Steve Kragthorpe
Posted: Wed Nov 14, 2007 7:24 pmFrom the U of L website:
Steve Kragthorpe, the former head coach at Tulsa University and the architect of one the nation's most heralded rebuilding efforts, was named the 20th head football coach at the University of Louisville at a press conference on Jan. 9, 2007 in the press lounge at U of L's Papa John's Cardinal Stadium.
Named as the Golden Hurricane coach on December 18, 2002, Kragthorpe turned around the Tulsa program immediately. Prior to his arrival, Tulsa was a combined 2-21 in 2001 and 2002. However, it didn't take Kragthorpe long to turn around the Golden Hurricane program, compiling an impressive 29-22 record and guiding Tulsa to bowl games in three of the last four seasons.
"Steve has everything I look for in a head coach," said U of L Vice President and Director of Athletics Tom Jurich. "He has a proven track record and has high integrity, great morals and values. I like that he's a coach's son and his father Dave is a highly decorated coach. Steve is a great fit for this community. He has produced extraordinary results in a difficult situation at Tulsa and has endeared himself to that community. Everyone I've spoken with nationally says Steve is a great young man and one of the top young offensive minds in the nation. We welcome Steve and his wonderful family to our community and hope they call Louisville home for a long time."
Kragthorpe takes over for Bobby Petrino, who was named the head coach of the Atlanta Falcons on Monday and ended his U of L tenure with a 41-9 record. The Cardinals finished the 2006 season at 12-1 and won the 2007 FedEx Orange Bowl with a 24-13 win over 15th-ranked Wake Forest. Louisville finished No. 6 this season in the Associated Press Poll and No. 7 in the USA Today Coaches Poll.
In just four seasons at Tulsa, Kragthorpe took the Golden Hurricane to three bowls: the Humanitarian, Liberty and the Armed Forces Bowl. His teams won more games in his first three years than Tulsa had won in the preceding seven seasons combined, captured Tulsa's first conference championship since 1985 and put the Tulsa football program back on the map of national prominence.
Known as one of the best offensive minds in the country, Kragthorpe's teams have scored 30 or more points 29 times, 40 points on 10 occasions and 50 points three times. His 2006 squad was second in Conference USA in total offense and scoring.
Last season, Kragthorpe guided Tulsa to its third winning season in four years, going 8-5 and advancing to the Armed Forces Bowl before falling to Utah, 25-13.
The 2005 campaign was Tulsa's first year as a member of Conference USA. Kragthorpe proceeded to lead the Hurricane to the C-USA West Division title with a 6-2 record and capturing a victory in the inaugural Conference USA Football Championship Game with a 44-27 win over Central Florida. Tulsa represented C-USA in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl and left with a 31-24 victory over Fresno State, finishing the season with an overall 9-4 record.
In his first season in 2003, Kragthorpe was faced with the difficult task of attempting to reconstruct a football program that had just two victories over the previous two seasons. During that first year, Kragthorpe led that Tulsa team to an 8-5 overall record and the school's first bowl game in 12 years. The Golden Hurricane finished in a tie for second in the Western Athletic Conference with a 6-2 record and played in the Humanitarian Bowl.
His leadership helped produce the NCAA's biggest turnaround that year. The eight victories were the most at the school since 1991 and for that, Kragthorpe was voted the WAC Coach of the Year. He was also one of six semifinalists for the Eddie Robinson/FWAA Coach of the Year Award as selected by the Football Writers Association of America. Kragthorpe was selected as the FWAA/Scripps First-Year Coach of the Year award winner, an honor given to the nation's top first-year head coach. He was also a finalist for the Paul "Bear" Bryant and Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Awards and finished in a third-place tie with Oklahoma's Bob Stoops in the voting for the Associated Press' National Coach of the Year.
Kragthorpe came to Tulsa from the Buffalo Bills and 15 total years of coaching expertise, including 13 years on the college level, two years as a graduate assistant coach and 11 years as a full-time assistant, and two years of professional football.
