Jim Gilstrap (coach)
Encyclopedia
Jim Gilstrap was an American football
and Canadian football
coach. He had 42-year coaching career, including two as head coach of the Ottawa Rough Riders
and nine as an assistant to Mike Riley
.
Gilstrap began coaching in 1964 after graduating from Western Michigan University
, coaching the defensive line at Southern Illinois University
. From 1965–1966 he was the offensive line coach at Case Western. From 1967 to 1968, he was defensive line coach at Edinboro State
. In 1969 he began a six year tenure as Illinois State's offensive line coach. He then served as offensive line coach with the Kansas State Wildcats
in 1977 and with the Western Michigan Broncos
from 1978 to 1980.
From 1981 to 1983, Gilstrap was the head coach at Fort Hays State
. He compiled a 20–11–1 record with the Tigers and ranks eighth on the wins list at FHSU. His .645 winning percentage is third best in school history among coaches to coach more than one season. His 1983 team, went 8–3, which ties for the most wins in a single season at FHSU. Gilstrap was also head wrestling coach at FHSU during the 1980–81 season.
He began coaching professionally in 1984
as a defensive coach with the Saskatchewan Roughriders
of the Canadian Football League
. From 1987
–1989
he was the Backs/Receivers coach with the Toronto Argonauts
. In 1990
he was hired to coach the offensive line of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers
under head coach Mike Riley
. The team finished 12–6 and won the 78th Grey Cup
.
He moved with Riley the following season to coach the WLAF's
San Antonio Riders
. In 1993
he followed Riley to the CFL's expansion San Antonio Texans
. However, the team folded before the season started it when ran out of money.
In 1995 CFL season
Gilstrap received his first and only professional head coaching position when he was hired by the Ottawa Rough Riders. The team finished 3–15 and missed the playoffs. He was fired the following season after a 0–4 start. He finished the rest of the year as the Hamilton Tiger-Cats
offensive line coach.
Starting in 1997 Gilstrap was OSU's offensive line coach and assistant head coach under Mike Riley. When Riley left for the San Diego Chargers
. He moved to Linfield
where he served as an assistant athletic director
and assistant football coach during the 1999 season. In 2000, he moved to Tulsa
as coach Keith Burns' offensive coordinator
and running backs coach. He spent the 2002 season as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks/wide receivers coach at Southwest Mississippi Community College
. In 2003 he returned to OSU, once again as Mike Riley's offensive line coach. During his second tenure he also served as running backs coach and as coordinator of support services. While at Oregon State, Gilstrap coached postseason honors recipients Yvenson Bernard
, Doug Nienhuis
, Adam Koets
, Roy Schuening
, and Aaron Koch
.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
and Canadian football
Canadian football
Canadian football is a form of gridiron football played exclusively in Canada in which two teams of 12 players each compete for territorial control of a field of play long and wide attempting to advance a pointed prolate spheroid ball into the opposing team's scoring area...
coach. He had 42-year coaching career, including two as head coach of the Ottawa Rough Riders
Ottawa Rough Riders
The Ottawa Rough Riders were a Canadian Football League team based in Ottawa, Ontario, founded in 1876. One of the oldest and longest lived professional sports teams in North America, the Rough Riders won the Grey Cup championship nine times. Their most dominant era was the 1960s and 1970s, a...
and nine as an assistant to Mike Riley
Mike Riley
Michael Joseph "Mike" Riley is an American football coach, currently the head coach of the Oregon State Beavers of the Pacific-12 Conference...
.
Gilstrap began coaching in 1964 after graduating from Western Michigan University
Western Michigan University
Western Michigan University is a public university located in Kalamazoo, Michigan, United States. The university was established in 1903 by Dwight B. Waldo, and as of the Fall 2010 semester, its enrollment is 25,045....
, coaching the defensive line at Southern Illinois University
Southern Illinois University
Southern Illinois University is a state university system based in Carbondale, Illinois, in the Southern Illinois region of the state, with multiple campuses...
. From 1965–1966 he was the offensive line coach at Case Western. From 1967 to 1968, he was defensive line coach at Edinboro State
Edinboro University of Pennsylvania
Edinboro University is a public liberal arts university located in Edinboro, Pennsylvania, USA and one of 14 schools associated with the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education. The town is named after Edinburgh, Scotland. It is also not to be confused with the University of Edinburgh...
