Coaching Staff
Tim Walsh
Head Coach • First Year • UC Riverside '77
0-0 at Cal Poly (First Year)
117-82 overall (18 Years)

Tim Walsh, offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at the United States Military Academy the last two seasons, was named Cal Poly’s 16th head football coach at a press conference held Jan. 9, 2009.

“Tim Walsh brings all of the qualities we were looking for in a head coach for our football team,” Cal Poly director of athletics Alison Cone said. “He has been a successful head coach at two universities in California.

“He is a quality leader who understands the unique culture at Cal Poly,” Cone added. “He knows how to help young men reach their potential in the classroom, as citizens, and on the football field. We had several outstanding applicants from which to choose, but I am thrilled we were able to hire a person with such outstanding credentials to direct our program.

“He has the ability to continue the success the Cal Poly football program has enjoyed the last six years and that the community and the university will be proud of and excited to support,” Cone said.

Walsh replaces Rich Ellerson, the Mustangs’ head football coach for the last eight seasons. Ellerson was named head coach at Army on Dec. 26, 2008.

“We had several outstanding applicants from which to choose, but I am thrilled we were able to hire a person with such outstanding credentials to direct this program,” Cone said of Walsh. “He is a high-character, high-quality individual who will bring great passion and enthusiasm to our campus.”

Walsh has compiled a 117-82 record in 18 seasons as a college head coach, including four years at Sonoma State (27-14 from 1989-92) and 14 more seasons at Portland State (90-68 from 1993-2006). He guided Sonoma State to the Northern California Athletic Conference title in 1991 (ending UC Davis’ streak of 20 consecutive conference titles), a pair of NCAA Division II playoff berths while at Sonoma State and four more postseason berths while at Portland State.

“I have a tremendous working knowledge of Cal Poly, its history and current status,” said Walsh. “The combination of a tremendous academic university, a tremendous area to recruit and live, and a football program that’s winning all added up to a great opportunity for me.

“My goals are to continue to recruit student-athletes whose goals are to be the best they can be, both in the class and on the field, and become quality young men,” Walsh added. “If we do that, winning won’t be a problem. This is an opportunity to build a great program and develop a great relationship between the campus and the community at large.”

A charismatic speaker and motivator, Walsh guided Sonoma State to three winning seasons in four years at the helm of the Seawolves and 10 more above-.500 campaigns in his 14-year term at Portland State. With the Vikings, Walsh coached 14 All-Americans and 11 Academic All-Americans.

Portland State joined the Big Sky Conference in 1996. During Walsh’s 11 seasons when the Vikings were in the Big Sky, he coached players who earned 39 first-team All-Big Sky honors, 51 on the second team, 80 honorable mentions, 58 Academic All-Big Sky honorees, 59 Big Sky Players of the Week, 20 national player of the week honorees, five Walter Payton Award finalists and one Buck Buchanan Award finalist.

A Serra High School (San Mateo, Calif.) graduate, Walsh played football at UC Riverside in the mid-1970s and earned a bachelor’s degree in history in 1977.

He began his coaching career at his high school alma mater, Serra, spending four years (1977-80) as an assistant coach before becoming head coach (1981-85) at Moreau Catholic High School in Hayward. Walsh moved into the college coaching ranks in 1986, becoming an assistant coach and defensive coordinator at Santa Clara for one season.

In 1987 and 1988, Walsh was offensive coordinator at Sonoma State before becoming head coach of the Seawolves (then the Cossacks) in 1989. His first season in Rohnert Park produced a 4-6 mark, but Walsh guided Sonoma State to 7-3, 9-2 and 7-3 records in his final three years there.

Walsh embarked upon a 14-year head coaching career at Portland State in 1993, guiding the Vikings to NCAA Division II playoff berths each of his first three seasons.

Portland State elevated its athletics program to Division I in 1996 and, though the Vikings struggled in the first three years at that level, there was steady progression -- from 3-8 to 4-7 and 5-6. The 1999 Viking team began a string of seven winning campaigns in eight seasons, including a Football Championship Subdivision (formerly Division I-AA) playoff berth in 2000.

