April 8, 2008

BELLINGHAM, Wash. - Kirk Jellerson has been named an assistant football coach at Western Washington University and will work with the secondary, according to an announcement today by Viking head coach Robin Ross.

Jellerson is beginning his 22nd season in the collegiate coaching ranks. He replaces John Bowers, who recently accepted a position as head coach at Ballard High School in Seattle.

The 47-year-old Jellerson has been a defensive coordinator at four different schools over the last 11 years. He spent the past four seasons at Utica College in New York, helping the Pioneers to their first winning season in 2005.

Jellerson also was the defensive coordinator for three years at Kean University (Union, NJ), the Cougars having the No.1 defense in the New Jersey Athletic Conference in 2001; one year at Plymouth State University (Plymouth, NH), the Panthers leading the Freedom Football Conference in defense and ranking No.18 nationally in NCAA III as they finished 8-3 and won East Coast Athletic Conference championship game in 2000; and three years at Chapman University CA where NCAA III Panthers were 26-4-1, being ranked fourth nationally in defense and No.2 in takeaways with 39 in 1995.

Prior to that, Jellerson was a linebacker coach at three California colleges over a 10-year stretch. He worked one year at Whittier College, four at Fullerton College, which won the Potato Bowl in 1991, and five at Cerritos College, which made three bowl appearances, winning the Avocado Bowl in 1983.

Jellerson played football collegiately at Weber State UT and Cerritos, earning his bachelor's degree at Long Beach State University in 1988. He is a graduate of St. Paul High School in Santa Fe Springs, Calif., being a member of that school's California state runner-up football team in 1978.