COACHING STAFF
Head Coach David Bailiff 46  Coaching Staff 49  Texas State Football Staff 55
Texas State Coaching Staff
during two separate stints, serving as
defensive coordinator and assistant
head coach in the late 1990s.
Prior to being named head coach,
Bailiff spent three seasons on the staff
at TCU. He served as the Horned Frogs’
defensive coordinator in both 2002 and
2003 while working with the team’s defensive lineman.
The 2003 Horned Frogs posted
an 11-2 record and were ranked 25th
in the final Associated Press writers’
poll and 24th in the ESPN/USA Today
Coaches Poll.
Bailiff was part of a staff which built
quite a tradition on defense at TCU. During his three seasons in Fort Worth, the
Horned Frogs were ranked 24th, 1st and
38th in the country in total defense and
10th, first and ninth against the run.
In 2002, TCU allowed just 240.2
yards of total offense per game which
led the country. The Horned Frogs surrendered an average 64.8 yards on the
ground. During the year, the Frogs held
David Bailiff
Head Coach
Texas State Bobcats
Texas State, 1981
S
ince being named Texas State
University’s football coach in
February of 2004, David Bailiff
has laid the foundation for a program
that has a desire to extend its role in
the community.
For the second straight summer,
Bailiff and the Bobcats have made a
point of getting out in the community to meet with area business leaders
and personally deliver schedule posters for the upcoming season. Beyond
that, the ‘Cats are involved in projects
throughout the community from
making appearances at San Marcos
elementary schools’ Citizenship Days
to lending a hand for Habitat for Humanity projects. Last August they
took a little time away from
preseason drills to help students move in to the dorms.
And last year in return,
the community showed its
support for the Bobcats.
Despite the Bobcats being picked to finish last in
the Southland Conference,
Texas State average attendance for five home games
was 11,164 which ranks fifth
all-time since Bobcat Stadium
was constructed in 1981. In
Bailiff’s inaugural season as
Texas State’s coach, the Bobcats posted a 5-6 record and
headed into the final week of
the season still with conference championship aspirations. Texas State would end
up going 3-2 in the Southland
David Bailiff with wife Angie and sons Grayson and GregConference and finished third ory.
in the league, the team’s highTulane to a school-record -53 yards
est ranking in the SLC since 2000.
Bailiff’s roots with Texas State al- rushing. TCU also ranked second in
ready ran deep when he was named the country in pass efficiency defense,
the Bobcats’ 14th head coach Feb. 5, allowing opponents to complete less
2004. He was a team captain during than 39 percent of their passes.
Six TCU defensive players earned
his playing career at what was then
Southwest Texas State University. He all-conference accolades in 2002 inwould return to coach at Texas State cluding Conference USA Defensive Player
46
1997 as defensive coordinator and added
assistant head coach responsibilities to his
role in 1999.
It was in 1999 that Bailiff was selected
the NCAA Division I-AA Assistant Coach of
the Year by the American Football Coaches
Association. While at TCU Bailiff was also
honored as the Top Assistant Football
Coach by the All-American Football Foundation following the Horned Frogs’ 2002
season.
As a player, Bailiff was named All-Lone
Star Conference as well as All-America honorable mention while playing at Texas State
from 1977-80. He served as a team captain
in 1980 and was named honorable mention to the Lone Star Team of the Decade.
Bailiff is married to the former Angie
Daniels of Versailles, Mo. He has a daughter,
Brooke (21), and the couple has twin eightyear-old sons, Grayson and Gregory.
Noting Bailiff
Age: 47 (born May 26, 1958)
Hometown: San Antonio, Texas
Wife: Angie
Children: Brooke (21), Grayson (8) and Gregory (8)
Alma Mater: Texas State (1981)
Playing Experience: Three-year letterman as an
offensive lineman and tight end.
AT TEXAS STATE
2004: 5-6 Overall/3-2 in the Southland Conference
PRIOR COACHING EXPERIENCE
1982-84 New Braunfels High (Defensive Line)
1988 Texas State (Graduate Assistant-Defense)
1989-92 Texas State (Defensive Line)
1992-97 New Mexico (Defensive Line/Recruiting)
1997-99 Texas State (Defensive Coordinator)
1999-2000 Texas State (Assistant Head Coach/
Defensive Coordinator)
2001 TCU (Assistant Head Coach/Defensive Line)
2002-03 TCU (Defensive Coordinator/
Defensive Line)
BOWL GAMES
2001 galleryfurniture.com Bowl
2002 AXA Liberty Bowl
2003 Fort Worth Bowl
“OUR CONCERN FOR DOING THINGS RIGHT WAS WHY WE HIRED DAVID — HIS RECORD, HIS INTEGRITY AND HIS GENERAL
INTEREST IN HIS STUDENTS’ WELFARE. THIS HIRING SHOWS THAT OUR PLAYERS ARE STUDENTS FIRST AND ATHLETES SECOND, AND THAT WE WANT THEM TO BE WINNERS NOT ONLY ON BUT OFF THE FIELD.”