Before coming to Tulsa, Kragthorpe spent the previous two seasons (2001-02) as quarterback coach with the NFL's Buffalo Bills. In 2001, he tutored Rob Johnson and in the 2002 season he coached All-Pro Drew Bledsoe. Kragthorpe also coached Alex Van Pelt in his two years with the Bills.
Prior to his brief stint in the NFL, Kragthorpe worked four years (1997-00) as an assistant coach at Texas A&M, including the final three seasons as offensive coordinator. He also coached the wide receivers from 1997-99, before becoming the quarterback coach for the 2000 season.
In his first year with the Aggies, A&M posted a 9-4 mark and had a 6-2 Big 12 record to finish in first place in the Big 12 South Division. The 1998 team, his first as offensive coordinator, posted an 11-3 overall record and a 7-1 conference mark to win the Big 12 South Division and the overall Big 12 Championship.
Kragthorpe entered the coaching profession in 1988 as a graduate assistant coach on his father's Oregon State staff. The younger Kragthorpe assisted with coaching the quarterbacks and receivers.
In 1990, Kragthorpe became the quarterback coach at Northern Arizona and remained in that position until being elevated to offensive coordinator for the next two seasons. While at NAU, he coached quarterback Jeff Lewis, who spent five years in the NFL as a reserve quarterback for the Denver Broncos and Carolina Panthers.
Following his four-year tenure at NAU, Kragthorpe became the offensive coordinator at North Texas in 1994, spending two seasons with the Mean Green. At North Texas, he oversaw an offense that led the conference in total offense. While there, he coached quarterback Mitch Maher who broke single-season school records for passing yards and total offense. After two seasons, Kragthorpe then moved to Boston College where he spent the 1996 season as quarterback coach, coaching current NFL signal-caller Matt Hasselbeck.
Playing collegiately at Eastern New Mexico (1983-84), Kragthorpe quarterbacked for two seasons before transferring to West Texas State. He started 11 games as a senior and completed 179-of-344 passes for 1,980 yards and nine TDs.
Kragthorpe earned his bachelor's degree in business administration from West Texas State in 1988. He also received his master's degree in business administration, while serving as a graduate assistant coach at Oregon State in 1988 and '89.
Kragthorpe, 41, and his wife, Cynthia, have three sons: Chris, Brad and Nik.
Steve Kragthorpe Profile
Personal
Birthdate: April 28, 1965
Birthplace: Missoula, Montana
Family: wife, Cynthia, and three sons: Chris, Brad and Nik
Education
High School: Highland High School (Pocatello, Idaho), 1983
College: Eastern New Mexico, 1983-84; West Texas State, 1985-87 (received bachelor's degree in business administration in 1988); Oregon State (received master's degree in business administration in 1991).
Playing Experience
High School: A three-year quarterback and two-year starter at Highland High School in Pocatello, Idaho.
College: Was a four-year letterwinner, including two years at Eastern New Mexico (1983-84), and two years at West Texas State (1985-87). He started 11 games as a senior in 1987 and completed 179 of 344 passes for 1,980 yards and nine touchdowns at West Texas.
Coaching Career Year By Year
Year - School/Team - Position - Record - Postseason
1990 - Northern Arizona - QB Coach - 5-6
1991 - Northern Arizona - QB Coach - 3-8
1992 - Northern Arizona - Off. Coordinator & QB Coach - 4-7
1993 - Northern Arizona - Off. Coordinator & QB Coach - 7-4
1994 - North Texas - Off. Coordinator & QB Coach - 7-4-1 - I-AA Playoffs
1995 - North Texas - Off. Coordinator & QB Coach - 2-9
1996 - Boston College - QB Coach - 4-8
1997 - Texas A&M - WR Coach - 9-4 - Cotton Bowl
1998 - Texas A&M - Off. Coordinator & WR Coach - 11-3 - Sugar Bowl
1999 - Texas A&M - Off. Coordinator & WR Coach - 8-4 - Alamo Bowl
2000 - Texas A&M - Off. Coordinator & QB Coach - 7-5 - Independence Bowl
2001 - Buffalo Bills - QB Coach - 3-13
2002 - Buffalo Bills - QB Coach - 8-8
2003 - Tulsa - Head Coach - 8-5 - Humanitarian Bowl
2004 - Tulsa - Head Coach - 4-8
2005 - Tulsa - Head Coach - 9-4 - AutoZone Liberty Bowl
2006 - Tulsa - Head Coach - 8-5 - Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl
Comments About Steve Kragthorpe
Former Texas A&M Coach R.C. Slocum
"This is an excellent hire for the University of Louisville. He's an outstanding young coach and did a great job calling plays for me when we won the BIG 12 championship at Texas A&M. Not only is he a great coach, but he's an even better person. Everyone will be impressed with him as a human being. He cares a great deal about his players and everyone he works with. He'll represent the University of Louisville well and be very successful."
