Fresno State Athletics
Hagen Named Fresno State Offensive Coordinator
1/24/2006 12:00:00 AM | Football
Jan. 24, 2006
FRESNO, Calif. - Steve Hagen, a man who had successful stints as a coach in the NFL and collegiate levels at 10 different institutions, has joined the Fresno State football coaching staff. Head coach Pat Hill announced Hagen's hiring today as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach.
Hagen replaces Frank Cignetti, who accepted a similar position at North Carolina earlier this month.
"I'm very happy to have Steve join the staff," said Hill. "I've known him for a long time and respect what he has done. He's a proven mentor of quarterbacks in the NFL and colleges, a good leader and is highly organized. He's a perfect fit for what we need at this time. He is a great technician and tactical coach and will fit in well with our staff and players."
Hagen served as the quarterbacks and tight end coach for Butch Davis and the Cleveland Brown for four seasons (2001-04), where he helped the Browns reach the NFL playoffs in 2002 and coached Kelly Holcomb and Jeff Garcia.
He was the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Cal from 1999-2000, and spent two seasons at San Jose State as quarterbacks coach and recruiting coordinator prior to that.
Hagen was selected head coach at Wartburg College (Iowa) in 1996, guiding the team to a 7-3 record. His team ranked No. 8 in Division III in total offense.
He served as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coaches at UNLV from 1994-95, as the Rebels school broke 20 school offensive records in two seasons and played in the Las Vegas Bowl. He had previously coached the receivers at UNLV in 1990, coaching current NFL star Keenan McCardell.
As the quarterbacks coach at Nevada from 1992-93, the Wolf Pack were among the nation's most productive teams. In 1993, Nevada averaged 569.1 yards of total offense and 397.5 passing yards per game, leading the NCAA in both categories. The Wolf Pack played in the 1993 Las Vegas Bowl.
He spent the 1991 season as the quarterbacks coach at Kent State and was a graduate assistant receivers coach under Lou Holtz at Notre Dame, where he worked with Raghib "Rocket" Ismail and the Fighting Irish defeated Colorado 21-6 in the 1990 Orange Bowl. Hagen also held coaching positions at Northern Arizona, Illinois and Kansas from 1984-88.
"It's great reconnect to a winner in Pat Hill," said Hagen. "Fresno State has a great fan following for all of its sports and it's great to be a part of that. College football is very exciting and I'm glad to get back to the college game. There's so much spirit and pageantry, with the band and cheerleaders, and it's very much family oriented. Plus the Bulldogs are on TV every week, which is nice. There are a lot of good things going on at Fresno State and I'm happy to join the program."
Hagen, a native of Thousand Oaks, Calif., was a receiver at Cal Lutheran from 1979-83, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts in Business. He and his wife, Amy, have four children, Nash (10), Hanna (8), Wil (6) and Soren (2).
What they said about Hagen:
Detroit Lions Quarterback Jeff Garcia (who played for Hagen in Cleveland):
"I believe first and foremost that Fresno State hired a first-class person in Steve Hagen. He's a committed person and has great knowledge of the game. How he deals with players and people is unbelievable. He has overall leadership skills and is able to coach and be able to relate what he's all about. He's brings a lot to the table. He relates well to players and is able to create a relationship that goes deeper than a player-coach relationship off the field. As a coach, he's a student of the game. He studies the game like no other. He really puts a tremendous amount of time to perfect himself and the understanding of the game. He's very loyal to coaches who he coaches for and is able to take any scheme and coach that to get the players so that they understand their roles and understand all of the important factors it takes to make that scheme happen. He's a great coach, a great teacher, and has a lot of intangibles that make a coach successful."
Buffalo Bills Quarterback Kelly Holcomb (who played for Hagen in Cleveland):
"As a person, you couldn't find anyone better. He's a man of outstanding character. He's good to talk to. As a player you can go and talk to him and talk about your problems and he would listen and I knew there was nothing false about him. He's a great addition to the Fresno State program. He knows the game and will have the guys prepared. He's been a head coach and coordinator and knows the game of the football, that's for sure."
