Jim Craft is the longest tenured football coach at Portland State and has the distinction of coaching a variety of areas for Jerry Glanville and previously, Tim Walsh.

Craft will have new responsbilities this season due to the retirement of former offensive coordinator Mouse Davis. He takes over as quarterbacks coach and run game coordinator in the Viking offense. Craft had previously been PSU’s quarterbacks coach in 2006. In addition, Craft continues to serve the significant role as the team’s recruiting coordinator.

“Jim Craft allowed us to hire the guy we thought would help us the most (Brad Davis on the offensive line),” said Glanville. “Jim allows us to move him to different positions. He is a guy that can coach anything on the field and has great knowledge of our running game and quarterback coaching experience.”

As run game coordinator, Craft - along with pass game coordinator Kevin Strasser - will be responsibile for the offensive insertion calendar, game preparation and designing within the scheme what the offense will do with the run and pass.

A Portland State alum and former football player, Craft has also coached wide receivers, offensive line, tight ends and special teams during his time at Portland State.

In addition to recruiting coordination and budgeting of scholarships, Craft recruits the state of Oregon and the Los Angeles area.

On the field, Craft will have one of the most talented groups on the team with which to work. Junior Drew Hubel, senior Tygue Howland, and sophomores Connor Kavanaugh and Nick Green form a solid core at the quarterback position. Hubel and Howland split starter duties in 2008, with Hubel having the inside track to start in 2009. Hubel already ranks 10th all-time in passing at PSU (4,382 yards), and holds school records for yards in a game (623), completions in a game (44) and touchdowns in a game (9, also the national record).

Head Coach Jerry Glanville kept Craft on his new staff at PSU in 2007 after he had worked for six seasons under former coach Tim Walsh.

“Jim’s organizational skills and immediate response to requests reminds me exactly of an assistant coach that worked with me named Nick Saban,” said Glanville. “I look for Jim’s career to follow the same path of many of the other outstanding assistant coaches I have been able to work with. We’re fortunate to have him as a part of this staff.”

Said Craft: “I’m very excited about the opportunity to work under Jerry Glanville, and with this staff. There is an attitude that is all about winning football games within the office.”

In the past, Craft has worked with first team All-Big Sky Conference and third team All-American wide receiver Tremayne Kirkland (2007).

Craft was tight ends coach for five seasons at Portland State and spent one year as the quarterbacks coach. He also assumed the duty of special teams coordinator for four seasons. He has coached PSU All-Conference performers Scott Weaver, Adam Whitehead and Tony Curtis. Curtis is a current member of the NFL’s Kansas City Chiefs.

Among the special teams’ accomplishments in 2005, PSU led the Big Sky Conference in punt return average (12.8), and ranked in the top 20 in the nation in both punt return average and kickoff return average (21.8). The Vikings were second in punt coverage in 2004 (38.5 net punting), ranked 19th in punt returns (12.4) and 22nd in kickoff returns (21.6).

Under Craft, Jordan Senn and Kenneth Mackins each earned All-Big Sky Conference honors at the special teams position.

Individually, punt returner Brendan Ferrigno ranked 12th in the nation in 2004 (12.4 per return) and seventh in 2005 (15.2), and completed his career in 2006 with every significant punt return record at PSU.

Craft played for the Vikings from 1995 to 1998, catching 57 passes and scoring nine touchdowns. He earned a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from PSU in 1998. Craft completed his master’s of science in Teaching in June 2003.

Craft spent the 1999 and 2000 seasons as tight ends coach at Lewis and Clark College in Portland.

THE JIM CRAFT FILE

9th year at Portland State

Hometown: Tualatin, OR
Alma Mater: Portland State, 1998
Playing Experience: Tight End, Portland State, 1995-98
Date of Birth: July 23, 1976
Family: Wife, Kelley, daughter Kayla Grace (7), son Tyler James (3)

COACHING EXPERIENCE:
2009    Portland State, Quarterbacks/Run Game Coordinator/Recruiting Coordinator
2008    Portland State, Offensive Line/Recruiting Coordinator
2007    Portland State, Wide Receivers/Recruiting Coordinator
2006    Portland State, Quarterbacks
2003-06    Portland State, Special Teams Coordinator
2001-05    Portland State, Tight Ends
1999-00   Lewis and Clark, Tight Ends