Drew Bledsoe, who Kragthorpe coached at the NFL Buffalo Bills during Bledsoe's 2002 Pro Bowl season
"Tom Jurich made a great hire. Steve Kragthorpe is a great football coach who will make you proud on the football field but he is an even better man who will make your fans equally proud of how he conducts himself off the field and what he expects from his players off the field. I wish I could have played for him for a long time, but I only got a chance to play for him for one year and I am grateful for that opportunity. The University of Louisville is extremely fortunate to get a great coach and I expect him to be there for a very long time."
Karl Dorrell, who Kragthorpe coached at the University of Northern Arizona
"Steve is a proven coach. I coached with Steve in the past at Northern Arizona and knew he had all the qualities to be successful. He's done a great job at Tulsa and I am sure he is going to build on that success at Louisville. Steve is a great hire for Louisville."
Gregg Williams, Assistant Head Coach-Defense, Washington Redskins
"Steve is a great communicator and excellent detail coach of the QB position. It was very obvious, early on, that Steve was destined to move up the coaching ladder and would excel as a head coach. He has excellent football knowledge and has the tremendous ability to relate to all players and coaches. His family is very important to him and his football team is considered family. I'm very proud of his success!"
Steve Kragthorpe, the former head coach at Tulsa University and the architect of one the nation's most heralded rebuilding efforts, was named the 20th head football coach at the University of Louisville at a press conference on Jan. 9, 2007 in the press lounge at U of L's Papa John's Cardinal Stadium.
Named as the Golden Hurricane coach on December 18, 2002, Kragthorpe turned around the Tulsa program immediately. Prior to his arrival, Tulsa was a combined 2-21 in 2001 and 2002. However, it didn't take Kragthorpe long to turn around the Golden Hurricane program, compiling an impressive 29-22 record and guiding Tulsa to bowl games in three of the last four seasons.
"Steve has everything I look for in a head coach," said U of L Vice President and Director of Athletics Tom Jurich. "He has a proven track record and has high integrity, great morals and values. I like that he's a coach's son and his father Dave is a highly decorated coach. Steve is a great fit for this community. He has produced extraordinary results in a difficult situation at Tulsa and has endeared himself to that community. Everyone I've spoken with nationally says Steve is a great young man and one of the top young offensive minds in the nation. We welcome Steve and his wonderful family to our community and hope they call Louisville home for a long time."
Kragthorpe takes over for Bobby Petrino, who was named the head coach of the Atlanta Falcons on Monday and ended his U of L tenure with a 41-9 record. The Cardinals finished the 2006 season at 12-1 and won the 2007 FedEx Orange Bowl with a 24-13 win over 15th-ranked Wake Forest. Louisville finished No. 6 this season in the Associated Press Poll and No. 7 in the USA Today Coaches Poll.
In just four seasons at Tulsa, Kragthorpe took the Golden Hurricane to three bowls: the Humanitarian, Liberty and the Armed Forces Bowl. His teams won more games in his first three years than Tulsa had won in the preceding seven seasons combined, captured Tulsa's first conference championship since 1985 and put the Tulsa football program back on the map of national prominence.