— Dr. Denise M. Trauth
February 5, 2004
47
Texas State Bobcats
of the year and Second-Team All-American
LaMarcus MacDonald.
While at TCU, the Horned Frogs played
in a bowl game every season – the galleryfurniture.com Bowl (2001), AXA Liberty
Bowl (2002) and the Plains Capital Fort
Worth Bowl (2003).
Bailiff, who is known as one of the premiere recruiters in the state of Texas, joined
the TCU staff after serving as assistant head
coach at Texas State University.
He began his coaching career as the
defensive line coach at New Braunfels High
School (1982-84). He went into private
business from 1984-88 before returning to
the coaching ranks.
His first collegiate coaching position
was at Texas State, serving as a defensive
graduate assistant coach in 1988 before
being elevated to the Bobcats’ defensive
line coach in 1989. He worked under the
late John O’Hara for one year and with
Dennis Franchione for two years during his
first coaching stint in San Marcos.
Bailiff left Texas State in 1992 for an assistant coaching position at New Mexico
where he handled the defensive line and
recruiting. He returned to Texas State in
Texas State Coaching Staff
Texas State Bobcats
FAQ
: CATCHING UP WITH DAVID BAILIFF
You just finished your first year as a collegiate
head coach. What was that experience like and
were there any surprises during the year?
David Bailiff: It was almost an overwhelming
experience the first year. Just the responsibilities you have and the time demands were
different. I learned a lot during my first year
about things just like setting a calendar. But it
was a great experience.
After being picked to finish last in the league,
this team exceeded expectations last year with
a third-place finish in the Southland Conference.
Heading into last year you spoke about how you
wanted this team to be the hardest working and
smartest team in the Southland Conference. It
looks like this squad bought into those values.
David Bailiff: Wanting to be the hardest working and smartest football team in the conference is going to be our mantra as long as I am
here. Now to that, we have added something
you won’t see on a poster — “We live for each
other.” We want our players to understand
that in addition to working hard and being
smart, the decisions they make affect not only
themselves but other guys on the team, their
coaches, the university and the community.
We want them to think on a broader scale.
How about this year’s team? There seems to be
a tremendous amount of excitement and anticipation for this season. How will the expectations
be higher?
David Bailiff: Hopefully every year we are
here as a staff, we will be able to raise the bar.
We have some talent this year. Now, how we
work through two-a-days and how we turn
into a team will have more to do with our success than anything.
You have 19 offensive and defensive starters
back from a year ago. What does that experience
mean for a football team?
David Bailiff: It’s nice to have experience
coming back at just about every position. But
even with 19 starters returning, you need to
have great competition. For some of our guys,
you hope there are some people who can
push them. We will hopefully add some new
starters because that will mean we have been
recruiting better than in the past. Recruiting is
one thing we will have to continue to do better if we want to compete year in and year out
like a Northwestern State or a McNeese State
or have the kind of year that Sam Houston
State had this past season.
48
Your lone non-conference road game is at Texas
A&M and you have seven home games slated
for Bobcat Stadium. With nine games within the
borders of the Lone Star State, it looks like Bobcat fans are going to be able to easily follow this
football team?
David Bailiff: It is a great schedule to have
seven games at home. Our administration has
done a great job putting together a schedule
which is competitive, but at the same time, will
hopefully allow us to have some success and
teach this team how to win. Going to Texas
A&M and playing in front of 80,000 in College
Station will be a great experience for our guys.
It’s a good schedule. I’m excited about it.
Off the field you have really involved this team in
the community. You have players attending citizenship rallies at area elementary schools and
volunteering for community service. What are
your thoughts about this team being involved
in the community?
David Bailiff: I love the name change. I love
the name Texas State University. But instead of
Texas State University, I think the name should
be Texas State ‘Communiversity.’ This is a community that is very prideful of its university.
