Former Texas State head coach David Bailiff is back with the program.
The Bobcats announced Monday that Bailiff has returned to the program he led for three seasons as the special assistant to new head coach GJ Kinne. The announcement says Bailiff will assist in pretty much all areas off the field, "including advising Coach Kinne, community relations, alumni affairs, high school relations, fundraising, and football operations."
Bailiff spent 2004-06 as the Bobcats' head coach, going 21-15. His 2005 team shared the Southland Conference championship and reached the FCS semifinals, the program's best season since winning back-to-back Division II titles in 1981-82.
Bailiff also played offensive line for the Bobcats, then known as Southwest Texas State, from 1977-80. He is a member of the athletics department's hall of honor.
Kinne, 34, was in high school when Bailiff was Texas State's head coach.
"I'm excited to be back with Texas State and the football program," said Bailiff. "I started this journey at this great university in 1976 as a student-athlete and have enjoyed a few more stops along the way. I'm here to help Coach Kinne and (Texas State Director of Athletics) Don Coryell in any capacity I can. I want to see this university win and go to bowl games, and I also want to help Coach Kinne and this great university's dreams come true."
Kinne landed the job after a 12-2 season at Incarnate Word that saw the Cardinals reach the FCS semifinals. He spent 2021 as the co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at UCF, and 2020 as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Hawaii.
"Coach Bailiff is a tremendous addition to our coaching staff and we are grateful to have him join the program once again," said Kinne. "Coach is a Bobcat through-and-through, from his time as a player to serving as an assistant coach to being a championship-winning head coach. He has also been a sincere mentor of mine over years, starting back when I was a student-athlete and he was the head coach at Rice. His knowledge of this program, Texas State University and the Central Texas community will help us restore our tradition and take a step towards winning championships."
After Texas State, Bailiff spent 2007-17 as the head coach at Rice -- he reached four bowl games and won Conference USA in 2013 -- and 2019-22 at Texas A&M-Commerce. Bailiff helped that program transition from Division II to FCS.
Texas State moved from FCS to FBS in 2012 and has yet to appear in a bowl game. The Bobcats went 6-6 in 2013 and 7-5 in 2014 and have not enjoyed a winning season since. Jake Spavital was let go as head coach after going 13-35 in four seasons.
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