Known as one of the best offensive minds in the country, Kragthorpe's teams have scored 30 or more points 29 times, 40 points on 10 occasions and 50 points three times. His 2006 squad was second in Conference USA in total offense and scoring.
Last season, Kragthorpe guided Tulsa to its third winning season in four years, going 8-5 and advancing to the Armed Forces Bowl before falling to Utah, 25-13.
The 2005 campaign was Tulsa's first year as a member of Conference USA. Kragthorpe proceeded to lead the Hurricane to the C-USA West Division title with a 6-2 record and capturing a victory in the inaugural Conference USA Football Championship Game with a 44-27 win over Central Florida. Tulsa represented C-USA in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl and left with a 31-24 victory over Fresno State, finishing the season with an overall 9-4 record.
In his first season in 2003, Kragthorpe was faced with the difficult task of attempting to reconstruct a football program that had just two victories over the previous two seasons. During that first year, Kragthorpe led that Tulsa team to an 8-5 overall record and the school's first bowl game in 12 years. The Golden Hurricane finished in a tie for second in the Western Athletic Conference with a 6-2 record and played in the Humanitarian Bowl.
His leadership helped produce the NCAA's biggest turnaround that year. The eight victories were the most at the school since 1991 and for that, Kragthorpe was voted the WAC Coach of the Year. He was also one of six semifinalists for the Eddie Robinson/FWAA Coach of the Year Award as selected by the Football Writers Association of America. Kragthorpe was selected as the FWAA/Scripps First-Year Coach of the Year award winner, an honor given to the nation's top first-year head coach. He was also a finalist for the Paul "Bear" Bryant and Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Awards and finished in a third-place tie with Oklahoma's Bob Stoops in the voting for the Associated Press' National Coach of the Year.
Kragthorpe came to Tulsa from the Buffalo Bills and 15 total years of coaching expertise, including 13 years on the college level, two years as a graduate assistant coach and 11 years as a full-time assistant, and two years of professional football.
Before coming to Tulsa, Kragthorpe spent the previous two seasons (2001-02) as quarterback coach with the NFL's Buffalo Bills. In 2001, he tutored Rob Johnson and in the 2002 season he coached All-Pro Drew Bledsoe. Kragthorpe also coached Alex Van Pelt in his two years with the Bills.
Prior to his brief stint in the NFL, Kragthorpe worked four years (1997-00) as an assistant coach at Texas A&M, including the final three seasons as offensive coordinator. He also coached the wide receivers from 1997-99, before becoming the quarterback coach for the 2000 season.
In his first year with the Aggies, A&M posted a 9-4 mark and had a 6-2 Big 12 record to finish in first place in the Big 12 South Division. The 1998 team, his first as offensive coordinator, posted an 11-3 overall record and a 7-1 conference mark to win the Big 12 South Division and the overall Big 12 Championship.
Kragthorpe entered the coaching profession in 1988 as a graduate assistant coach on his father's Oregon State staff. The younger Kragthorpe assisted with coaching the quarterbacks and receivers.
In 1990, Kragthorpe became the quarterback coach at Northern Arizona and remained in that position until being elevated to offensive coordinator for the next two seasons. While at NAU, he coached quarterback Jeff Lewis, who spent five years in the NFL as a reserve quarterback for the Denver Broncos and Carolina Panthers.
Following his four-year tenure at NAU, Kragthorpe became the offensive coordinator at North Texas in 1994, spending two seasons with the Mean Green. At North Texas, he oversaw an offense that led the conference in total offense. While there, he coached quarterback Mitch Maher who broke single-season school records for passing yards and total offense. After two seasons, Kragthorpe then moved to Boston College where he spent the 1996 season as quarterback coach, coaching current NFL signal-caller Matt Hasselbeck.
Playing collegiately at Eastern New Mexico (1983-84), Kragthorpe quarterbacked for two seasons before transferring to West Texas State. He started 11 games as a senior and completed 179-of-344 passes for 1,980 yards and nine TDs.