We have to do a good job representing not
only Texas State University but also representing San Marcos and Central Texas. By giving
back, we want the people of San Marcos to
know we want to try to do more for them and
this community than they do for us. We’re going to have our football team in the elementary schools. We’re going to participate with
Habitat for Humanity. We are going to be at
Bobcat Build. As a team, we are going to do
everything we can to give back to the community in hopes they will support us.”
Finally, when you take into consideration your
four years as a student-athlete along with your
time as a member of the program’s coaching
staff, you just finished your 14th year at Texas State
University. What’s been the biggest changes you
have noticed about this city and this campus?
David Bailiff: The university is bigger but this
community really hasn’t changed a lot. San
Marcos in a lot of ways is like Mayberry. It is a
town that is full of good people and everyone
knows each other. It’s a wonderful environment for our student-athletes. It is a safe town
and it is a town that takes care of its residents.
Brad Wright
Blake Miller
Assistant Head Coach
Co-Offensive Coordinator/Running Game
Running Backs Coach/Special Teams
Offensive Line Coach
Texas State, 1981
LSU, 1993
B
NOTING BRAD WRIGHT
Age: 46 (7/10/59)
Alma Mater: Texas State, 1981. Playing Experience: Three-year letterman
at running back and safety.
Recruiting Area: South Central Texas & Greater Houston, including Baytown and Clear Lake areas.
B
lake Miller is in his second stint on the Texas State University
coaching staff and begins his fifth season overall working for the
Bobcat program.
Miller rejoined the Texas State staff last year as
co-offensive coordinator after spending the 2003
season at SMU. He originally joined the Texas State
staff in 2000 after three successful seasons at
Southland Conference rival Northwestern
State.
During his tenure in Natchitoches, La., he
helped the Demons to a pair of SLC championships as Northwestern State’s offense was
ranked at or near the top of every offensive category in the league. Northwestern
State played in both the 1997 and 1998
NCAA Division I-AA Championship playoffs, advancing to the semifinals in ’98.
At Texas State, Miller has coached eight
offensive linemen who have earned AllSouthland Conference accolades, and in
seven years in the league has coached 14
different players to All-SLC honors including
a pair of All-Americans.
The 2000 Texas State team posted a
7-4 overall record and a 5-2 mark in the
Southland, the best since the school joined
the league. Last year despite injuries which
forced several changes and adaptations
by the offensive line, the Bobcats
posted a winning conference record
and ranked in the top 30 nationally in
rushing offense.
Miller, a member of the American
Football Coaches Association, also
coached at Kilgore, Texas, High School
for two seasons and at Episcopal
High School in Baton Rouge, La.,
for one season. He has also served
as a clinician at last May’s Second
Annual Gridiron Heroes Clinic as
well as the Louisiana High School
Coaches Association Clinic and the
San Antonio High School Clinic.
Continued on Page 56
NOTING BLAKE MILLER
Blake Miller and wife Beth.
Age: 37 (8/23/68)
Alma Mater: LSU 1993. Playing Experience: Four-year letterman as an offensive lineman. Three-year NFL career with the New England Patriots, Detroit
Lions and New York Giants.
Recruiting Area: San Antonio, Texas Hill Country, North Austin & Central
Texas.
49
Texas State Bobcats
rad Wright returned to his alma mater last season and begins his
second year as the football program’s assistant head coach. He
coaches Texas State’s running back corps and is also responsible
for coordinating the Bobcats’ special teams play.
Prior to joining the Texas State staff
Wright had spent the past four seasons
as the director of athletics and head football coach at Canyon High School in New
Braunfels. Wright helped turn around a
struggling Cougar football program. After
two, one-win seasons his first two seasons at the school, Canyon High went 72 in 2002 and advanced to the
state quarterfinals in 2003.
Wright also coached at
East Bernard, where his squad
was an area finalist in 1999, as well as at
Karnes City which posted back-to-back
third-place district finishes. He was also an
assistant coach at El Campo for five years,
helping the program to three district
titles. Wright’s prep coaching experience
also includes stops at Klein Oak and
Pearland.
Wright’s collegiate coaching experience includes two seasons at LouisianaLafayette, formerly known as Southwestern
Louisiana in the mid-1980s.
He began his coaching career
as a student assistant for the
Bobcats’ 1981 Division II National
Championship team. The Pearsall
native was a three-year starter for
Texas State (1978-80). As a freshman he rushed for 259 yards before
moving to the other side of the ball,
where he was a defensive leader at
free safety and was a member of
the ‘Cats 1980 Lone Star Conference
team.
