Ashland coach Charlie Hall will take over head coaching duties at Southern Oregon. Southern Oregon has a new football coach as the school has tapped Ashland High School coach Charlie Hall to replace the late Craig Howard.
SOU made the announcement Friday, picking Hall over finalists Chris Fisk, offensive line coach at Central Washington, and St. Mary's High School (Calif.) coach Tony Franks.
Hall, Ashland's coach since 2005, replaces Howard, who died Jan. 20. Under Howard, Southern Oregon played in the 2014 and 2015 NAIA championship games, winning the national title in 2014.
Here is the release from Southern Oregon:
ASHLAND - Charlie Hall has been tapped to lead the Southern Oregon University football team following a nationwide search, Director of Athletics Matt Sayre announced Friday.Hall will make a short trek down the street to join the Raiders as their 16th head coach after a highly successful run at Ashland High, where he had been the head coach since 2005. The SOU alumnus will take over for Craig Howard, who delivered an NAIA championship in 2014 and tragically passed away on Jan. 20.
"I would like to thank Matt Sayre and President Linda Schott for this wonderful opportunity to lead the Southern Oregon football program in a community that means so much to me and my family. This is a dream come true," Hall said. "We have lost a great man, coach and friend in Craig Howard, but we are forever grateful for his accomplishments and his legacy that will remain part of the Raider football culture: Character, strength and honor."
Hall, 56, went 94-44 at Ashland while winning four conference titles, appearing in the state quarterfinals six times, the state semifinals twice and the championship game once. After stints as an assistant at six universities, he was voted conference coach of the year four times.
"Coach Hall has an impressive breadth of experience as a football coach and has experienced success at every place he's been," Sayre said. "He understands the culture of our program - where it's been and what it became under Coach Howard. His deep sense of servant leadership, attention to detail and tactical sophistication offensively and defensively will re-energize the upward trajectory of the SOU football team."
Added Sayre: "He will be a huge asset to our athletic department team and an outstanding role model for the young men under his care. We are proud to name him our next head football coach."
Prior to his time at Ashland, he was the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Northern Arizona University from 2001-05. His 2003 team led the Big Sky Conference in total offense on its way to a title, and he was subsequently named the NCAA Division 1AA Offensive Coordinator of the Year by American Football Monthly.
He played and was a student assistant at SOU until 1983. After that, he served as an assistant at University of Washington, University of Idaho and University of New Mexico. He returned to Ashland as the Raiders' offensive coordinator from 1996-97 under Jeff Olson, was offensive coordinator and receivers coach at University of North Texas from 1997-98, and was a defensive coordinator under Jim Nagel at Ashland High from 1998-2001.
He'll take over a team that went 5-5 in the Frontier Conference in 2016, one year removed from a second straight appearance in the national title game. All but 15 seniors are eligible to return.
"I look forward to meeting each and every one of the current and future players as we prepare for the 2017 campaign," Hall said. "This talented team still has members who have been to Daytona and the NAIA championship game. We understand that tradition is not inherited and that we will work hard in the months to come in order to give us the best chance to be successful."
Hall's wife, Jennifer, played volleyball at SOU from 1980-82 before graduating from University of Washington. His son, Nicholas, is a graduate of Pacific Lutheran University and is the current head baseball coach at Ashland High, and his daughter, Cassandra, is an alum of Linfield College and currently works as a registered nurse in Beaverton.