Walsh piloted Portland State to a quartet of second-place finishes in the Big Sky along with a third and three fourth-place finishes. In 14 seasons at the helm, Walsh’s Vikings were 62-21 at home. He earned two wins against FBS schools -- Hawaii in 2001 and New Mexico in 2006 -- and was 3-0 against Cal Poly while at Portland State along with a 2-1 mark against the Mustangs while at Sonoma State.

Walsh was a finalist for the Eddie Robinson Award (FCS Coach of the Year) in 1999

In 2008, Walsh’s second season at Army, the Black Knights finished ninth in the Football Bowl Subdivision in rushing offense (241.42 yards per game), fourth in sacks allowed (1.00) and 15th in time of possession (31:45).

While at Army, Walsh’s recruiting responsibilities included nine Western states.

The list of coaches who were assistants under Walsh includes Dan Hawkins (Colorado), Gary Patterson (Texas Christian) and Chris Peterson (Boise State). National Football League players who competed under Walsh’s tutelage include -- from Sonoma State -- offensive lineman Larry Allen (Dallas) -- and from Portland State -- tight end Tony Curtis (Dallas), wide receiver Shaun Bodiford (Green Bay), linebacker Jordan Senn (Indianapolis) and linebacker Adam Hayward (Tampa Bay).

Walsh and his wife, Jody, have four children: Luke, Casey, Sean and Megan.

Bryan Cook
Co-Offensive Coordinator (Quarterbacks) • First Year
Ithaca '98

Cook, 33, was hired Jan. 16 as Cal Poly's co-offensive coordinator and will coach the quarterbacks.

He has served the last four seasons as head coach at West Point Prep in Fort Monmouth, NJ, compiling a 28-22-1 record, including a 7-3 mark in 2008 and an 8-2 record in 2006. His teams competed against several top-10 community colleges and prep schools.

Cook, who earned the Commander’s Award for Civilian Service while coaching at West Point Prep, was defensive coordinator in the successful 2004 prep campaign, his first on post, achieving a 6-3 record with victories over Air Force Prep and Navy Prep. That squad gave up just 15.4 points and 233 yards per game.

Before joining the staff of former Army coach Bobby Ross in 2004, Cook served on staff at Georgia Tech for three seasons. The Yellow Jackets went to three consecutive bowl games during his time. In 2003 he coached the safeties, led by James Butler (NY Giants) and Dawan Landry (Ravens). Coaching the tight ends in 2002 he tutored NFL tight ends J.P. Foschi (Raiders) and Will Heller (Seahawks). During the 2001 season, Cook worked with the defensive backs and special teams for former Ross assistant George O’Leary.

Prior coaching stints involved stops at Lafayette College (2000, defensive assistant), and Ithaca College (1999, wide receivers). He was a four-year Dean’s List student at Ithaca, earning his bachelor’s degree in health and physical education in December 1998, graduating Magna Cum Laude, and completing his master’s degree in exercise science in September 2000.

As a Bomber, he lettered in both football and lacrosse, earning all-conference honors in lacrosse as a defenseman. A starting strong safety on the gridiron, Ithaca captured ECAC Championships in 1996 and 1998. He is originally from upstate New York and is married to his wife Julia.

Saga Tuitele
Co-Offensive Coordinator (Offensive Line) • First Year
Portland State '02

Tuitele, assistant offensive line coach at the United States Military Academy the last two years, was named Cal Poly's co-offensive coordinator in charge of the offensive line on Jan. 16.

Tuitele served four seasons under Walsh at Portland State, coaching the defensive tackles, before following Walsh to Army prior to the 2007 campaign to coach the offensive line. In 2004, Tuitele coached two of the top defensive linemen in the Big Sky Conference in Chris Berg and Chuck Jones. He was recruiting coordinator at Portland State in 2005 and 2006.

Following their graduation, Tuitele helped rebuild a formidable new front line for the Vikings, developing a pair of unheralded players in Casey Tyler and Matthis Gehring. Both underclassmen earned honorable mention All-Big Sky plaudits in 2005. Tuitele also served a two-year stint as the team’s recruiting coordinator.

Although he twice earned All-Big Sky Conference honors as an offensive guard, Tuitele began his career at Portland State as a defensive tackle. He played two seasons on the defensive side of the ball, competing as a true freshman in 1997.