Wright earned his bachelor’s
degree in physical education from
Texas State in 1981.
He is married to the former Kim
Pesek.
Brad Wright and wife Kim.
Texas State Coaching Staff
Craig Naivar
Tom Herman
Defensive Coordinator
Co-Offensive Coordinator/Passing Game
Safeties Coach
Quarterbacks Coach
Hardin-Simmons, 1994
California Lutheran, 1997
Texas State Bobcats
S
econd-year defensive coordinator Craig Naivar knows first hand
what it takes to be successful in the Southland Conference. While
he is beginning just his second year at Texas State, he is in his sixth
season coaching in the league.
Prior to joining the Texas State staff, he was a member of the
coaching staff at Sam Houston State for four seasons, including the final two years as the Bearkats’ defensive coordinator.
With his move to Texas State he has brought a certain energy
that reflects in the Bobcats’ play on defense. Last year the ‘Cats led the
Southland Conference in “Red Zone Defense” and ranked second in the
league in quarterback sacks. The Bobcats had four players named to
the All-Southland Conference team — two players named to both the
first and second teams.
During his tenure in Huntsville, Sam Houston State won the
Southland title in 2001 and reached the NCAA
Division I-AA playoffs, losing in the quarterfinals to eventual national champion
Montana. The Bearkats finished the
year ranked seventh in the country.
In 2001, the Bearkats led the league
in quarterback sacks, ranked second
in turnover ratio and third in total
defense. During his first season at
Sam Houston while working not only
on defense but with the Bearkats’ special teams, the squad led the league
in kickoff returns, were second in
punt returns and third in sacks. The
Bearkats blocked seven punts,
returning five for touchdowns.
The team blocked a school-record 12 kicks during the year.
All told during his tenure
at Sam Houston State, Naivar
coached nine All-Southland Conference selections.
Naivar also served two seasons as the special teams coordinator and defensive line coach
at Southern Illinois. While at SIU,
he recruited Texas and Kansas
junior colleges as well as Dallas/
Fort Worth, Memphis and Louisville high schools.
Naivar was a defensive gradCraig Naivar with wife Michelle and
daughter Jordan Ashleigh.
Continued on Page 56
NOTING CRAIG NAIVAR
Age: 33 (11/29/71)
Alma Mater: Hardin-Simmons, 1994. Playing Experience: Four-year letterman at quarterback and free safety.
Recruiting Area: West Houston & Southwest Houston.
50
T
om Herman brings a wealth of coaching experience, especially
when it comes to the passing game, as he begins his first season as Texas State’s quarterback coach.
Herman joined the Texas State staff in the spring after spending
the past four seasons at Sam Houston State. During his tenure at Sam
Houston, the Bearkats twice captured Southland Conference championships and played in the NCAA Division I-AA playoffs.
In 2004, Sam Houston posted an 11-3 record and advanced to the Division I-AA championship’s semifinals.
At Sam Houston State, Herman served as the program’s wide receivers coach and was also the squad’s
special teams’ coordinator. In 2004, Sam Houston State
led the Southland Conference and ranked second nationally in passing offense, averaging 358.5 yards. Sam Houston’s 471 yards
of total offense last year ranked fifth
among Division I-AA schools.
As wide receivers coach, Herman
mentored the league’s two leading
receivers who both ranked among
the nation’s Top 15 when it came to
receiving yards.
In his first season at Sam Houston State, Herman coached Jonathon
Cooper who was named the NCAA
Division I-AA Wide Receiver of the
Year. Cooper earned All-America
and All-Southland Conference honors in 2001 after leading Division IAA with 18 touchdown receptions.
Herman went on to have receivers
each of his four seasons garner allconference recognition as well as
having coached three All-Americans
during his tenure.
Prior to joining the Sam Houston State staff, Herman served as a
graduate assistant coach at Texas
where he worked with the offensive
line as well as the defensive and special teams scout units. While at Texas,
Herman coached two All-American
offensive linemen and an All-Big 12
kicker. The Longhorns were ranked
15th nationally in 1999 and were 12th Tom Herman with wife Michelle
Continued on Page 56
NOTING TOM HERMAN
and daughter Priya Nicolette.
Age: 30 (6/2/75)
Alma Mater: California Lutheran, 1997. Playing Experience: Four-year letterman at wide receiver.
Recruiting Area: East Houston & the Golden Triangle.
