EMU Names Jeff Woodruff Head Football Coach
YPSILANTI, Mich. (December 15) -- Jeff Woodruff, an assistant football coach at the University
of Arizona for
the past two seasons, has been named Eastern Michigan University's head
football coach.
EMU Director of Athletics Dave Diles made the announcement today at a
press conference
in the Convocation Center. Woodruff takes over the head coaching duties
from Rick
Rasnick who was relieved of his duties, Nov. 16.
"Jeff Woodruff brings a lot of excitement and enthusiasm into his new
role as Eastern
Michigan University's new head football coach," Diles said of Woodruff's
appointment. "He
has been a major part of several top intercollegiate football programs
during his career,
including a national championship team at the University of Washington,
and we feel that
success will carry over in leading the EMU football program into the
future."
A native of Kent, Ohio, Woodruff was a football letterwinner at Kent
State University before
earning his bachelor's degree in 1979.
He began his coaching career as a tight ends coach and graduate
assistant on the Kent football
staff in 1979. Woodruff joined the University of Washington football
staff as a graduate
assistant coach from 1980-82 before moving on to the University of
Nevada Reno as the
secondary coach and recruiting coordinator in 1983. He returned to the
University of
Washington staff in 1984 as quarterbacks coach, moving up to the
offensive coordinator position in 1992. While at
Washington, Woodruff was a part of the staff that helped the 1991
Washington team win the national championship. After
leaving in 1994, Woodruff became the head football coach at Cholla High
School in Tucson, Arizona before joining the
University of Arizona staff as an assistant in 1998.
During his coaching career, Woodruff has been on football staffs that
have participated in 12 post-season bowl games,
including the Holiday Bowl (1998), Rose Bowl (1980, 1982, 1991, 1992,
1993), Freedom Bowl (1989), Independence
Bowl (1987), Sun Bowl (1986), Orange Bowl (1985), Aloha Bowl (1984) and
Holiday Bowl (1998).
