Dave Baldwin Position: Offensive Coordinator Years Coaching: 33rd season (First at CSU)

DAVE BALDWIN
33rd season in coaching | First season at CSU

Dave Baldwin at a glance...

• Hired by Jim McElwain Jan. 4, 2012.
• A Denver native, preceded John Elway at Granada Hills (Calif.) High School in the early 1970s, then coached for Elway's father, Jack, at Cal State Northridge. Coached under the elder Elway most of his early career, with stops at Northridge, San Jose State and Stanford.Owns 10 seasons of head-coaching experience.
• Owns 10 seasons of head-coaching experience, five at the Division I level and five in the highly competitive California JC ranks.
• Has spent the last 11 seasons as an offensive coordinator at major-college programs, including four years (2003-06) at Michigan State, where he served with McElwain. Two of his Spartans QBs, Jeff Smoker and Drew Stanton, advanced to the NFL.
• Coached several future NFL players at Stanford, including WR Ed McCaffrey, TE Greg Baty and WR Emile Harry. Additionally, Stanford QB Brian Johnson opted to pursue a Major League Baseball career as a catcher.
• Orchestrated the largest comeback in NCAA history, a 41-38 win at Northwestern in 2006, as offensive coordinator at Michigan State.
• Garnered Rivals.com WAC Offensive Coordinator of the Year for his efforts during the 2011 season at Utah State.

Personnel file

• Age on Sept. 1, 2012: 57
• Hometown: Granada Hills, Calif.
• High School: Granada Hills (Calif.)
• College: Cal State Northridge (B.A. physical education/health recreation `78); St. Mary's (M.A. physical education administration '86)
• Family: Wife Kathleen; children Sean, Ryan, Keiley

Career background

Postseason experience

Prominent players coached

• RB Robert Turbin, 2011 WAC Offensive Player of the Year, projected as one of the top 10 running backs eligible for the 2012 NFL Draft.
• QB Diondre Borel, the most explosive QB in Utah State history.
• RB Rodney Ferguson, a 1,000-yard rusher at New Mexico.
• Future NFL QBs Jeff Smoker and Drew Stanton, a Unitas Award finalist, at Michigan State.
• WR Ed McCaffrey and TE Greg Baty at Stanford.

Playing career: WR at Cal State Northridge, 1974-77

Dave Baldwin in 2012 kicks off his 33rd season as a coach, his first at CSU. The former head coach at San Jose State and Cal State Northridge officially joined the Rams' staff on Jan. 4, 2012, hired by Jim McElwain.

Baldwin, 56, came to Fort Collins from Utah State, where he served as offensive coordinator for three seasons (2009-11), helping the Aggies to the top two offensive seasons in program annals. The Aggies posted a pair of top-20 finishes, 14th in 2009 and 20th in 2011, with respective school records of 5,272 and 5,504 yards of total offense. His rushing offense ranked sixth in the country in 2011, and No. 22 in 2009. Baldwin took over control of USU's tight ends in 2011, in addition to his offensive coordinator duties, after coaching quarterbacks in 2010 and wide receivers in 2009.

The Rivals.com WAC Offensive Coordinator of the Year in 2011, he helped Utah State to its first winning season since 1996 and first bowl game in 14 years, calling plays for a unit that produced the conference Offensive Player of the Year, RB Robert Turbin, who finished the regular season ranked 10th in the country with 118 yards per game.

Turbin, one of the top 10 running backs entering the 2012 NFL Draft, was one of three first-team all-conference selections, including offensive linemen Philip Gapelu and Tyler Larsen. Baldwin's balanced offense also produced a second-team all-conference performer, TE Tarren Lloyd. With true-freshman quarterback Chuckie Keaton in his first college game, Baldwin's offense led the Aggies to what fell just short of a stunning upset, a 42-38 loss at defending national champion Auburn, after the Tigers scored two touchdowns in the final 2:07, including an onside-kick recovery. Baldwin also scripted the Aggies' 63-19 win over Wyoming.

Baldwin helped USU quarterback Diondre Borel to single-season school records in total offense (3,343 yards in 2009) and fewest interceptions (four in 2009). Turbin in 2009 also became USU's first 1,000-yard back in eight years and the school's single-season record holder with 18 total TDs.

Baldwin shifted to Utah State from New Mexico, where he spent two seasons (2007-08) as offensive coordinator. His Lobos offense in 2008 ranked third in the Mountain West and 16th in the NCAA in with 208.3 rushing yards per game, led by Rodney Ferguson, who finished second to CSU's Gartrell Johnson in the conference rushing race, but led the league with 13 rushing TDs.

The year before, 2007, Baldwin's offense was one of only three FBS programs to produce a 3,000-yard passer (Donovan Porterie 3,006), a 1,000-yard rusher (Ferguson 1,177) and two 1,000-yard receivers (Marcus Smith 1,125, and Travis Brown 1,031). Smith led the MW in receptions and receiving yards, while setting a school record with 91 receptions. The Lobos piled up an impressive five first-team all-conference selections (Ferguson, Brown, Smith, and linemen Devin Clark and Vince Natali). Porterie threw for 354 yards to lead Baldwin's offense in a 23-0 triumph over Nevada in the New Mexico Bowl, its first bowl win since 1961.