Travis Bush
Darin Eliot
Wide Receivers Coach
Linebackers Coach
Texas State, 2000
Wyoming, 1999
T
D
arin Eliot begins his third season on the Texas State coaching
staff and second working with the Bobcat linebackers. He was
the Bobcats’ secondary coach his first season in San Marcos.
Eliot joined the Texas State staff in 2003 following a year on the
coaching staff at the University of Miami where he served as a graduate assistant coach and worked with the Hurricanes’ secondary and
special teams.
Miami won the 2002 Big East Conference title and played for a
national championship, finishing the season with a 12-1
record. The Hurricanes’ secondary led the nation
and set an NCAA record for fewest yards allowed
per pass completion, despite publications considering the position the team’s biggest weakness prior to
the season.
Eliot was also a graduate assistant coach on
the staff at the University of
Houston (2000-01) where as a
defensive staff member worked primarily with the team’s secondary and
special teams. Eliot’s responsibilities also
included scouting opponents and directing
the Cougars’ scout team.
Eliot began his coaching career at his alma
mater, Wyoming. He worked as a student assistant working with the linebackers in 1998 and
was promoted to a graduate assistant position
in 1999. Eliot’s duties at Wyoming included
coaching the secondary and special teams,
assisting the defensive coordinator and serving as the players’ advisor.
Eliot played linebacker for
Wyoming and earned a bachelor’s
degree in science and mathematics and a minor in zoology from the
university in 1999. He also earned
a master’s degree of education in
sports administration from Houston
in 2002.
Elliot, a native of Edmond, Okla.,
is married to the former Miekel Marsh
and they are the parents of a son,
Dawson Jack, who was born in May.
Travis Bush and wife Diana.
NOTING TRAVIS BUSH
Age: 29 (12/21/75)
Alma Mater: Texas State, 2000. Playing Experience: Four-year letterman at
wide receiver.
Recruiting Area: Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex (Mid-Cities), Coastal Bend &
Rio Grande Valley.
Darin Eliot with wife Miekel and
son Dawson Jack.
NOTING DARIN ELIOT
Age: 29 (8/14/76)
Alma Mater: Wyoming, 1999. Playing Experience: Four-year letterman at
linebacker.
Recruiting Area: East Dallas & Northeast Texas.
51
Texas State Bobcats
ravis Bush begins his second year as wide receivers coach at his
alma mater, Texas State University after a stint working on the
coaching staff at Texas Christian University.
Prior to joining the Texas State staff, from 2001-03 Bush was
a graduate assistant coach at TCU, working with the Horned Frogs’
offensive line.
During his three-year tenure, the Frogs made three straight bowl
appearances, captured both Conference
USA and a Liberty Bowl championships
and had a combined 27-10 record.
He graduated from TCU in 2003 with
a master’s degree in education adminisration.
Bush began his coaching
career at San Marcos High School
where he tutored the Rattlers’
quarterbacks, running backs
and special teams. San Marcos
posted an 11-1 record and
made an appearance in the
state’s regional finals in 2000.
The Portland native
graduated from GregoryPortland High School in
1995 where he was a Class
4A All-State quarterback.
He moved on to Texas State
University, lettering four seasons as a wide receiver and
served as the Bobcats’ special
teams’ captain in 1999. He was also
awarded the J.C. Kellam Award in
1999, which honors Texas State’s
most outstanding senior football
player.
Bush graduated from Texas
State in 2000 with a bachelor’s
degree in exercise sports science
and holds teaching certificates in
mathematics and physical education.
This summer he was married to
the former Diana Garcia of McAllen.
Texas State Coaching Staff
Kyle Tietz
Jason Washington
Defensive Line Coach
Cornerbacks Coach
East Central Oklahoma, 1999
Texas State, 2002
Texas State Bobcats
I
n his first season as defensive line coach at Texas State, Kyle Tietz
faced the challenge of working with a pair of true freshmen at defensive end. This year, the second-year coach returns every starter
from the front four including Southland Conference Newcomer of the
Year Fred Evans and three-year letter winner Travis Upshaw.
Tietz’s line accounted for 11 of the Bobcats’ 22 quarterback sacks
and was also in on 30.5 tackles for lost yards in 2004.
Tietz joined the Texas State after three
seasons on the coaching staff at TCU. During
his tenure with the Horned Frogs he first
served as a video graduate assistant and
later was named the Assistant Director of
Football Operations.
Tietz played collegiate football at East Central University for
two years before working as a
student assistant and later as a
graduate assistant coach for the
Tigers.
The Chandler, Okla., native is married to the former
Megan Harris. In January of
this year they became the
parents of a daughter, Dacey.
