University of Arizona Athletics

Craig Bray

Position: Inside Linebackers Coach Experience: 1st Year at Arizona Overall: 28th Year

One of the top developments for Arizona football in the off-season was John Mackovic’s hiring of five new coaches, and his catch in bringing Craig Bray to Tucson was a big key.

Bray, defensive coordinator and secondary at Oregon State for the past three seasons, will coach UA’s inside linebackers. A coordinator veteran from the Pac-10 ranks should bring outstanding perspective to the Cats’ new defensive alignment.

OSU’s defenses under Bray ranked best in the Pac-10 and No. 20 nationally in 2000, also rating best in the conference and 16th nationally in scoring defense. The Beavers rated as the third-best defense in the league in 2001. Last season Bray’s defense finished the year No. 9 in Division I-A in rushing defense and were second in the league in total defense and scoring defense. The 2000 club intercepted 22 passes.

Bray also coached in the Pac-10 at Washington State for eight seasons and has been in the profession since 1975 when he started as wide receivers coach for his alma mater, Nevada-Las Vegas.

Bray joined the Nevada-Reno staff after his initial year in coaching at UNLV to coach the Wolf Pack secondary for two seasons in 1978-79, then moved to Northern Arizona to coach the secondary from 1980-83. He joined Dennis Erickson’s staff in the same capacity at Idaho from 1984-85, followed Erickson to Wyoming in 1986 and moved with Erickson to Washington State from 1987-88.

When Erickson took the Miami job in 1989, Bray spent spring on that staff, but returned to the Northwest to take a coordinator’s post under John L. Smith at Idaho, also coaching safeties from 1989-93. He joined Mike Price’s staff at Washington State as secondary coach and spent six more years in Pullman as secondary coach until re-joining Erickson at Oregon State in 2000 as defensive coordinator and secondary coach.

A native of Yreka, Calif., Bray lettered three times in football as a wide receiver and defensive back, plus earned four letters in basketball at Yreka High School. He attended the College of Siskiyous from 1970-72 and played two years before transferring to UNLV and starting two years as a receiver in 1973-74. He earned his bachelor’s degree in secondary education in 1975.

While at Idaho, Bray’s defense was ranked No. 7 nationally, at Washington State he coached nine players who became professionals, and at Oregon State cornerback Dennis Weathersby earned All-America honors and tackle Eric Manning was an All-Pac-10 pick.

Bray is married to the former Kaprice Rupp, a former WSU head volleyball coach. The couple has two sons, Josh and Trenton. Josh attends OSU and Trent is a sophomore-to-be scholarship linebacker for the Beavers.

The linebacker positions at Arizona are critical to Arizona’s defensive efforts in 2003 with the program’s move from the double-eagle flex to a 3-4 alignment, and Bray directed a multiple scheme with a 4-3 base defense at Oregon State.

The Bray File