated by San DiegoState players under the direc-tion of Tom Craft as head coachor offensive coordinator.

All-AmericaWill Blackwell, WR (HM)Billy Blanton, QB (HM)Lynell Hamilton, RB (Frosh)George Jones, RBKirk Morrison, LBJ.R. Tolver, WR

All-ConferenceJonathan Bailes, DLWill Blackwell, WRBrendan Darby, OLHeath Farwell, LBChris Finch, OLLynell Hamilton, RBJohnathan Ingram, OLGeorge Jones, RBMike Kracalik, OLBlake Lobel, DLMatt McCoy, LBKirk Morrison, LBKassim Osgood, WRBrandon Rager, DEJeff Shoate, DBJ.R. Tolver, WRKyle Turley, OLMarviel Underwood, DBJeff Webb, WR



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CoachesFred BleilSecondary/Special TeamsEighth Year at San Diego StateWestmar 71

Andy BuhLinebackersFourth Year at San Diego StateNevada 96

Fred Bleil is in his eighth season of coaching theAztec secondary and added special teams duties in2003. Under his direction, the Aztec secondary hasbeen a big reason State's defense has become anannual force in the Mountain West.

Under Bleil's tutelage, SDSU's Will Dempsearned two straight first-team all-conference selec-tions and went on to become a rookie starter withthe Baltimore Ravens. Another former Aztec player,safety Brian Russell (whom Bleil helped convertfrom quarterback), has gone on to a professionalcareer with the Minnesota Vikings and ClevelandBrowns and was the NFL leader in interceptions in2003. In 2005, Aztec safety Marviel Underwood wasdrafted by the Green Bay Packers.

Under Bleil's direction, the Aztecs improvedfrom 86th in the country in pass defense in 2002 tofourth in 2003. Aztec cornerbacks Jacob Elimimianand Jeff Shoate ranked first and second in theMountain West in 2003 in passes defended andElimimian was third in the league in interceptions.

Prior to arriving at San Diego State in the springof 1998, he spent two seasons as defensive coordina-tor at North Texas. Under Bleil, UNT finished in thetop three in the Big West in scoring defense in both1996 and '97, and ranked second in the league inpass defense in '96. Three UNT players earned all-Big West honors.

Prior to North Texas, Bleil was the defensivecoordinator at New Mexico from 1992 to '95. In fourseasons with the Lobos, Bleil helped improve thedefense from one of the worst in the nation to one ofthe best in the WAC. He was defensive coordinatorand assistant head coach at Utah State from 1986-91.

He was head coach at New Mexico Highlandsfrom 1979 to 1982, and in his third season wasRocky Mountain Athletic Conference Coach of theYear when he led the Cowboys to the 1981 title. Forhis efforts, he was also honored as the AFCACollege Division coach of the year and later servedas director of athletics at the school from 1981-82.He has also had coaching stints at Texas A&I (1983)and Drake (1984-85).

As A Player: Bleil played his college football atNorthern Iowa in 1967.

Personal: Fred Bleil was born Jan. 7, 1949, inRemsen, Iowa, and attended Remsen-Union HighSchool. He earned a degree from Westmar Collegein 1971 and a masters degree from Eastern NewMexico in '72.

Andy Buh, a graduate of Escondido's OrangeGlen High School, is in his fourth year of coachingthe Aztec linebackers. He arrived at San Diego Stateafter spending two seasons on the coaching staff atCalifornia.

In his first year on Montezuma Mesa, Buh helpedmiddle linebacker Kirk Morrison become SDSU'sfirst all-league choice at the position since 1985.

In 2003, Morrison became a first-team All-American as well as the Mountain West Conferencedefensive player of the year. Another Aztec line-backer, Matt McCoy, led the Mountain WestConference in tackles with 125 and was a second-team all-league choice. Morrison repeated as MWCplayer of the year in 2004.