The San Bernardino, Calif., native moved to the offensive line in 1999 and experienced instant success as one of the top linemen in the league. He blocked for Viking great Charles Dunn, who rushed for over 3,000 yards, and quarterback Jimmy Blanchard, who threw for almost 6,000 yards and 46 touchdowns during the 1999 and 2000 seasons.

Tuitele, 30, earned a bachelor’s degree in social science from Portland State in 2002. His brother, Tolo, starred for the Vikings (2001-04) at linebacker. Saga, an all-CIF-Southern Section defensive lineman at Pacific High School in San Bernardino in the mid-1990s, and his wife, Rachel, have one son, To’omalatai.

Greg Lupfer
Defensive Coordinator • First Year
Portland State '94

Lupfer joined Coach Walsh's staff at Cal Poly on Jan. 16 and will be the team's defensive coordinator. He coached the safeties, outside linebackers and special teams at Toledo last fall.

Prior to his one-year coaching stint at Toledo, Lupfer coached for 12 seasons (1995-2006) at his alma mater, Portland State, including the final seven seasons as the defensive coordinator and linebackers coach. During his tenure with the Vikings, all under the direction of Walsh, Lupfer’s defenses were among the top-rated in the Big Sky Conference.

In 2006, Portland State allowed just 12.4 points per game against conference foes, by far the best in the league. Overall, Portland State allowed 18.4 points per game, the fewest since joining the ranks of the Football Championship Subdivision (formerly Division I-AA) in 1996. The Vikings also forced 31 turnovers to rank second in the nation.

Lupfer’s best player on the 2006 team was linebacker Adam Hayward, the Big Sky Conference’s Defensive Player of the Year and a finalist for the Buck Buchanan Award as the top defensive player in the FCS. Hayward now plays for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Lupfer’s defense also dominated the Big Sky in 2004, leading the league in every major category, including scoring defense (20.3), rushing defense (110.1) and total defense (346.3).

Prior to his post as defensive coordinator, Lupfer coached the Vikings’ defensive secondary and special teams from 1996-99. He was outside linebackers coach in 1995 at Portland State and, before that, coached the linebackers as a graduate assistant for one season at Boise State in 1994.

Lupfer was an outstanding linebacker for Portland State, earning All-Western League honors in 1991, leading the team in tackles and helping an 11-3 Viking team reach the NCAA Division II semifinals. He missed the 1992 season due to injury, but came back in 1993 to lead the Vikings back to the playoffs. He was credited with 177 tackles in his career.

Lupfer, 38, who also played at Walla Walla Community College in 1989 and 1990, is a June 1994 graduate of Portland State with a bachelor’s degree in social science. He and his wife Tina have three children, Taylor (11), Colby (9) and Demi (1).

Juston Wood
Wide Receivers • First Year
Portland State '03

Wood, who has played in the Arena Football League the last three seasons, was named wide receivers coach at Cal Poly on Jan. 16.

Wood was a quarterback for the New York Dragons in 2006, Philadelphia Soul in 2007 and back with the Dragons in 2008 before the Arena Football League suspended operations for the 2009 campaign. In those three years, he completed 140 of 230 passes (61 percent) for 1,531 yards and 25 touchdowns.

He played for the Central Valley Coyotes of af2 in 2005, earned second-team All-National Conference honors, led af2 in total offense averaging 282.4 yards per game and passes for 4,361 yards and 89 touchdowns. He also played for the Coyotes in 2004, completing 60 of 105 passes for 651 yards and 15 scores. Wood signed as a free agent with the Minnesota Vikings on April 28, 2003, and was released on August 25.

Wood was a standout student-athlete under the tutelage of Walsh at Portland State, twice earning ADA Academic All-American honors. He was a first-team All-Big Sky Conference selection at quarterback in 2001 and honorable mention in 2002, serving as team captain both seasons.

Wood ended his collegiate career ranked sixth in school history with 5,681 yards of total offense and finished his career with 5,653 passing yards, 37 touchdown passes, 414 completions and six 300-yard passing games. He led the Big Sky in passing as a junior.

