Jay Locey, the 10-year head coach at Linfield College, has accepted the position of assistant head coach at Oregon State University, Beaver head coach Mike Riley announced Friday. Locey will have the assignment of running backs and tight ends.
Locey is one of the most successful coaches in the history of small college football. The five-time Northwest Conference Coach of the Year led the Wildcats to the 2004 NCAA Division III title and during his tenure as head coach, guided the program to a record of 84-18, including a streak of 41 consecutive wins.
“Jay is a great addition to our Oregon State staff,” Riley said. “He is well versed in all aspects of football and has received many national honors. Jay will be a great mentor for our players and I’m excited to have him as part of the staff.”
Locey was associated with Linfield for 23 years and has experienced three national titles and 13 conference championships. In 2005 he was named one of the state’s top 25 most influential sports people by The Oregonian. He also was selected the 2005 Samson Division III Strength and Conditioning Coach of the Year.
Locey began his Linfield career in 1983 when he accepted the position of defensive coordinator, replacing current Oregon State head coach Mike Riley, who moved on to the Canadian Football League.
The 51-year-old native of Corvallis served as an assistant under a number of Northwest coaching legends, including Ad Rutschman, Bud Riley, Dee Andros, Tom Smythe and Chuck Solberg. His grandfather, Percy Locey, was a college football coach at the University of Denver.
In addition to his coaching duties at Linfield, Locey was full professor within the College of Health and Human Performance and taught anatomical kinesiology and the principles of neuromuscular conditioning.
As a sophomore at Corvallis High School in 1970, he had the opportunity to play on the varsity football team that went undefeated and won the state championship. A reserve linebacker, he played special teams while learning under a special group of seniors that included Mike Riley, Gary Beck (current OSU graduate assistant), Don Reynolds, Jerry Hackenbrauk and Kerry Eggers.
Locey earned a football scholarship to Oregon State. After starting just one game as a sophomore, he went on to receive First Team All Pacific-8 Conference honors as a defensive back in 1976 and second team in 1975. Twice he was singled out as OSU's top student-athlete and received the outstanding senior award his final year. After an attempt at playing professional football in Canada, Locey returned to Oregon and embarked on a career in coaching. He served as a graduate assistant for one season at OSU before being hired by Smythe as a secondary coach at Lakeridge High School.
After four successful years at Lakeridge, Locey returned to his alma mater to coach with Beck while completing his master's degree at the University of Oregon (1983). Locey honed his coaching skills under Rutschman, and was a part of two NAIA national title teams in 1984 and 1986 before leading the Wildcats to the 2004 crown.