Last season, two Aztec linebackers, Morrison andMcCoy, were on the national watch lists for theNagurski and Butkus Awards. Both were alsoselected in the first three rounds of the 2005 NFLdraft.

Buh began his coaching career at Orange GlenHigh School where he spent a year as an assistantcoach. He then returned to his alma mater, Nevada,and spent two years as a graduate assistant workingwith the Wolf Pack secondary. After a brief stint atSaint Mary's College, he joined the Nevada staff ona full-time basis, working with the secondary andspecial teams while recruiting the San Diego andLas Vegas areas.

Buh then joined Tom Holmoe's staff at Cal,where he helped coach linebackers for two years.

As A Player: Buh was a linebacker and tight endat Orange Glen. He then spent two years as a line-backer at Palomar College, where he played forTom Craft. During his two-year stay under Craft,the Comets were 20-2 and won a national champi-onship. Buh ended his community college stint withAll-America honors.

From Palomar, Buh spent two years earning var-sity letters as a linebacker at Nevada, where heplayed under Chris Ault.

Personal: Buh earned his bachelor's degree inphysical education from Nevada in 1996.

BirthdateJan. 7, 1949

EducationWestmar College 71

Coaching Career

1998-PresentSan Diego StateSecondary/Sp. Teams

1996-97North TexasDefensive Coordinator

1992-95New MexicoDefensive Coordinator

1986-91Utah StateDefensive CoordinatorAsst. Head Coach

1984-85DrakeDefensive Coordinator

1983Texas A&I Defensive Coordinator

1979-82New MexicoHighlandsHead Coach

1973-78Eastern New MexicoDefensive Coordinator

1972Fort Lewis CollegeSecondary

BirthdateJune 20, 1973

EducationNevada 96

Coaching Career

2002-PresentSan Diego StateLinebackers

2000-01CaliforniaAsst. Sp. Teams/LBs

1999NevadaSecondary/Sp. Teams

1998 (Spring)Saint Mary s CollegeSecondary/Sp. Teams

1997-98NevadaGrad. Asst. (Secondary)


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Jim HouseAssistant Head Coach/Defensive LineFourth Year at San Diego StateWyoming 70

Thom KaumeyerDefensive CoordinatorFourth Year at San Diego StateRegents 93

Jim House is in his fourth year as San DiegoState's assistant head coach and defensive linecoach. He arrived at SDSU after spending 12 sea-sons at Nevada, including serving as the WolfPack's assistant head coach.

House also served on the football staff at San JoseState, Montana State and Wyoming, as well as at thehigh school level in Wyoming.

During his stay in Reno, Nevada made the tran-sition from the I-AA Big Sky Conference to the BigWest and finally to the Western AthleticConference.

He has worked for an impressive list of headcoaches, including Fred Akers, Pat Dye and FritzShurmur at Wyoming, and former Aztec Hall ofFame head coach and defensive coordinator ClaudeGilbert at San Jose State.

Success has been a theme throughout House'scareer. During his stay in Laramie (1974-85), theCowboys won the WAC title and played Oklahomain the Fiesta Bowl. He left Wyoming for MontanaState, where he served as offensive line coach andassistant head coach.

He spent three years at San Jose State (1987-90),coaching linebackers, special teams and overseeingthe strength program. During that time, theSpartans won the Big West Conference and playedin the 1987 California Bowl.

In Reno, Nevada's string of successes includedsix conference championships (Big Sky and BigWest) and three bowl appearances. The Wolf Packmade appearances in the I-AA national champi-onship game in 1990 and in the semifinals in 1991.

As A Player: House was a decorated letterman atWyoming and is considered one of the all-timegreat Cowboys. He played during a golden era ofWyoming football. He earned four monograms as alinebacker. He was an honorable mention All-America selection and a preseason All-American byPlayboy magazine. He earned lineman of the weekhonors from Sports Illustrated and was a two-timeall-conference linebacker. He also served as aCowboy team captain and during his playing days,Wyoming appeared in the Sun Bowl and SugarBowl. He finished his collegiate playing career withappearances in the East-West Shrine Game, theHula Bowl and the Senior Bowl.