T
exas State University alum Jason Washington begins his second
season coaching the Bobcats’ cornerbacks. While Washington
may be a relative newcomer to the Texas State coaching staff,
the San Antonio native brings on-field experience as a four-year letter
winner for both the Bobcat football and baseball teams.
Washington started both as a defensive back for the football
squad as well as in centerfield for the ‘Cats baseball team before
graduating in 2002.
He was a valuable contributor all four years for the football
team, posting a career-best 66 tackles as a senior. As a starter for the
baseball club, he earned All-Southland Conference Tournament and
NCAA All-Regional honors in 1999 as the Bobcats won the league title
and played in the NCAA tournament in Waco.
Washington lettered three seasons at San Antonio MacArthur
High for Coach Van Fuschak, another Bobcat alum. At MacArthur,
Washington played quarterback, wide receiver and defensive back.
He helped the team to an 11-3 finish as a senior as the squad advanced to the regional quarterfinals.
He was a first-team all-district, all-city and all-state selection his
senior year. He was also listed on the Texas Top 100 and selected the
1997 San Antonio Defensive Most Valuable Player as selected by area
sports writers.
In addition to earning his bachelor’s degree from Texas State,
Washington earned a master’s degree in sports administration from
Texas State in 2004.
Kyle Tietz and wife Megan with daughter
Dacey.
NOTING KYLE TIETZ
Age: 30 (8/13/75)
Alma Mater: East Central Oklahoma, 1999. Playing Experience: Two-year
letterman at linebacker.
Recruiting Area: Central Texas, West Texas & South Texas.
52
NOTING JASON WASHINGTON
Age: 25 (9/16/79)
Alma Mater: Texas State, 2002. Playing Experience: Four-year letterman at
defensive back. Also lettered four years for the Bobcat baseball team.
Recruiting Area: East Texas & California junior colleges.
Kent Laster
Chris Stacy
Tight Ends Coach
Director of Football Operations
Texas State, 1997
Texas Tech, 2002
K
C
hris Stacy begins his third year as a member of the Texas State
University football staff as the Bobcats’ Director of Football Operations.
In his role at Texas State, Stacy assists Head Coach David Bailiff
with many of the day-to-day responsibilities of the football program.
His broad range of responsibilities include team travel, on-campus
recruiting, roster upkeep, compliance, camps/
clinics, golf tournaments, coaches/players tickets, academics, banquets, walk-on programs
and game-day duties.
Stacy also serves as the NFL liaison
and is a liaison for the program with
various athletic and university departments.
Previous to joining the Texas Staff,
Stacy was a member of the football
operations staff at Texas Tech where
he worked to organize and implement
marketing plans for the program’s
camps and clinics. He also assisted
with various aspects of on-campus
recruiting and helped with the team
web site and media guide.
Stacy is a 2002 graduate of
Texas Tech and recently completed
his master’s degree work at Texas
State.
NOTING CHRIS STACY
Age: 25 (4/21/80)
Alma Mater: Texas Tech, 2002.
NOTING KENT LASTER
Age: 30 (1/2/75)
Alma Mater: Texas State, 1997. Playing Experience: Four-year letterman at
defensive back.
53
Texas State Bobcats
ent Laster returns for his second coaching stint with the Texas
State football program after previously working on the Bobcat
staff in 2001 and 2002. Laster returned to San Marcos in the
spring and is currently working with the Bobcats’ tight ends.
Laster rejoins the Texas State staff after working the past two
seasons at Samford and Middle Tennessee State.
Last season Laster served as the cornerbacks coach at Middle
Tennesee and also had coaching responsibilities with the special
teams. At Samford, Laster was responsible for coaching the Bulldogs’
wide receivers as well as coordinating the field goal and extra-point
special teams units.
Laster previously worked with Texas State’s running backs in
2001 and the team’s cornerbacks in 2002. Among the players Laster
tutored was Second-Team All-Southland Football League running
back Bronson Sanders who was the second-leading rusher in the
SFL.
Laster originally joined the Texas State coaching staff from
Ouachita Baptist where he was the running backs coach for two seasons
(1999-2000).
Laster was a four-year letter
winner for Texas State at defensive back from 1994 to 1997. He
was an honorable mention AllSouthland Conference selection
in 1995 after leading the team
with three interceptions. He was
fifth on the team as a senior with
72 total tackles, including seven
for lost yards.
