Pat Stewart - Head Football Coach, Defensive Line Coach
Office: (970) 943-2056
E-mail: pstewart@western.edu
Pat Stewart begins his fifth season as head coach for Western State. He now paces the sidelines for the same program he earned two All-RMAC linebacker honors from 1985-88.
Stewart starts the season No. 10 in program records for coaching victories and is three wins shy of tying for seventh. He is the 19th head coach in the Mountaineers’ 84 seasons.
Stewart’s 2009 team finished with the most conference wins since 2003 and the best conference finish since 2004.
In his four-year span, Stewart has coordinated a staff responsible for two first-team RMAC selections, seven second-team selections, five third-team selections and seven honorable mention student-athletes.
Stewart spent seven years at RMAC foe Nebraska-Kearney as defensive coordinator prior to moving back to his alma mater in January 2006. He helped lead the Lopers to a pair of RMAC titles and two NCAA Division II Playoff appearances.
As coordinator at Nebraska-Kearney, Stewart’s defenses consistently ranked at the top of the RMAC in total defense, rush defense, scoring defense, takeaways, sacks and tackles for loss.
Stewart also has coaching experience at Olivet (1996-98), Port Charlotte (Fla.) High School (1995) and Northern Colorado (1994).
Stewart was a four-time letterwinner for the Mountaineers before moving to the coaching ranks. He spent the 1989-93 seasons coaching the linebackers under Duke Iverson. During his five-year coaching stint under Iverson, the Mountaineers went 32-19, won two RMAC championships and advanced to the postseason twice.
Stewart still holds the Western State record for tackles in game at 25, set against Southern Utah Sept. 27, 1986. He is second in career records with 398.
Stewart attended Mitchell High School in Colorado Springs where he was an all-conference linebacker.
Stewart received his business degree (1990) and history education degrees (1992) from Western State and his master's degree from Northern Colorado in 1995.
Stewart and his wife Linda have been married for 14 years and have two children, Amber and Nick, and a granddaughter, Hailey.
C.J. Teply - Offensive Coordinator, Quarterback Coach, Camp Coordinator
Office: (970) 943-7043
E-mail: cjteply@western.edu
C.J. Teply begins his third year as Western State offensive coordinator and fifth as a member of the coaching staff. He also coaches the Mountaineer quarterbacks.
Teply's offense turned in one of the top offensive outputs in the RMAC last season against Western New Mexico with 560 yards of total offense. Tyler Daniels recorded 461 of those yards and earned national recognition from D2Football.com and Sports Illustrated.
The Mountaineers also tied for first nationally in fewest turnovers lost and second nationally in fewest interceptions thrown. Western State was also among the top half in RMAC statistics last season in pass efficiency. Teply's offense also featured two All-RMAC selections during the season (Shaun Suttorp, Scott Stuller).
In his first season as coordinator in 2008, Western improved to second in the RMAC in sacks allowed, second in turnover margin, fourth in rushing offense and fourth in red-zone offense. Teply’s offense earned three All-RMAC honors last season in Nathan Acrey, Cameron Merrill and Suttorp.
Teply came to Western after spending five seasons at Nebraska-Kearney. Teply coached the Lopers’ running backs and tight ends in 2002-03 and 2005 and led the wide receivers in 2004.
At Nebraska-Kearney, Teply coached some of the best players in the RMAC - including receiver Richie Ross, running back Mike Miller and tight end Joel Jacobs. Jacobs went on to sign a free agent contract with the St. Louis Rams and played in NFL Europe in 2005. He then went on to play in several preseason games with the New England Patriots.
Prior to Nebraska-Kearney, Teply played college football at Concordia (Neb.) and Peru State. He also spent one season playing for the Tri-City Diesel of the National Indoor Football League.
A 2003 graduate of Nebraska-Kearney with a degree in health and physical education, Teply received a graduate degree in physical education in August 2005.
Teply and his wife, Jen, have a daughter, Britton, and a son, Brockston.
Jas Bains - Defensive Coordinator
Office: (970) 943-2046
E-mail:
jbains@western.edu
Jas Bains begins his first season at Western State College as defensive coordinator after spending the last five seasons as the secondary coach and special teams coordinator at Chadron State College.