Personal: Jim House was born Feb. 9, 1947, inLaramie. He earned a B.S. in physical education atWyoming in 1970. He has one son, J.D.

The appointment of San Diego native ThomKaumeyer to the position of defensive coordinatorwas one of the first moves made by head coach TomCraft upon his hiring. With the naming ofKaumeyer, Craft was reunited with one of his for-mer players and assistant coaches.

Kaumeyer, who has installed an aggressivedefense on The Mesa, returned to his hometownafter spending two seasons as defensive quality-control coach for the Atlanta Falcons. In Atlanta, heassisted in all facets of the defensive game plan andalso served as assistant secondary coach.

In 2003, Kaumeyer orchestrated the biggestdefensive improvement in the country as San DiegoState leaped from 95th in total defense in 2002 toeighth in 2003, from 91st in pass defense to fourthand from 92nd in scoring defense to 13th.

Prior to coaching in the NFL, Kaumeyer spentthree seasons on the football staff at PalomarCollege, where he served as defensive coordinatorand special teams coach.

In 1995 and 1996, he oversaw football operationsand served as head coach of Onward Kashiyama,Ltd., in Tokyo.

In 1994, when Craft left Palomar to serve asoffensive coordinator at San Diego State, Kaumeyerassumed the head-coaching duties for the Comets.

As A Player: Kaumeyer earned All-America hon-ors as a safety at Palomar College while playingunder Craft. He went on to be named all-Pac-10 atOregon, where he was also an academic all-leaguechoice and was honored by the citizens of Eugenefor his community service.

In 1988, Kaumeyer led the Ducks in tackles with101. He was taken in the sixth round of the 1989draft by the Los Angeles Rams and spent time in theNFL as a player with the Rams, Seahawks andGiants.

Personal: Thom Kaumeyer was born March 17,1967, in La Jolla. He earned a degree in AmericanStudies at Regents University (Albany, N.Y.) afterfinishing his playing career. He earned an M.A. ineducation at Azusa Pacific. He is married to the for-mer Kayoko Yoshioka. She is a former Broadwaydancer, who has appeared in "Cats" and "The Kingand I."

BirthdateFeb. 9, 1947

EducationWyoming 70

Coaching Career

2002-PresentSan Diego StateAsst. HC/Def. Line

1990-01NevadaAsst. Head Coach

1987-90San Jose StateLBs/Special Teams

1986Montana StateAsst. HC/Off. Line

1974-85WyomingOffensive Line/LBs

BirthdateMarch 17, 1967

EducationRegents 93

Coaching Career

2002-PresentSan Diego StateDefensive Coordinator

2001-02Atlanta FalconsDef. Quality Control

1998-00Palomar CollegeDef. Coord./Sp. Teams

1995-96Onward Kashiyama,Ltd. (Tokyo) Head Coach

1994Palomar CollegeHead Coach



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CoachesLeCharls McDanielRunning BacksFifth Year at San Diego StateCal Poly 81

LeCharls McDaniel joined the San Diego Statefootball staff in January, beginning his third stint onMontezuma Mesa.

McDaniel, who was a member of Tom Craft'soriginal Aztec staff in 2002, has spent the past twoseasons on Mike Riley's staff at Oregon State. From1994-96, McDaniel coached the special teams andsecondary at SDSU, and in 2002, he was thereceivers and special teams coach. That season sawAztec wideouts J.R. Tolver and Kassim Osgood setNCAA single-season records for receptions andreceiving yards by two teammates.

Prior to 2002, McDaniel was on the staff atCalifornia. His background includes coaching expe-rience in the National Football League as well as theDivision I level.

He began his coaching career at Hartnell Collegein Salinas before joining the San Diego Chargers in1989 as assistant special teams coach. He remainedwith the Chargers until he returned to his almamater, Cal Poly, as special teams and secondarycoach in 1992.