The Dallas native received
his bachelor’s degree from Texas
State in 1997 and earned a
master’s degree in history from
Ouachita Baptist in 2002.
Texas State Football Staff
Thad Livingston
David Gish
Football Strength and Conditioning
Head Athletic Trainer
Central Methodist College, 1995
North Texas, 1984
Texas State Bobcats
I
n just one year on the job, Texas State strength and conditioning
coach Thad Livingston has transitioned the Bobcats into a team
which is both stronger and quicker. He
begins his second season at the university
looking for more improvements in the Bobcats’ weigth room numbers.
Livingston joined the Texas State
staff after working the previous year
at Arkansas where he was an assistant
with the Razorback football program.
Prior to his tenure at Arkansas,
he had also served as strength and
conditioning coach at both LouisianaMonroe and Northwestern State.
A 1995 graduate of Central
Methodist College in Fayette, Mo.,
Livingston was both a football and
track and field athlete at the school.
He earned All-Heart of America
Conference honors twice in football
and served as the team’s captain his
senior year. Academically, he was also
named to the Dean’s List and earned a
Presidential Leadership Scholarship.
He is a member of the National
Strength and Conditioning Coaches
Association and is SCCC and USA
Weightlifting certified.
This spring, Livingston was married to the former Marsha Stelly of
Delcambre, La.
Thad Livingston and wife Marsha.
NOTING THAD LIVINGSTON
Age: 33 (11/8/71)
Alma Mater: Central Methodist College, 1995. Playing Experience: Four-year
letterman at nose guard and defensive end.
I
n his role as head athletic trainer, David Gish oversees a Texas State
athletic training staff which includes two full-time assistants, four
graduate assistants and more than 45 student trainers. He is in his
eighth year as the ‘Cats head trainer and is in his 16th year on the Texas
State training staff.
Gish is a certified member of the National Athletic Trainers’ Association and is a licensed athletic trainer in the state of Texas. He serves
as the I-AA representative on the College/University Athletic Training
Committee for District Six of NATA. He is also a past-president of the
Alamo Area Athletic Trainers Association and has served as the
District Eight representative for the Texas State Athletic Trainers Association.
During his tenure at Texas State, Gish has worked at
the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs and was
a member of the training staff at the 1995 U.S.
Sports Festival in Denver. He was appointed
to the medical staff for the USA Track and
Field Team when it participated in the 2004
World Junior Championships in Grosseto,
Italy.
Gish came to Texas State in January, 1990, from San Marcos High
School where he was the Rattlers’
head athletic trainer for four years.
He also worked as an assistant athletic
trainer at Louisiana-Lafayette (formerly
Southwestern Louisiana) for two years.
Gish began his athletic training
background under Dennis Hart at North Mesquite High School. He earned a bachelor’s degree from North Texas in 1984 and completed a
master’s degree from Texas State in 1990.
Gish and his wife Karen, a 1987 Texas State
graduate, have a daughter, Madison (seven) and
a son, Hayden (four).
NOTING DAVID GISH
Age: 43 (6/26/62)
Alma Mater: North Texas, 1984
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Robert Hubbell
Kent Anderson
Athletic Equipment Manager
Athletic Video Coordinator
Texas State, 1996
R
K
ent Anderson begins his second season as Texas State University’s Athletic Video Coordinator and brings an extensive amount
of video experience from both the collegiate and professional
levels.
In addition to working with Texas State’s athletic programs,
Anderson just concluded his ninth season working with the Rhein
Fire of NFL Europe. Anderson’s experience with the professional team
dates back to the franchise’s affiliation with the World League in the
mid-1990s.
While a student at Nevada-Las Vegas, Anderson worked in the
university’s athletic video production department. He went on to be
the video coordinator of the Las Vegas Posse of the Canadian Football
League.
He also worked with the Orlando Rage of the XFL.
Anderson’s collegiate experience includes a stint as video coordinator at Northern Iowa and the video director at the University of
Hawaii.
Anderson has two children, Keith (12) and Brittany (10).
Linda Guitierrez
Football Secretary
NOTING ROBERT HUBBELL
Age: 35 (12/8/1969)
Alma Mater: Texas State, 1996.
55
Texas State Bobcats
obert Hubbell is in his 16th year at Texas State University and his
seventh season as the Bobcats’ Athletic Equipment Manager.
Hubbell oversees the day-to-day management of the athletic equipment offices, including record-keeping, storage and inventory. He is responsible for preparing and maintaining an annual
operation budget in football and is responsible for the daily needs of
the football program during both practices and games.
