McCray To Coach UW Defensive Line
February 20, 2006 | Football
Randall McCray, who coached the defensive line and linebackers during the past three seasons at Toledo, has been named an assistant football coach at Wisconsin, head coach Bret Bielema announced Monday.
McCray, who was hired as recruiting coordinator and safeties coach at Rice on Feb. 6, will coach the Badgers' defensive line.
'Randall has worked his way through the coaching ranks in an impressive fashion,' Bielema said. 'We first met at the coaches convention in January and I like what he brings to the table. He obviously had great success at Toledo and Illinois State. I know we are getting a quality coach.'
The 36-year-old McCray coached Toledo's defensive line last season, helping the Rockets to a 9-3 record (MAC West Division co-champions) and a 45-13 GMAC Bowl win over UTEP. Toledo was 21st nationally in total defense last season (316.8 ypg) and led the MAC in scoring defense (21.8 ppg), total defense, pass defense efficiency (111.0), tied for first in sacks (31) and finished second in rushing defense (125.6 ypg). McCray coached the Rockets' linebackers during his first two years at Toledo. The Rockets won the MAC title in 2004.
In his first season at Toledo, McCray was faced with replacing two first-team All-MAC linebackers, David Gardner and Tom Ward, from the previous season. The two players who stepped in, Anthony Jordan and Brock Dodrill, finished the 2003 season ranked fifth and sixth, respectively, in the MAC in tackles.
In 2004, Jordan and David Thomas finished second and third, in tackles on the team, with 107 and 91, respectively. Jordan's total placed him 15th in the league.
McCray was assistant head coach and defensive coordinator at Illinois State in 2002 after serving as defensive coordinator and inside linebackers coach for the Redbirds from 2000-02. In 2002, McCray guided Gateway Defensive Player of the Year Boomer Grigsby to three All-America nods and a third-place finish for the Buch Buchanan Award (top defensive player in Division I-AA football). McCray also coached two other All-Americans at linebacker, Galen Scott at Illinois State and Ronnie Merritt at Murray State.
McCray coached inside linebackers at Murray State (1997-99) and became the Racers' defensive coordinator in 1999; defensive ends at Bethune-Cookman (1996); was in charge of quality control at Clemson (1995); defensive line at Tennessee-Chattanooga (1993-94) and was a graduate assistant at South Carolina from 1991-92.
A two-year letterwinner as an outside linebacker and running back at Appalachian State, McCray was a member of the Mountaineers' 1987 Southern Conference championship team, as well as two teams that advanced to the NCAA Division I-AA playoffs.
McCray earned a bachelor's degree in communications from Appalachian State in 1991 and a master's degree in higher education from South Carolina. A native of Monroe, N.C., McCray and his wife, Michelle, have a son, Matt (3).
