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In just his second season at the helm of the program, Texas State University football coach David Bailiff guided the Bobcats to the program's first Southland Conference championship and a deep run into the NCAA Division I-AA Playoffs.
Now the Central Texas native takes aim at maintaining the momentum set forth during the past two seasons.
Since being named Texas State's coach in February of 2004, Bailiff has laid the foundation for a program that not only wants to have success on the field but has a desire to extend its role in the community.
For the past two summers, Bailiff and the Bobcats have made a point of getting out in the community to meet with area business leaders and personally deliver schedule posters for the coming seasons. Beyond that, the `Cats are involved in projects throughout the community from making appearances at San Marcos elementary schools' Citizenship Days to lending a hand for Habitat for Humanity projects. The Bobcats have taken time way from preseason drills each season and helped students move in to the dorms.
In turn, the community and Texas State University's student body has shown its support of the `Cats.
Texas State set school record for total attendance (128,751) as well as attendance average (12,875) during the 2005 season. Bobcat Stadium drew better than 15,000 fans for three of the team's last four games.
The 2005 season was truly a magical one. The Bobcats went 9-2 during the regular season with their lone losses coming on the road at Division I-A Texas A&M as well as at Nicholls State, the 2005 SLC co-champion.
In the team's first Division I-AA playoff game, the Bobcats stormed back from a 35-16 deficit against Division I-AA national power Georgia Southern to score 34 unanswered points and beat the Eagles 50-35. The `Cats then defeated Cal Poly 14-7 to move on to the national semifinals. Only a 40-37 overtime loss to Northern Iowa stood between Texas State and an appearance in the Division I-AA National Championship Game.
Texas State had 10 players named First-Team All-Southland Conference including Barrick Nealy who was selected the league's Player of the Year and Fred Evans who was tabbed the SLC Defensive Player of the Year and was the seventh-round NFL Draft pick of the Miami Dolphins.
Texas State head football coach David Bailiff. Academically, Bailiff had six players named to the Hibernia Bank/All-SLC Academic Team including the squad's top placement.
In 2004, Bailiff inherited a team which was picked to finish last in the Southland Conference. But the Bobcats posted a 5-6 record and headed into the final week of the season still with conference championship aspirations. Texas State would end up going 3-2 in the Southland Conference and finished third in the league, the team's highest ranking in the SLC since 2000.
Through two seasons, Bailiff's record is 16-9, including a 7-3 record in Southland Conference games.
Bailiff's roots with Texas State already ran deep when he was named the Bobcats' 14th head coach Feb. 5, 2004. He was a team captain during his playing career at what was then Southwest Texas State University. He would return to coach at Texas State during two separate stints, serving as defensive coordinator and assistant head coach in the late 1990s.
Prior to being named head coach, Bailiff spent three seasons on the staff at TCU. He served as the Horned Frogs' defensive coordinator in both 2002 and 2003 while working with the team's defensive lineman.
The 2003 Horned Frogs posted an 11-2 record and were ranked 25th in the final Associated Press writers poll and 24th in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll.
Bailiff was part of a staff which built quite a tradition on defense at TCU. During his three seasons in Fort Worth, the Horned Frogs were ranked 24th, 1st and 38th in the country in total defense and 10th, first and ninth against the run.
In 2002, TCU allowed just 240.2 yards of total offense per game which led the country. The Horned Frogs surrendered an average 64.8 yards on the ground. During the year, the Frogs held Tulane to a school-record -53 yards rushing. TCU also ranked second in the country in pass efficiency defense, allowing opponents to complete less than 39 percent of their passes.
Six TCU defensive players earned all-conference accolades in 2002 including Conference USA Defensive Player of the year and Second-Team All-American LaMarcus MacDonald.
While at TCU, the Horned Frogs played in a bowl game every season - the galleryfurniture.com bowl (2001), AXA Liberty Bowl (2002) and the Plains Capital Fort Worth Bowl (2003).
Bailiff, who is known as one of the premiere recruiters in the state of Texas, joined the TCU staff after serving as assistant head coach at Texas State University.
He began his coaching career as the defensive line coach at New Braunfels High School (1982-84). He went into private business from 1984-88 before returning to the coaching ranks.
His first collegiate coaching position was at Texas State, serving as a defensive graduate assistant coach in 1988 before being elevated to the Bobcats' defensive line coach in 1989. He worked under the late John O'Hara for one year and with Dennis Franchione for two years during his first coaching stint in San Marcos.
Bailiff left Texas State in 1992 for an assistant coaching position at New Mexico where he handled the defensive line and recruiting. He returned to Texas State in 1997 as defensive coordinator and added assistant head coach responsibilities to his role in 1999.
It was in 1999 that Bailiff was selected the NCAA Division I-AA Assistant Coach of the Year by the American Football Coaches Association. While at TCU Bailiff was also honored as the Top Assistant Football Coach by the All-American Football Foundation following the Horned Frogs' 2002 season.
As a player, Bailiff was named All-Lone Star Conference as well as All-America honorable mention while playing at Texas State from 1977-80. He served as a team captain in 1980 and was named honorable mention to the Lone Star Team of the Decade.
Bailiff is married to the former Angie Daniels of Versailles, Mo. He has a daughter, Brooke (22), and the couple has twin nine-year-old sons, Grayson and Gregory.
Noting Bailiff
At Texas State
Prior Coaching Experience
Post-Season Appearances
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