McDaniel left San Luis Obispo for a return to theNFL as receivers coach with the Cardinals. In 1994,he joined Ted Tollner's staff at San Diego Statebefore returning to the pro ranks as a scout for thePhiladelphia Eagles.

McDaniel has also served as a coach and admin-istrator with the Washington Redskins.

As A player: McDaniel was on a Division IInational championship team at Cal Poly and spentfour years in the NFL with the Giants and Redskins,where he was part of a Super Bowl championshipteam.

Personal: McDaniel and his wife, Sheryl, havethree children - Michael (16), Michelle (15) andKiesha (10).

BirthdateOct. 15, 1958

EducationCal Poly 81

Coaching Career

2003-04Oregon StateSp. Teams/Tight Ends

2005, 2002, 1994-96San Diego StateRBs/WRs/DBsSpecial Teams

2001CaliforniaSpecial Teams

1998-00Washington RedskinsSpecial Teams

1993Phoenix CardinalsReceivers

1992Cal PolySecondary/Sp. Teams

1989-91San Diego ChargersAsst. Special Teams

1986-88Hartnell CollegeSecondary/Sp. Teams

Dennis McKnightTight EndsFirst Year at San Diego StateDrake 81

Former San Diego Charger Dennis McKnightbegins his first season as tight ends coach at SDSU.

"Dennis has some familiarity with our program,"Tom Craft said. "He has an extensive background inworking with the offensive line and special teamsand he will be a great addition to our staff."

As a coach, McKnight spent two seasons at SanDiego's Saint Augustine High School, and two sea-sons on the staff of June Jones at the University ofHawai'i. While on the islands, he was part of a UHprogram that saw its win total jump from three tonine in one season. McKnight was the special teamscoordinator at Grossmont College from 2002-03.

As A Player: McKnight was an offensive linemanat his alma mater, Drake University. He joined theChargers in 1982 and was a member of the squadthrough the 1989 season. During the course of hiscareer in San Diego, McKnight was a two-time teamcaptain and was also an alternate selection to theNFL's Pro Bowl.

He also played two seasons with the DetroitLions and one year with the Philadelphia Eagles.

Personal: McKnight received a bachelor s degreein education in 1981 from Drake University.

BirthdateSept. 12, 1959

EducationDrake 81

Coaching Career

2005San Diego StateTight Ends

2002-03Grossmont CollegeSpecial Teams

2000-01Hawai iSpecial Teams


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Brian StarkQuarterbacksSixth Year at San Diego StateColorado 97

In his sixth year at San Diego State and his fourthas quarterbacks coach is Brian Stark. He originallyjoined the Aztec staff as director of football opera-tions under Ted Tollner, but assumed quarterbackduties under Tom Craft for the past three seasons.

In his first year on the staff, Stark helped Aztecsignal callers Adam Hall and Lon Sheriff combineto set a school record with 4,302 passing yards. Overthe last two seasons, he has spearheaded SDSU ssuccessful recruiting efforts in the state of Arizona.

Stark arrived at San Diego State after spending ayear as offensive program coordinator at theUniversity of Washington. He also assisted with theHuskies' recruiting efforts.

Prior to Seattle, Stark was involved on the offen-sive side of the ball at Colorado, where he workedas a student assistant from 1994 to 1999. Stark wasinvolved in coaching the running backs at both uni-versities.

He began his coaching career by serving as offen-sive coordinator at Brighton High in Colorado.

Before assuming his current duties at State, Starkoversaw SDSU's recruiting efforts, including the2002 class that was ranked second in the MountainWest Conference. He was also responsible for alladministrative functions of the Aztec program,including training camp and travel.

Personal: Stark was born Sept. 18, 1973, inColorado. He earned a degree in history/secondaryeducation from Colorado in 1997. He has workedwith four bowl teams, including two HolidayBowls, the Cotton Bowl and the Aloha Bowl.

