Gary Knecht {born September 29, 1939) is a faculty member at
Azusa Pacific University
Azusa Pacific University (APU) is a private, evangelical Christian university in Azusa, California. The university was founded in 1899, with classes opening on March 3, 1900, in Whittier, California, and began offering degrees in 1939. The uni ...
and former
college football
College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States.
Unlike most ...
coach. Knecht has served as an assistant coach at several universities and as the head coach at
UC Riverside
The University of California, Riverside (UCR or UC Riverside) is a public land-grant research university in Riverside, California. It is one of the ten campuses of the University of California system. The main campus sits on in a suburban distr ...
from 1970 to 1971 and at
Walla Walla Community College
Walla Walla Community College (WWCC), often referred to as just “CC” locally, is a multi-campus community college in southeastern Washington state.
History
Walla Walla Community College was founded in 1967 by Peter Dietrich when the region ...
from 1976 to 1983. During his career as a head coach, Knecht compiled an overall record of six wins, 13 losses and one tie (6–13–1) at Riverside and 52 wins, 19 losses and one tie (52–19–1) at Walla Walla.
Coaching career
In February 1970, Knecht was promoted to the head coach position at Riverside after the resignation of
Pete Kettela.
In March 1973, Knecht resigned as head coach after he led Riverside to an overall record of six wins, 13 losses and one tie (6–13–1).
From Riverside, Knecht served as a defensive assistant at
Cal Poly Pomona
California State Polytechnic University, Pomona (Cal Poly Pomona, CPP, or Cal Poly"Cal Poly" may also refer to California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo in San Luis Obispo. See the ''name'' section of this article for more infor ...
in 1972 before he was hired as the linebackers coach at
Idaho
Idaho ( ) is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. To the north, it shares a small portion of the Canada–United States border with the province of British Columbia. It borders the states of Montana and Wyom ...
in February 1973.
He stayed at Idaho through the 1975 season before he resigned in February 1976 to become the head coach at
Walla Walla Community College
Walla Walla Community College (WWCC), often referred to as just “CC” locally, is a multi-campus community college in southeastern Washington state.
History
Walla Walla Community College was founded in 1967 by Peter Dietrich when the region ...
.
At Walla Walla, Knecht led the Warriors to an overall record of 52 wins, 19 losses and one tie (52–19–1) during his tenure as head coach from 1976 through 1983.
In 1984, he served as
athletic director
An athletic director (commonly "athletics director" or "AD") is an administrator at many American clubs or institutions, such as colleges and universities, as well as in larger high schools and middle schools, who oversees the work of coaches and ...
at Walla Walla before he was hired at
Oregon State
Oregon State University (OSU) is a public land-grant, research university in Corvallis, Oregon. OSU offers more than 200 undergraduate-degree programs along with a variety of graduate and doctoral degrees. It has the 10th largest engineering col ...
as an assistant coach in 1985.
Knecht finished his coaching career at
Azusa Pacific
Azusa Pacific University (APU) is a private, evangelical Christian university in Azusa, California. The university was founded in 1899, with classes opening on March 3, 1900, in Whittier, California, and began offering degrees in 1939. The unive ...
where he served as
defensive coordinator
A defensive coordinator is a coach responsible for a gridiron football (American football) team's defense. Generally, the defensive coordinator, the offensive coordinator and the special teams coordinator represent the second level of a team's c ...
from the 1995 through 2003 seasons.
Head coaching record
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Knecht, Gary
1939 births
Living people
American football ends
Azusa Pacific Cougars football coaches
Cal Poly Pomona Broncos football coaches
Delta College Mustangs football players
Idaho Vandals football coaches
Oregon State Beavers football coaches
Sacramento State Hornets football coaches
UC Riverside Highlanders football coaches
UC Santa Barbara Gauchos football coaches
UC Santa Barbara Gauchos football players
Walla Walla Warriors football coaches
High school football coaches in California
Players of American football from Lodi, California
Coaches of American football from California
Players of American football from Kern County, California