. In 1969 he began a six year tenure as Illinois State's offensive line coach. He then served as offensive line coach with the Kansas State Wildcats
Kansas State Wildcats
Kansas State University's athletic teams are called the Wildcats. The official color of the teams is Royal Purple, making Kansas State one of very few schools that have only one official color; white and silver are generally used as complementary colors.Kansas State participates in...
in 1977 and with the Western Michigan Broncos
Western Michigan Broncos
The Western Michigan Broncos are a NCAA Division I FBS team representing Western Michigan University. They compete in the Mid-American Conference in men's baseball, basketball, football, soccer and tennis; and women's basketball, cross-country, golf, gymnastics, soccer, softball, track and field,...
from 1978 to 1980.
From 1981 to 1983, Gilstrap was the head coach at Fort Hays State
Fort Hays State University
Fort Hays State University is a public, co-educational university located in Hays, Kansas, United States. It is the fourth-largest of the six state universities governed by the Kansas Board of Regents, with an enrollment of approximately 11,200 students .- History :FHSU was founded in 1902 as the...
. He compiled a 20–11–1 record with the Tigers and ranks eighth on the wins list at FHSU. His .645 winning percentage is third best in school history among coaches to coach more than one season. His 1983 team, went 8–3, which ties for the most wins in a single season at FHSU. Gilstrap was also head wrestling coach at FHSU during the 1980–81 season.
He began coaching professionally in 1984
1984 CFL season
The 1984 Canadian Football League season is considered to be the 31st season in modern-day Canadian football, although it is officially the 27th Canadian Football League season.-CFL News in 1984:...
as a defensive coach with the Saskatchewan Roughriders
Saskatchewan Roughriders
The Saskatchewan Roughriders are a Canadian Football League team based in Regina, Saskatchewan. They were founded in 1910. They play their home games at 2940 10th Avenue in Regina, which has been the team's home base for its entire history, even prior to the construction of Mosaic Stadium at Taylor...
of the Canadian Football League
Canadian Football League
The Canadian Football League or CFL is a professional sports league located in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football, a form of gridiron football closely related to American football....
. From 1987
1987 CFL season
The 1987 Canadian Football League season is considered to be the 34th season in modern-day Canadian football, although it is officially the 30th Canadian Football League season.-CFL News in 1987:...
–1989
1989 CFL season
The 1989 Canadian Football League season is considered to be the 36th season in modern-day Canadian football, although it is officially the 32nd Canadian Football League season.-CFL News in 1989:...
he was the Backs/Receivers coach with the Toronto Argonauts
Toronto Argonauts
The Toronto Argonauts are a professional Canadian football team competing in the East Division of the Canadian Football League. The Toronto, Ontario based team was founded in 1873 and is one of the oldest existing professional sports teams in North America, after the Chicago Cubs and the Atlanta...
. In 1990
1990 CFL season
The 1990 Canadian Football League season is considered to be the 37th season in modern-day Canadian football, although it is officially the 33rd Canadian Football League season.-CFL News in 1990:J...
he was hired to coach the offensive line of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers
Winnipeg Blue Bombers
The Winnipeg Blue Bombers are a Canadian football team based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. They are currently members of the East Division of the Canadian Football League . They play their home games at Canad Inns Stadium, and plan to move to a new stadium for the 2012 season.The Blue Bombers were founded...
under head coach Mike Riley
Mike Riley
Michael Joseph "Mike" Riley is an American football coach, currently the head coach of the Oregon State Beavers of the Pacific-12 Conference...
. The team finished 12–6 and won the 78th Grey Cup
78th Grey Cup
The 78th Grey Cup was the 1990 Canadian Football League championship game played between the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and the Edmonton Eskimos at BC Place Stadium in Vancouver, BC...
.
He moved with Riley the following season to coach the WLAF's
World League of American Football
The World League of American Football was founded in 1990 with support from the National Football League to play professional American football in North America, Europe and later possibly Asia...
San Antonio Riders
San Antonio Riders
The San Antonio Riders were a professional American football team that played in the WLAF in 1991 and 1992. The team played in the Alamo Stadium in 1991 and then were forced to move to Bobcat Stadium on the campus of Southwest Texas State University in San Marcos, Texas, 45 miles northeast of San...