BirthdateSept. 18, 1973

EducationColorado 97

Coaching Career

2002-PresentSan Diego StateQuarterbacks

2000-01San Diego StateDir. of Fball Operations

1999WashingtonOff. ProgramCoord.

Ray PetersonWide ReceiversThird Year at San Diego StateSan Diego State 96

Former Aztec receiver Ray Peterson is in histhird year as the Aztec receiving coach after spend-ing a year as a graduate assistant on offense. Hejoined the San Diego State staff on a full-time basisin April of 2003.

Peterson is San Diego State's career leader inpunt return yardage with 1,201 yards. He returnedto SDSU after working for six years as a middleschool math teacher in San Diego.

As A Player: A four-year starter at San DiegoState from 1992-95, Peterson was a multiple all-WAC performer while an Aztec. Among SDSU'sleading receivers each season, Peterson still holdsthe Aztec career record for punt return yardage(1,201), the sixth-best single-season mark in that cat-egory (330 yards in 1996) and the second-longestpunt return in school history (91 yards).

Following graduation, he spent two preseasoncamps with the San Diego Chargers before concen-trating his efforts on his teaching career.

Personal: A native of New Orleans, Peterson wasborn in the Crescent City on Dec. 17, 1973. Heearned his bachelor's degree in mathematics fromSan Diego State in 1996 and earned a master of artsin education in 2004. Peterson and his wife, Misty,have three sons, Darien (13), Ray III (10) andBrandon (5), and a daughter, Sylena (3).

BirthdateDec. 17, 1973

EducationSan Diego State 96

Coaching Career

2003-PresentSan Diego StateReceivers

2002San Diego StateGraduate Assistant



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CoachesEd WhiteOffensive LineFifth Year at San Diego StateCalifornia 69

Mike FisherGraduate Assistant Coach - Offense & Special TeamsSecond Year at San Diego StateCal Poly 99

Ed White, who played in four Super Bowls and isa member of five Halls of Fame, is in the first yearof his second stint as San Diego State's offensive linecoach.

White was a member of the SDSU developmentstaff prior to becoming president and general man-ager of the San Diego Riptide. He left the arenaleague team to join Tom Craft's staff in 2005.

During his first tour of duty as the offensive linecoach at State, White tutored NFL players KyleTurley and Ephraim Salaam, first-team All-Americacenter Mike Malano, and Andrew Kline, whoseNFL career was cut short by injury.

His coaching career has included stints with theChargers and the Rams in the NFL, four years atSan Diego State and four years at Cal.

White served as the offensive line coach at SanDiego State from 1994 to 1997 when Tom Craft wasthe team's offensive coordinator. They teamed up toproduce some of the most productive offenses inAztec history.

As A Player: White began his playing career atIndio High School, where the field is now namedafter him. He went on to earn All-America honors atCalifornia and is a member of the Bears Hall ofFame. White was a four-time Pro Bowler in theNFL, spending 17 years in the league as a playerwith the Minnesota Vikings and San DiegoChargers. He played in four Super Bowls with theVikings.

He is a member of the National College FootballHall of Fame, the Breitbard Hall of Fame in the SanDiego Hall of Champions, the Indio High SchoolHall of Fame and is a new member of the San DiegoChargers Hall of Fame.

Personal: White earned a degree in landscapearchitecture from Cal in 1969. He and his wife, Joan,have been married for 36 years. His oldest son, Tim,is the head football coach at Westview High Schoolin Rancho Penasquitos. Another son, Randall, is apart owner in an Encinitas restaurant, Buca diBeppo.

Mike Fisher enters his second year as the Aztecs'offensive and special teams graduate assistantcoach. He is responsible for breaking down gamefilm of all SDSU opponents and coordinating scoutteams.

Fisher began his coaching career at his almamater, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. He served as theMustangs' tight ends coach from 1998 to 2000,before leaving to work as an offensive and specialteams assistant at Syracuse.