With the Eagles, Bains was part of a defensive staff that led the RMAC in total defense, passing defense and opponent first downs. He coached a punter and kicker to All-America honors as the special teams coordinator and tallied 30 blocked kicks in his five seasons. His punt returners were consistently ranked among the top 15 in the nation.
Bains graduated from Fresno State in 2004 where he helped lead the Bulldogs to three bowl victories as a defensive back and special teams player against Georgia Tech, UCLA and Virginia. He transferred to Fresno State from Willamette University, where he started at safety as a true freshman.
A native of Fresno, Calif., Bains was the Clovis High School Athlete of the Year in 1999-2000. He was a two-time all-conference safety, a member of state tournament wrestling teams and was a member of the baseball team.
Bains is often a featured speaker at conventions, workshops and clinics on the role of defense and special teams. He is also a talented and respected recruiter in the state of California, as evidenced by the significant increase of West Coast athletes on the Chadron State rosters.
Bains was a member of the Chadron State staff as a graduate assistant before becoming a member of the full-time staff in early 2007. He earned his master's degree from Chadron State in December 2006.
David Peña - Offensive Line Coach
Office: (970) 943-2127
E-mail: dpena@western.edu
David Peña will enter his fifth season as the offensive line coach for the Mountaineers in 2010. He coached All-RMAC performer Scott Stuller in 2009.
Peña came to Western from North Dakota State, where he coached tight ends as a graduate assistant in 2005. Prior to his work with the Bisons, he was the graduate assistant at Nebraska-Kearney in charge of running backs. He entered the coaching ranks at his alma mater, Maryville State, in 2002 as a student assistant with the offensive line.
Peña started his collegiate playing experience at College of the Desert as an offensive center and tackle from 1997-2000. He transferred to Maryville State in 2000 and was a two-starter on the offensive line.
Peña earned his bachelors degree in physical education in 2002 and his master’s degree in education from Nebraska-Kearney in 2005.
Peña played his prep football at Brawley Union High School in Brawley, Calif. In April 2010, he was inducted into the school's Hall of Fame.
Peña recently married Carmen Gonzalez over the summer.
Peña recruits the southeastern corner of Colorado.
Jeff Williamson - Running Backs Coach
E-mail: jwilliamson@western.edu
Jeff Williamson enters his 19th year as an assistant coach with the Mountaineers.
Williamson played at Western from 1980-84 as a running back under Hall of Fame Coach Bill Nixon.
Born and raised in New Jersey, Williamson became a Gunnison resident in 1986 and now works for the Sherriff's Department.
Zach Lochard - Tight Ends
Office: (970) 943-7037
E-mail:
zlochard@western.edu
Zach Lochard joined the Mountaineer football coaching staff in the spring of 2009 and will begin his second season at Western State this fall as the tight ends coach. He was also begin his first season as assistant strength coach. Lochard was an assistant wide receivers coach at the University of Northern Colorado during the 2008 season.
Lochard attended Adams State on a Presidential Scholarship for athletics and academics and was a linebacker for the Grizzlies before transferring to Northern Colorado after the 2002 season. Since moving to the coaching ranks, he's attended the AFCA National Convention, the Nike Coach of the Year Mega Clinic, the Frank Glazier Football Coaching Mega Clinic and the USA Football Coaching School.
Lochard graduated from Northern Colorado in spring 2008 with a bachelors of science degree in sports and exercise science with an emphasis on physical education. He is working toward a masters of science degree in coaching from Adams State, with a projected completion date of summer 2010.
Lochard was an all-conference and all-region linebacker at Longmont High School and led the Trojans in tackles in his junior and senior seasons.
Jeff Wilkerson - Wide Receivers
Jeff Wilkerson begins his third season on the Mountaineer coaching staff as a student assistant for the wide receivers. He was the linebackers coach last season after spending 2007 as a running back for Western State.
Wilkerson totaled 89 rushing year and 18 receiving yards in nine games.
A native of Broomfield, Colo., Wilkerson was an All-Skyline player his senior season and helped lead the Eagles to a league championship as a junior.