. In 1993
1993 CFL season
The 1993 Canadian Football League season is considered to be the 40th season in modern-day Canadian football, although it is officially the 36th Canadian Football League season.-CFL news in 1993:...
he followed Riley to the CFL's expansion San Antonio Texans
San Antonio Texans
The San Antonio Texans were a Canadian Football League team that played in the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas, in the 1995 CFL season. They had relocated from Sacramento, California, where the team had been called the Sacramento Gold Miners...
. However, the team folded before the season started it when ran out of money.
In 1995 CFL season
1995 CFL season
The 1995 Canadian Football League season is considered to be the 42nd season in modern-day Canadian football, although it is officially the 38th Canadian Football League season.-CFL News in 1995:...
Gilstrap received his first and only professional head coaching position when he was hired by the Ottawa Rough Riders. The team finished 3–15 and missed the playoffs. He was fired the following season after a 0–4 start. He finished the rest of the year as the Hamilton Tiger-Cats
Hamilton Tiger-Cats
The Hamilton Tiger-Cats are a Canadian Football League team based in Hamilton, Ontario, founded in 1950 with the merger of the Hamilton Tigers and the Hamilton Wildcats. The Tiger-Cats play their home games at Ivor Wynne Stadium...
offensive line coach.
Starting in 1997 Gilstrap was OSU's offensive line coach and assistant head coach under Mike Riley. When Riley left for the San Diego Chargers
San Diego Chargers
The San Diego Chargers are a professional American football team based in San Diego, California. they were members of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
. He moved to Linfield
Linfield College
Linfield College is an American private institution of higher learning located in McMinnville, Oregon, United States. As a four-year, undergraduate, liberal arts and sciences college with a campus in Portland, Oregon, it also has an adult degree program located in eight communities throughout the...
where he served as an assistant athletic director
Athletic director
An athletic director is an administrator at many American colleges and universities, as well as in larger high schools and middle schools, who oversees the work of coaches and related staff involved in intercollegiate or interscholastic athletic programs...
and assistant football coach during the 1999 season. In 2000, he moved to Tulsa
University of Tulsa
The University of Tulsa is a private university awarding bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees located in Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA. It is currently ranked 75th among doctoral degree granting universities in the nation by US News and World Report and is listed as one of the "Best 366 Colleges" by...
as coach Keith Burns' offensive coordinator
Offensive coordinator
An offensive coordinator is a member of the coaching staff of a gridiron football team who is in charge of the offense. Generally, along with his defensive counterpart, he represents the second level of command structure after the head coach...
and running backs coach. He spent the 2002 season as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks/wide receivers coach at Southwest Mississippi Community College
Southwest Mississippi Community College
Southwest Mississippi Community College is a two-year community college located in Summit, Mississippi, with accreditation from the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.-History:...
. In 2003 he returned to OSU, once again as Mike Riley's offensive line coach. During his second tenure he also served as running backs coach and as coordinator of support services. While at Oregon State, Gilstrap coached postseason honors recipients Yvenson Bernard
Yvenson Bernard
Yvenson Bernard [EVAN-son] is a professional Canadian football running back for the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League. He was signed by the St. Louis Rams as an undrafted free agent in 2008...
, Doug Nienhuis
Doug Nienhuis
Doug Nienhuis is an American football offensive lineman who is currently a free agent. He was originally drafted by the Seattle Seahawks in the seventh round of the 2005 NFL Draft...
, Adam Koets
Adam Koets
Adam Koets is an American football offensive tackle for the New York Giants of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Giants in the sixth round of the 2007 NFL Draft. He played college football at Oregon State.-Early life:...
, Roy Schuening
Roy Schuening
Roy Schuening is an American football guard who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the St. Louis Rams in the fifth round of the 2008 NFL Draft. He played college football at Oregon State.-Early years:...
, and Aaron Koch
Aaron Koch
Aaron Paul Koch is a former National Football League offensive lineman for the Jacksonville Jaguars from 2000-2001. He played college football at Oregon State University and was signed by the Jaguars after graduation. He played in 24 games over two seasons.-External links:* - Aaron Koch stats*...
.