His stay at Syracuse included a 10-3 record and atrip to the Insight.com Bowl in 2001. Fisherremained with the Orange until 2003, when hereturned to California to coach the wide receiversand tight ends at the University of San Diego.

Personal: A Mission Viejo, Calif., native, Fisherwas born Oct. 8, 1976. He earned his bachelor sdegree in kinesiology in 2000, and is currentlyworking towards his master s degree in kinesiologyat SDSU.

Former Aztec linebacker Adam Nyssen is in hissecond year as a defensive graduate assistant coach.

As A Player: Nyssen was a linebacker and spe-cial teams player with the Aztecs, earning a varsityletter in 2003. As a senior, he appeared in 11 games,recording 10 tackles, including eight solo efforts.

Nyssen transfered to SDSU from Long BeachCity College where he was an all-conference line-backer for the Vikings.

Personal: A Huntington Beach, Calif., native,Nyssen was born on Nov. 26, 1980. He has a bach-elor s degree in history from SDSU in 2004, and iscurrently pursuing his master s in educational lead-ership.

Dave Powroznik serves as San Diego State's asso-ciate athletic director for football operations and in2004, added duties in athletic development.Powroznik oversees the Aztec Director's Cabinetand Big 64 and Big 50 booster clubs. He is also incharge of the video staff and is the sport administra-tor for men's golf.

As the football team's director of operations,Powroznik oversees numerous administrativeduties and coordinates SDSU's recruiting effortsand team travel. Under his direction, the Aztecs' lasttwo recruiting classes have been ranked among the

BirthdateApril 4, 1947

EducationCalifornia 69

Coaching Career

1999-02 CaliforniaOffensive Line

1998, 1988St. Louis/L.A. RamsOffensive Line

2005, 1994-97 SDSUOffensive Line

1989-91, 1986-87San Diego ChargersOffensive Line

Adam NyssenGraduate Assistant Coach - DefenseSecond Year at San Diego StateSan Diego State 04

Dave PowroznikAssociate Athletic Director/Football OperationsFourth Year at San Diego StateSouthern California 89

Steve Irvin is in his fourth season at SDSU and isbeginning his second as the assistant director offootball operations. Irvin was a graduate assistantcoach at San Diego State from 2002-03, where hehelped with the Aztec defense. Prior to coming toSDSU, Irvin served as the defensive coordinator(2001) and linebacker coach (1999-2001) at theCollege of the Desert in Palm Desert, Calif.

In his current role, Irvin is involved in all aspectsof the football program, including recruiting, traveland camp efforts.

As A Player: A 1994 graduate of El Dorado HighSchool in Las Vegas, Nev., Irvin began his collegiateplaying career at the College of the Desert from1994-95, earning all-conference honors as an outsidelinebacker. He then competed for one season atQuincy University (NCAA Div. II) in Quincy, Ill.,before lettering one year at UNLV.

Personal: Irvin was born June 8, 1976, inFrankfurt, Germany. He is a 1999 graduate ofUNLV with a bachelor's degree in kinesiology.

Brian Murphy joined the San Diego State athleticdepartment staff in August 2003 as the video coor-dinator. In his position, he films and edits theAztecs' football games and coordinates filmexchange with other schools. He is in charge of allvideo packages used by the football coaches in theirscouting and game preparation.

Murphy's responsibilities also include oversee-ing the day-to-day operations of the video roomand assisting with the video needs of SDSU's otherprograms.

From 1997-2000, Murphy was an assistant videodirector with the San Diego Chargers. He filmedand edited games and practices and assisted theNFL with the Super Bowl held in San Diego in 1998.He has also provided video support for the 1999Holiday Bowl and the two ABCD kicking camps.

Murphy graduated from Mira Mesa High Schoolin 1995, and has attended both SDSU and MiramarCollege. He currently lives in Pacific Beach.