Hubbell was a member of the team which designed the equipment and laundry facilities of the End Zone Complex and Strahan
Coliseum.
As a student, Hubbell filled the same equipment
management role from 1990-96 while completing
his undergraduate degree. He received a bachelor’s degree in computer information systems in
1996.
Better known as “Radar” around the
athletic offices, the Houston native has also
worked with the San Antonio Riders and the
Sacramento Surge of the World Football
League and the San Antonio Texans of
the Canadian Football League.
Hubbell is engaged
to be married this
December to the former Wendy Hutchinson of
Burkburnett.
Texas State Football Staff
Blake Miller (Continued from Page 49)
Tom Herman (Continued from Page 50)
For three seasons, Miller played in the National Football League
with New England, Detroit and the New York Giants. He played in a
career-high 12 games, starting five for the Detroit Lions in 1992.
Miller was a four-year letter winner and two-year starter at
Louisiana State University. He was a First-Team All-Southeastern
Conference pick as a senior and received All-America notice as well.
Miller was selected to play in the Blue-Gray Bowl, the East-West
Shrine Bowl and the Japan Bowl following his senior season. He was
a seventh-round selection of the New England Patriots during the
1991 NFL draft.
Miller and his wife Beth, a native of Devine, Texas, were married
last summer.
Texas State Bobcats
Craig Naivar (Continued from Page 50)
uate assistant coach at TCU during the spring of 1998 under former
Texas State and current Texas A&M head coach Dennis Franchione.
He also worked under Franchione at New Mexico in 1996 and 1997,
coaching the defensive line, tight ends and wide receivers.
From 1994 to 1995, Naivar was the special teams coordinator
and defensive assistant at Hardin-Simmons under Texas High School
Coaches Association Hall of Honor member Jimmie Keeling.
Naivar holds both a master’s of sports management and a
bachelor’s of science in degree in physical education from HardinSimmons. The Taylor native was a four-year football letter winner
at quarterback and free safety, earning all-conference honors. He
played on a conference championship team which advanced to the
national semifinals his senior year. He also received academic honors
from Hardin-Simmons.
Naivar and his wife Michelle, also a Taylor native, have a daughter, Jordan Ashleigh (three).
in 2000. Statistically, Texas ranked eighth in scoring (38.6 points), 14th
in passing offense (293.2 ypg) and 15th in total offense (438.3 ypg) in
2000.
Herman began his coaching career as the wide receivers coach at
Texas Lutheran in Seguin. He also coordinated the team’s off-season developmental programs and directed offensive scouting. Herman’s wide
receivers were part of an offense that averaged 424 yards per game
in 1998 and ranked second in the American Southwest Conference in
both passing and total offense.
Outside of college athletics, Herman previously worked as a sports
production assistant for KADY-TV in Oxnard, Calif., a highlight coordinator for Fox-TV in Los Angeles and a producer/production assistant at
XTRA Sports Radio in Los Angeles. He has also managed training sites
for Adams Course Texas which educates athletes on off-season workouts and directing the development of athletes’ personal goals and
leadership skills.
Herman earned his B.S. in Business Administration from California
Lutheran in 1997 where he was a cum laude graduate with a 3.83 overall GPA. He was a Presidential Scholarship recipient as well as a member
of Mensa and the Gamma Beta Phi Honor Society. At California Lutheran he was an All-Southern California Athletic Conference wide receiver.
He also earned a Master’s of Education degree from Texas, compiling a
3.82 GPA.
Herman and his wife Michelle are the parents of a daughter, Priya
Nicolette (one).
Texas State University’s annual Maroon and Gold Classic carried the moniker “Town vs. Gown” as leaders from the community coached the Gold team while
university leaders were charged with coaching the Maroon team during the first half of the spring game. The Gold team posted a 21-7 victory over the Maroon before a crowd of 2,433. Members of the Gold coaching staff (pictured above left with Texas State coach David Bailiff ) were Texas State letterman and
Toyota of San Marcos owner Jim Stienke, long-time Bobcat Athletic Foundation member Albert Gonzalez, State Representative Patrick Rose and Sac-N-Pac’s
Blake Warren. The Maroon coaching staff (pictured above right with Bailiff ) were Dr. John Huffman, the husband of Texas State University President Dr. Denise M. Trauth, Texas State Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Dr. Perry Moore, Past Associated Student Government President Jerry Parker and
Past ASG Vice President Chris Moore. To read more about the game, turn to Page 97.
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