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Sacramento State names Marshall Sperbeck head football coach

Sacramento State’s new football coach, Marshall Sperbeck, talks with reporters about his appointment.

Marshall Sperbeck is the head football coach at Sacramento State, President Alexander Gonzalez announced at a press conference on Saturday, Jan. 13. Sperbeck becomes the ninth football coach in school history.

Prior to coming to the Hornets, Sperbeck was the head football coach at Foothill College in Los Altos, Calif., for the past 15 years. During that time, he produced a 109-53 overall record and led the Owls to 11 bowl games. This past season, Foothill was 10-1 overall and tied for the Northern California Football Association title. The team advanced to the Silicon Valley Bowl where it downed Sierra College, 24-0.

“We interviewed some very strong candidates, and that made this a tough choice,” Gonzalez said. “But it is clear to me that Coach Sperbeck is the man for the job. He has a demonstrated commitment to his players, a strong sense of the importance of academics and deep ties in this community. We’re proud to welcome him to the Sacramento State family.”

In 2006, Foothill was one of the top offensive teams in the state with Sperbeck calling the plays. The Owls led all California Junior Colleges with 478.8 yards per game. Foothill also ranked at the top of the list with 590.2 all-purpose yards per game, 7.2 yards per play and 9.6 yards per pass attempt. The Owls were also second in the state with 58 touchdowns and 42.8 points per game.

Foothill ended the season as the top-ranked team in Northern California and scored at least 40 points in seven of its 10 regular season games.

Since 1998, Sperbeck’s teams have won at least eight games in all but one season. Those teams have also produced an 8-0 record in bowl games.

“This is a very exciting day for Sacramento State athletics,” Director of Athletics Terry Wanless said.

“When we started this search, we were looking for a person with proven coaching success as well as ties to the local community, and Marshall Sperbeck brings all that and more to the position.

“He is a highly regarded coach with an impressive track record of success both on the field and in the classroom.”

A native of Sacramento, Sperbeck graduated from Valley High School. He later played at the University of Nevada from 1981-82 and led the team to a pair of winning seasons while throwing for 2,425 yards.

Following college, he had two stints in NFL training camps before joining the Foothill staff as an assistant coach in 1985. He coached the quarterbacks and receivers and was later elevated to offensive coordinator before becoming head coach in 1992.

Sperbeck earned a bachelor’s of science degree in physical education from Nevada in 1984 and later added a master’s of education from United States International in 1989.

For more information, contact Intercollegiate Athletics at (916) 278-6481 or visit www.hornetsports.com.