Support Staff


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Shereen SaureyAdministrative AssistantFourth Year at San Diego StateUtah State 02

top in both the Mountain West and among non-BCS schools.Powroznik joined the San Diego State staff after running his own business,

in which he was involved in the promotion and operation of clinics, camps, spe-cial events and bowl games.

He served as head coach of the Onward Oaks football team in the Japan XLeague on two different occasions. During his stints in Tokyo, his squads wonfour Pearl Bowls and made three appearances in the Tokyo Super Bowl, includ-ing one championship.

As A Player: Powroznik was a heavily-decorated prep quarterback at SanDieguito High School in Encinitas, where he was an all-CIF pick and a team-mate of SDSU defensive coordinator Thom Kaumeyer. He also earned all-statehonors at Lake Stevens, Wash., before relocating to California. Powroznikplayed collegiately at USC from 1984-89.

Personal: Powroznik was born Feb. 22, 1965, in Oceanside. He earned a bach-elor's degree in physical education from USC in 1989. He and his wife, Tori,have two sons. Tanner is 13 and Riley is 11.

Shereen Saurey has been a member of the SDSUathletic department since 2002. She is in her secondyear in the football office and serves as the adminis-trative assistant to head coach Tom Craft and theAztec offensive coaching staff. Saurey's job respon-sibilities include scheduling meetings and appoint-ments, arranging coach Craft's speaking engage-ments and appearances and coordinating summercamps. She also helps fill requests by scouts andassists with other football-related events, includingpregame receptions.

Before assuming her current duties, the Mesa,Ariz., native assisted the recruiting coordinator andmaintained the football recruiting database.

Saurey came to SDSU in July 2002, as an assistantin the athletic media relations office. She served asthe primary contact for three sports and has experi-ence working in the Aztec ticket office.

Saurey graduated magna cum laude from UtahState in May 2002, with a bachelor's degree in jour-nalism and currently resides in La Mesa.

Patsy Armstrong joined the SDSU football officethis past March as an administrative assistant. Herresponsibilities include working with the Aztecdefensive coaches and recruiting coordinator. Shedevelops correspondence for prospective student-athletes and maintains the recruiting database.

Before coming to SDSU, she was an executiveadministrative assistant at Discus Dental in LosAngeles. Armstrong graduated from UC SantaBarbara in 2003, with a degree in Black studies. Shewas the captain of the Gauchos' cheerleading squadand interned as an administrative assistant in thebasketball office.

A San Diego native, Armstrong has a three-yearold son, Anthony.

Patsy ArmstrongAdministrative AssistantFirst Year at San Diego StateUC Santa Barbara 03

Support Staff

Brian MurphyVideo CoordinatorThird Year at San Diego State

Steve IrvinAssistant Director of Football OperationsFourth Year at San Diego StateUNLV 99

Jennifer DanielsAsst. Dir. of Compliance

Joy FrancisSpecial Events Coordinator

John KauppStrength & Conditioning



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Support StaffNick PettitDirector of Athletic Equipment ServicesFourth Year at San Diego StateMichigan State 98

Dr. Christopher BehrTeam Physician/Orthopedic SurgeonSeventh Year at San Diego State

The director of athletic equipment services, NickPettit began his second stint at San Diego State inJuly 2003. In his position, he oversees the purchas-ing, fitting, maintenance and distribution of equip-ment for the entire Aztec athletic program.

Pettit moved to San Diego from the bay area,where he was an assistant equipment manager withthe San Francisco 49ers from 1999 to 2003. Hisresponsibilities with the 49ers included maintainingand coordinating equipment, assisting with inven-tory and supervising interns and game-day person-nel.

As an undergraduate at Michigan State, he wasthe head football manager from 1995-98. Under thetutelage of Nick Saban, he supervised a staff of eightstudents in daily practice and game setup. Pettitwas a graduate assistant intern equipment managerat SDSU during the 1998-99 academic year, beforejoining the 49ers.