Wood, 28, was a three-year varsity letter winner in football at David Douglas High School in Portland and has served as an assistant coach at David Douglas High School the last three seasons. Twice he earned all-conference honors in basketball. He earned his bachelor’s degree in public health education major at Portland State in April 2003.

Aristotle Thompson
Running Backs (Recruiting Coordinator) • First Year
Boise State '01

Thompson, assistant director of football operations at Boise State the last two seasons, will coach the running backs and also serve as Cal Poly's recruiting coordinator.

Thompson was a running back at Boise State, helping the Broncos to their first two Football Bowl Subdivision conference championships (Big West Conference) in 1999 and 2000. The Broncos won the Humanitarian Bowl both years as well with victories over Louisville in 1999 and Texas-El Paso in 2000.

In those two seasons, Thompson rushed for 278 yards and one touchdown, averaging 4.1 yards per carry. He also caught five passes for 50 yards.

A 2001 graduate of Boise State with a degree in social sciences and public affairs, Thompson was an assistant strength and conditioning coach at Boise State in 2001 and an assistant football coach at Nampa (Idaho) High School in 2002, Eastern Oregon University in 2003 and 2004 (where he also worked as an admissions counselor) and Grant High School in Portland in 2005 and 2006. He also was the sprint coach for the Grant team that won the Oregon state championship in the 4-by-100 relay.

Thompson, 30, is a 1996 graduate of Portland’s Jesuit High School. He was named Gatorade Oregon High School Player of the Year in 1995 and earned first-team all-state honors as a senior in 1995 and second-team honors as a junior in 1994.

Thompson’s duties as assistant director of football operations at Boise State the last two years included national recruting, team travel and camps. He currently is pursuing a master’s degree in athletic administration at Idaho State.

Adam Waugh
Assistant Coach (Defensive Backs) • First Year
Illinois State '01

Adam Waugh, an assistant coach at the United States Military Academy for the last six seasons, was hired in March to coach the defensive backs at Cal Poly.

Waugh concentrated his efforts at Army on the safeties. He helped develop Caleb Campbell, who finished his career in 2007 ranked among Army’s all-time top 10 tacklers. Campbell became the first Army player selected in the National Football League Draft since 1997 when he was chosen in the seventh round by the Detroit Lions.

A 2001 graduate of Illinois State, Waugh spent the 2002 season as a graduate assistant defensive coach under head coach Walt Harris at Pittsburgh. That season, the Panthers finished ranked among the nation’s Top 25 and defeated Oregon State in the Insight.com Bowl. Waugh arrived at Army shortly thereafter.

As an undergraduate, the Libertyville, Ill., native started every game of his career while carving out an impressive 4.0 grade point average as a political science major at Illinois State. He finished his career with 320 tackles to rank eighth on the Redbirds’ all-time stops chart.

Waugh listed second on the team in tackles during his junior and senior years, registering 101 and 83 hits, respectively.

Waugh was chosen a Bone Scholar, the highest academic honor at Illinois State, and was one of 16 players selected to the 2001 class of National College Scholar-Athletes (a postgraduate scholarship program conducted by The National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame). He was also a two-time first team Verizon Academic All-America selection.

Waugh has played a large role in Army’s consistently improving defensive efforts. While the Black Knights ranked 37th in total defense in 2005, Army listed seventh nationally in pass defense in 2006 and 16th a year ago.

Waugh’s older brother, Tucker, is also a member of Army’s coaching staff and oversees the Black Knights’ running backs. 

Jamar Cain
Assistant Coach (Defensive Line) • First Year
New Mexico State '02

Jamar Cain, hired in March to coach the defensive line at Cal Poly, coached the defensive ends at Missouri State the last three seasons. Prior to 2006, he held a coaching position on the grid staff at Ohio University.

Cain is a native of Sacramento and a 2002 graduate of New Mexico State. He is also completing work on a master’s degree from Ohio University.

Cain played football for two seasons as a defensive lineman at Sacramento City College and was a first team all-state selection for the Panthers. He spent his final two seasons at New Mexico State and was a second-team all-league defensive lineman in the Sun Belt Conference.