Kragthorpe earned his bachelor's degree in business administration from West Texas State in 1988. He also received his master's degree in business administration, while serving as a graduate assistant coach at Oregon State in 1988 and '89.
Kragthorpe, 41, and his wife, Cynthia, have three sons: Chris, Brad and Nik.
Steve Kragthorpe Profile
Personal
Birthdate: April 28, 1965
Birthplace: Missoula, Montana
Family: wife, Cynthia, and three sons: Chris, Brad and Nik
Education
High School: Highland High School (Pocatello, Idaho), 1983
College: Eastern New Mexico, 1983-84; West Texas State, 1985-87 (received bachelor's degree in business administration in 1988); Oregon State (received master's degree in business administration in 1991).
Playing Experience
High School: A three-year quarterback and two-year starter at Highland High School in Pocatello, Idaho.
College: Was a four-year letterwinner, including two years at Eastern New Mexico (1983-84), and two years at West Texas State (1985-87). He started 11 games as a senior in 1987 and completed 179 of 344 passes for 1,980 yards and nine touchdowns at West Texas.
Coaching Career Year By Year
Year - School/Team - Position - Record - Postseason
1990 - Northern Arizona - QB Coach - 5-6
1991 - Northern Arizona - QB Coach - 3-8
1992 - Northern Arizona - Off. Coordinator & QB Coach - 4-7
1993 - Northern Arizona - Off. Coordinator & QB Coach - 7-4
1994 - North Texas - Off. Coordinator & QB Coach - 7-4-1 - I-AA Playoffs
1995 - North Texas - Off. Coordinator & QB Coach - 2-9
1996 - Boston College - QB Coach - 4-8
1997 - Texas A&M - WR Coach - 9-4 - Cotton Bowl
1998 - Texas A&M - Off. Coordinator & WR Coach - 11-3 - Sugar Bowl
1999 - Texas A&M - Off. Coordinator & WR Coach - 8-4 - Alamo Bowl
2000 - Texas A&M - Off. Coordinator & QB Coach - 7-5 - Independence Bowl
2001 - Buffalo Bills - QB Coach - 3-13
2002 - Buffalo Bills - QB Coach - 8-8
2003 - Tulsa - Head Coach - 8-5 - Humanitarian Bowl
2004 - Tulsa - Head Coach - 4-8
2005 - Tulsa - Head Coach - 9-4 - AutoZone Liberty Bowl
2006 - Tulsa - Head Coach - 8-5 - Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl
Comments About Steve Kragthorpe
Former Texas A&M Coach R.C. Slocum
"This is an excellent hire for the University of Louisville. He's an outstanding young coach and did a great job calling plays for me when we won the BIG 12 championship at Texas A&M. Not only is he a great coach, but he's an even better person. Everyone will be impressed with him as a human being. He cares a great deal about his players and everyone he works with. He'll represent the University of Louisville well and be very successful."
Drew Bledsoe, who Kragthorpe coached at the NFL Buffalo Bills during Bledsoe's 2002 Pro Bowl season
"Tom Jurich made a great hire. Steve Kragthorpe is a great football coach who will make you proud on the football field but he is an even better man who will make your fans equally proud of how he conducts himself off the field and what he expects from his players off the field. I wish I could have played for him for a long time, but I only got a chance to play for him for one year and I am grateful for that opportunity. The University of Louisville is extremely fortunate to get a great coach and I expect him to be there for a very long time."
Karl Dorrell, who Kragthorpe coached at the University of Northern Arizona
"Steve is a proven coach. I coached with Steve in the past at Northern Arizona and knew he had all the qualities to be successful. He's done a great job at Tulsa and I am sure he is going to build on that success at Louisville. Steve is a great hire for Louisville."
Gregg Williams, Assistant Head Coach-Defense, Washington Redskins
"Steve is a great communicator and excellent detail coach of the QB position. It was very obvious, early on, that Steve was destined to move up the coaching ladder and would excel as a head coach. He has excellent football knowledge and has the tremendous ability to relate to all players and coaches. His family is very important to him and his football team is considered family. I'm very proud of his success!"