Pettit has a bachelor's degree in managementfrom Michigan State and is currently pursuing hismaster's degree in sports management from theUnited State Sports Academy. A certified memberof the Athletic Equipment Managers Association, heand his wife, Amber, live in Ramona.

Gary Johnson is in his 13th year as the head ath-letic trainer at San Diego State. He was named to thepost on June 10, 1993, and oversees the administra-tion of SDSU's sports medicine and strength andconditioning operations with primary athletic train-ing responsibilities for the football team.

Johnson came to SDSU after six years on thePurdue sports medicine staff. He spent three yearsworking with both football and men's basketball.He was assistant chief of physical therapy at thePurdue Hospital from the fall of 1987 until '89.

A product of West Allis, Wis., he earned a bach-elor's degree in physical therapy from Wisconsin in1985 and his master's degree in athletic trainingfrom Indiana in 1987, where he also served as agraduate assistant athletic trainer.

He is certified by the National Athletic TrainersAssociation, is a licensed physical therapist inCalifornia and a member of the California AthleticTrainers Association and the Far West TrainersAssociation. He has served on various subcommit-tees of the NATA athletic trainers' committee.

Johnson and his wife, Kirista, have three chil-dren: Matthew (6), Kevin (3) and Madison (1).

Dr. Christopher Behr enters his seventh season asteam orthopedic surgeon for San Diego State. Agraduate of Cornell and Cornell University MedicalCollege, Behr completed his orthopedic residencyand sports medicine/shoulder fellowship at therenowned Hospital for Special Surgery in NewYork, N.Y., where he worked closely with the NewYork Giants. Dr. Behr is a board-certified physicianand a partner in the San Diego OrthopedicAssociates Medical Group.

Dr. Greg Gastaldo is in his ninth year as theDirector of Athletic Medicine at SDSU and splits histime between Student Health Services and the med-ical offices in the Aztec Athletics Training Room.Prior to coming to SDSU, Gastaldo served five yearsas the director of athletic medicine at Princeton. Agraduate of Long Beach State, Gastaldo received hismedical degree from the UCLA School of Medicine.He is board certified in internal medicine and holdsa Certificate of Added Qualification in SportsMedicine.

Dr. Alan Richberg enters his eighth year as amember of the SDSU athletic medicine staff. An All-American wrestler at Fresno State, Richberg is agraduate of the Loma Linda University School ofMedicine. He trained in family practice at theUCLA Santa Monica Family Practice Residency andcompleted his training in the San Diego SportsMedicine Fellowship Program. He is a family physi-cian at the San Diego Sports Medicine and FamilyHealth Center, the head physician at Patrick HenryHigh and Grossmont College, and a U.S. Olympicteam physician at the Arco Training Center.

Dr. Peter B. Wile begins his 20th season with theSDSU athletic medicine staff. Since 1993, he hasserved as the team's head orthopedic surgeon. Dr.Wile received his undergraduate degree from USCin 1972 and his M.D. from Michigan in 1976. Hecompleted an orthopedic surgery residency at Yaleand a Fellowship in hip and knee surgery inRummelsburg, West Germany, in 1981. Dr. Wile is apartner in the San Diego Orthopedics AssociatesMedical group, which is located in the Hillcrestarea. The practice has an emphasis and subspecial-ization in sports medicine and arthroscopic surgery.

Dr. Alan RichbergTeam PhysicianEighth Year at San Diego State

Gary JohnsonHead Athletic Trainer13th Year at San Diego StateWisconsin 85

Dr. Greg GastaldoTeam Physician/Dir. of Athletic MedicineNinth Year at San Diego State

Dr. Peter WileTeam Physician/Head Orthopedic Surgeon20th Year at San Diego StateAssistant

Athletic TrainersMark HainesCarolyn Peters

Asst. Manager Equipment ServicesMaggie Sinclair

EquipmentAttendantsDennis BrownAngie GarciaPat Murray

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