He spent two seasons as a high school coach and one year as an assistant coach at Sacramento City College and was an assistant coach during the 2005 season on the staff of head coach Frank Solich at Ohio University. Cain’s coaching responsibilities at Ohio were with the defensive ends and he had a number of additional duties within the Ohio program.

Cain is married to the former DeCarla Kincy of Sacramento, and the couple has a son, Cosby, born in June 2007, and a daughter, Cali, born last September.

Matt Crivello
Offensive Assistant • Fourth Year • Utah State '05

Matt Crivello, a quarterback at San Luis Obispo High School in the late 1990s and a son of former Mustang assistant coach John Crivello, will serve as an assistant coach with the offensive line at Cal Poly this fall, while continuing his studies toward a master's degree in kinesiology.  

Crivello, 27, who coached on the defensive side in 2006 and worked with the running backs the last two years, is a 1999 San Luis Obispo High School graduate who went on to play for two seasons at Cabrillo College in Santa Cruz County, earning scholar/athlete and offensive MVP awards.  

Crivello then played at Utah State from 2003-05, earning the Joe E. Whitesides Scholar Award three times and Academic All-Sun Belt Conference honors twice. He graduated from Utah State in May 2005 with a bachelor's degree in physical education and exercise science. 

In 2005 Crivello was quarterback coach and passing game coordinator at Cabrillo College. With Cal Poly's running backs in 2007 and 2008, he was part of a Mustang offense that was ranked in the top 10 nationally in numerous categories.

Crivello is a member of the American Football Coaches Association as well as the American Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (AAHPERD).

Kyle Shotwell
Defensive Assistant • First Year • Cal Poly '07

Kyle Shotwell, who earned the Buck Buchanan Award as the top defensive player in the Football Championship Subdivision in 2006, will assist defensive coordinator Greg Lupfer with the linebackers at Cal Poly.

Shotwell played football at Cal Poly from 2003-06 after a redshirt year in 2002 and is second on the Mustangs’ all-time career tackles chart with 392 stops. He holds the school record for tackles in a season, recording 158 as a junior in 2005. He also is third on the same list with 128 in 2003 and fifth with 122 in 2006.

Shotwell, who recorded his only collegiate touchdown in the final game of his career, taking a pitch from Kenny Chicoine following an interception and racing 65 yards for the score against Savannah State, was signed by five National Football League teams over the past two years, but never played a down in a regular season game.

Shotwell was Great West Defensive Player of the Year in 2006, twice earned All-Great West first-team honors and was the leading tackler with seven in the 2007 East-West Shrine Game in Houston, earning the Pat Tillman Award.

At Cal Poly, Shotwell had four career interceptions, played in all 46 games in his Mustang career, including starts in his last 35 games, and recorded double digits in tackles in 24 of those games. His career high for tackles in a game is 20 against Texas State in 2005.

Shotwell signed a free agent contract with the Oakland Raiders immediately following the 2007 NFL Draft. He played in exhibition games with the Raiders in 2007 and Indianapolis Colts in 2008 and was on the practice squads of the Minnesota Vikings, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Kansas City Chiefs, all in 2008.

Pat Johnston
Defensive Assistant • First Year • Cal Poly '09

Pat Johnston, who has two brothers currently playing on the Cal Poly football team, is serving his first year a defensive assistant coach at Cal Poly, working with the secondary as well as special teams.

Johnston was a backup quarterback for the Mustangs from 2005-07 after a redshirt year, primarily calling the signals for the scout team.

At Carmel High School, Johnston completed 147 of 264 passes for 2,022 yards and 21 touchdowns as a senior under head coach Craig Johnston, a former Cal Poly quarterback and Pat's father. Pat earned second-team small schools all-state honors and was named Mission Trail Athletic League Offensive Player of the Year in 2003.

Johnston also was honored on the All-Monterey County first team as selected by the Monterey County Herald. He completed 23 of 45 passes for 295 yards and three touchdowns in one game against Gonzales and led Carmel to a 5-4 overall record and 4-2 for a second-place tie in league play. Johnston played in Salinas Jaycees All-Star Football Game.