Before his time in Albuquerque, Baldwin handled the offense for John L. Smith at Michigan State from 2003-06. Over his first three years in East Lansing, his wide receivers coach was Jim McElwain.

In 2006, Baldwin orchestrated the largest comeback in NCAA history, on Oct. 21 at Northwestern. Down 38-3 with 9:54 left in the third quarter, the Spartans put up 38 unanswered points in a 41-38 triumph. That season, future NFL QB Drew Stanton, a Unitas Award finalist, set a school record with a .642 completion percentage and finished second in school history in career completions, passing yards and total offense. WR Mike Trannon, including a single-game MSU record 14 catches, left the Spartans as the program's all-time receptions leader (148).

In 2005, Michigan State finished among national offensive leaders in four categories: No. 5 in total offense (497.3 yards per game), No. 11 in passing (295.5 yards per game), No. 18 in scoring (33.8 points per game), and No. 20 in rushing (201.8 yards per game). The total offense and passing marks established program records. That year, five Spartans had at least 28 receptions and two TDs. Michigan State was the only FBS team with five players to register at least 400 receiving yards.

Baldwin's offenses produced the first two 3,000-yard passers in MSU history: Stanton in 2004 and Jeff Smoker in 2003. Smoker, in Baldwin's first Spartans season, threw for a school-record 3,395 yards. In 2004, Stanton became the first QB in MSU annals to throw for 300 yards and rush for 100 in the same game.

Before moving to Michigan State, Baldwin guided the offense and coached quarterbacks at Baylor for one season (2002). His top Bears receiver, Reggie Newhouse, was a second-team all-Big 12 performer after establishing single-season school records with 75 receptions and 1,140 receiving yards. With Baldwin on staff, Baylor posted its first conference win in more than four years.

He served the 2001 campaign as offensive coordinator at Cincinnati, helping the 7-5 Bearcats to the Motor City Bowl. Baldwin tutored Conference USA's second-leading passer, Gino Guidugli, the league's Freshman of the Year. He threw to the conference's leading receiver, LaDaris Vann (6.64 receptions/game).

Baldwin's résumé includes 10 years of head coaching experience, at San Jose State (1997-2000) and Cal State Northridge (1996), plus five years as a head coach at the junior-college level. His 58-60 career record includes a 31-21 JC mark, an 18-27 record at SJSU and a 9-12 ledger at Northridge.

San Jose State's head coach and offensive play-caller for four years (1997-2000), his team was a giant slayer. He won three straight games against Stanford (1998-2000).

In 2000, in addition to Stanford, San Jose State topped then-No. 9 TCU to end the country's longest winning streak, 12 games. That year, his club also featured the nation's No. 4 rusher, Deonce Whitaker (157.7 yards per game).

Before Stanford went to the Rose Bowl in 1999, Baldwin handed his former team a 44-39 loss, a year after knocking off the Cardinal to open the 1998 campaign, a 35-23 road triumph, the Spartans' first victory over a Pac-10 foe in eight years.

And in 1997, the Spartans upset No. 24 Air Force, 25-22, their first win over a ranked opponent since 1990.

Baldwin moved up the head coaching ranks after a two-year stint (1994-95) as head coach at his alma mater, Cal State Northridge. In 1996, he led Northridge to a 7-4 record, its first winning campaign in four years.

A successful junior-college head coach in the highly competitive California system from 1990-95, he spent one year (1995) at Santa Rosa, which finished 8-3 to earn a berth in the Lions Bowl. He spent the prior four seasons (1990-94) at the reins of Santa Barbara City College, earning 1991 California Community College Region III Coach of the Year after a 9-2 season and an appearance in the Shrine Potato Bowl.

Baldwin's first head coaching mentor was Jack Elway, under whom he spent 10 years (1979-88) as an assistant coach. After Baldwin launched his career as a wide receivers and tight ends coach at his alma mater, Cal State Northridge, Elway took over as Matadors head coach prior to the 1979 campaign and made Baldwin his first defensive backs coach.

Baldwin then followed Elway to San Jose State, where Baldwin served as wide receivers coach from 1980-83, and to Stanford, where Baldwin held the same position from 1984-87 until Elway promoted him to passing-game coordinator in 1988.

The 1986 Stanford finished 8-4 to earn an invitation to the Gator Bowl, the program's only postseason berth in the 1980s.

During his four-year tenure as an assistant at San Jose State, where his offensive coordinator was Dennis Erickson, the Spartans had three winning seasons, including the 1981 Pacific Coast Athletic Association championship and a berth in the California Bowl. Baldwin also groomed four SJSU receivers that would go on to the NFL: Mark Nichols, Stacey Bailey, Mervyn Fernandez and Tim Kearse.

Before entering coaching, Baldwin preceded Elway and his future Hall of Fame son, John, in Southern California. In fact, Baldwin played football at Granada Hills High School in the early 1970s before the younger Elway's arrival at that school, and subsequent college career at Stanford. Baldwin left Granada Hills to play at Cal State Northridge, where he earned three letters.

A 1978 graduate of Northridge, Baldwin owns a bachelor's degree in physical education and health recreation. He also earned a master's in physical education administration from St. Mary's College in 1986.

Born March 22, 1955, in Denver, Colo., Baldwin and his wife Kathleen have three children. Their son, Sean, married his wife Lindsi in 2008. They also have a son, Ryan, and a daughter, Keiley.