In his three-year prep career, Johnston threw for 5,020 yards, a league record until his brother Ken surpassed the mark, and passed for 51 touchdowns. Pat also was an outfielder on Carmel's baseball team which won its ninth straight Mission Trail Athletic League title in 2004. He earned first-team all-MTAL honors as an outfielder.

Johnston was named to Carmel High's Honor Roll every quarter. He was born Dec. 11, 1985, in San Luis Obispo and graduated from Cal Poly in June 2009 with a bachelor's degree in history. He plans to pursue a master's degree in education.

Besides Ken, another brother, Phil, also is a member of the Mustang football team as a linebacker.

Josh Brown
Director of Football Operations • First Year • San Jose State '03

Josh Brown, who played football at San Luis Obispo High School in the early 1990s, is in his first season as Cal Poly's Director of Football Operations.

Brown coached the linebackers and was recruiting coordinator at Sacramento State for the 2007 and 2008 seasons. The Hornets posted their first six-win season in 15 years in 2008 and had the No. 14-ranked rush defense in the Football Championship Subdivision in 2007. Both squads produced a pair of first-team All-Big Sky Conference linebackers as well as an honorable mention.

Brown was a defensive graduate assistant at Arizona State in 2006, an assistant coach at Foothill College from 2000-05, an assistant at Gavilan College for the 1999 season and was linebackers coach at San Luis Obispo High School in 1998, helping the Tigers to a 12-2 mark and CIF-Southern Section runner-up finish.

A 1994 graduate of San Luis Obispo High School, Brown played two seasons at Gavilan College and one year at Oklahoma. He earned his bachelor's degree in sociology at San Jose State in 2003 and his master's degree in curriculum and instruction, secondary education, at Arizona State in 2007.

David Wood
Strength and Conditioning Coach • First Year • Cal Poly '05

David Wood was named head strength and conditioning coach at Cal Poly in July. An assistant strength and conditioning coach for seven months prior to his promotion, Wood’s primary focus is the implementation of strength, speed, agility and conditioning programs for all 20 intercollegiate sports.

Prior to rejoining the Cal Poly family, Wood was at the University of Alabama, Birmingham, as a strength and conditioning graduate assistant while working on his master’s. While at UAB, his primary responsibilities were overseeing the strength and conditioning program for the men’s and women’s tennis teams. He also worked with the development and implementation of programs for football, softball, baseball, men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s soccer and volleyball. 

Wood spent a year with Velocity Sports Performance, training professional and collegiate athletes with a direct focus on baseball, soccer, football, volleyball and basketball. During his time with the private company, he utilized the Dart Fish computer analysis software to teach Olympic and power lifts, acceleration, deceleration, maximum velocity and multi-direction movement mechanics.

He also spent time with UCLA as a volunteer strength and conditioning coach working with football, men’s water polo, women’s soccer and both men’s and women’s volleyball, and was an intern at Cal Poly under former Mustang strength and conditioning coach Chris Holder in 2005.

Wood is “Strength and Conditioning Coach Certified” through the Collegiate Strength and Conditioning Coaches Association. He earned his undergraduate degree at Cal Poly in kinesiology in 2005 and added his master’s in exercise physiology from Alabama, Birmingham, in 2009.

Steve Kracher
Equipment Manager • Third Year • Montana State ‘77

Steve Kracher begins his third year as Cal Poly’s athletics equipment manager.

Kracher, a certified athletic equipment manager and member of the Athletic Equipment Managers Association, coached football for 30 years, including a two-year stint at Cal Poly from 1985-86 as a running backs and linebackers assistant.

Kracher also was an assistant coach at San Luis Obispo High School (1987-92, 1998-2000, 2006), Atascadero High School (2001-04), Hawai’i (2005) and coached in Montana and Wyoming as well.

A 1977 graduate of Montana State, Kracher earned his bachelor’s degree in physical education and history and his master’s degree two years later in physical education and school administration. As a player at Montana State, Kracher was an All-Big Sky Conference selection as a running back in 1974 and 1975 and was a Kodak and United Press International All-American in 1975.

Kracher was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in the 11th round in 1976 and was inducted into the Montana State Athletic Hall of Fame in 1996. He has been a high school teacher for 22 years.

Born Sept. 8, 1954, Kracher is single.