Larry Kerr Position: Assistant Head Coach/Defensive Coordinator

Larry Kerr at a glance...

• Rejoined the Colorado State coaching staff on Dec. 12, 2007; he was the first coach hired by Steve Fairchild.
• Enters his 34th overall season in coaching, his 17th as a college defensive coordinator.
• Saw 12 defensive players selected in the NFL Draft during his first tenure at CSU (1993-2002).
• A two-year starting linebacker at San Jose State, played on a defense that sent eight of 11 starters to the NFL, including Denver Broncos Ring of Famer Louie Wright.
• A former standout high school athlete in Northern California, was inducted into the Marin County Athletic Hall of Fame in 1995.
• Each of his two daughters, Kelly and Lindsey, played volleyball for the Rams earlier this decade.

Larry Kerr enters his 11th year at Colorado State, his first campaign in his second stint at the school, and his 34th overall season in the coaching profession. The first phone call Steve Fairchild made upon accepting the Rams' offer to become their next head coach, Kerr and Fairchild officially returned to Colorado State on the same day, Dec. 12, 2007.

Kerr, 54, returns to Colorado State from Duke, where he had served as the Blue Devils' rush ends and strong-side linebackers coach in 2007, after coaching special teams at the school the previous season.

Like Fairchild, Kerr was one of Sonny Lubick's original hires when Lubick assembled his initial CSU coaching staff in 1993. Kerr spent 10 years with the Rams (1993-2002), all as defensive coordinator. During that period, Colorado State:

• Saw 12 defensive players selected in the NFL Draft: Sean Moran (Buffalo, fourth round, 120th overall), Raymond Jackson (Buffalo 5/156), Greg Myers (Cincinnati, 5/144) and Brady Smith (New Orleans 3/70) in 1994, Joey Porter (Pittsburgh 3/73) and Jason Craft (Jacksonville 5/160) in 1999, Clark Haggans (Pittsburgh 5/137) and Erik Olson (Jacksonville 7/236) in 2000, John Howell (Tampa Bay 4/117) and Rick Crowell (Miami 6/188) in 2001, and Dexter Wynn (Philadelphia 6/192) and Andre Sommersell (Oakland, 7/255) in 2003;
• Had two conference Defensive Players of the Year (Crowell in 2000 and Smith in 1995) and a two-time All-American (1994-95) in Myers, who also earned the 1995 Jim Thorpe Award, becoming CSU's first individual national award winner;
• Achieved both an Academic All-American (Eric Pauly, 2002) and two NCAA Post-Graduate Scholarship winners (Myers, 1995, and Nate Kvamme, 1998);
• Captured six conference championships;
• Earned seven berths in postseason bowl games; and
• Won 84 games and lost just 38, winning at least eight contests seven times.

In his final season at CSU, 2002, the Rams were 10-4 and went to the Liberty Bowl, after which he moved to UCLA to become defensive coordinator (2003-05).

With the Bruins, he helped the program to three straight bowls. In 2005, his defense contributed to a 10-2 season, led by linebacker Spencer Havner, a semifinalist for the Butkus, Rotary Lombardi and Bednarik awards. In 2003, his defense finished second in the Pac-10 and 18th in the nation, paced by Pac-10 Defensive Player of the Year Dave Ball, and first-team all-conference performer Brandon Chillar.

After four years as a high school coach in Northern California, Kerr began his college coaching career at his alma mater, San Jose State, as the inside linebackers coach from 1980-83. He then coached inside linebackers and special teams at Stanford (1984-88) and UCLA (1989), before a three-year stint (1990-92) as Northern Arizona's assistant head coach and defensive coordinator.

At Northern Arizona, his defense finished ranked No. 1 in the Big Sky Conference after the '92 season.

Kerr has set out to re-establish recruiting ties he has in the region, concentrating primarily on the states of Colorado and Nebraska. During his first tenure at CSU, he recruited talents such as Wynn, Anthony Cesario, Mike Newell, Pete Rebstock, Matt Newton and Eric Pears. At Duke, he recruited the states of North Carolina, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Illinois and Wisconsin.

A three-sport athlete at Terra Linda High School in San Raphael, Calif., Kerr was an all-league selection and team captain in football, basketball and baseball. The Marin County football Player of the Year in 1970, he was inducted into the Marin County Hall of Fame in 1995.

The starting linebacker for two seasons and a three-year letterman (1972-74) at San Jose State, Kerr was a two-time Pacific Coast Athletic Association Scholar Athlete. He played on a defense that sent eight of 11 starters to the NFL, including Denver Broncos Ring of Famer Louie Wright, Super Bowl players Kim Bokamper and Gerald Small, and former pro standouts Carl Eckern and Wilson Faumuina. His head coach was Darryl Rogers, who would go on to hold the reins of the Detroit Lions.

Kerr's daughters both grew up in Fort Collins, graduated from CSU, and played roles in the success of the Rams' volleyball program earlier this decade. Kelly played from 1999-2001, after initially walking on to the team. As a senior, she was a key server as CSU defeated CU to advance to the second round of the 2001 NCAA Tournament. Lindsey played from 2001-2003, earning MWC Defensive Specialist of the Year and all-MWC honors in 2002. Lindsey currently serves as head volleyball coach at Fort Collins High School. Kelly is a first-grade teacher at Tavelli Elementary in Fort Collins.

Born June 8, 1953, in Abbington, Pa., Kerr has been married more than three decades to the former Tracy Hoover and the couple has two grown children, Kelly and Lindsey. He owns a bachelor's degree in physical education ('75) and a master's in physical education ('82), both from San Jose State.

Coaching background:

Prominent Players Coached

• Twelve NFL Draft choices: Sean Moran (Buffalo, fourth round, 120th overall), Raymond Jackson (Buffalo 5/156), Greg Myers (Cincinnati, 5/144) and Brady Smith (New Orleans 3/70) in 1994; Joey Porter (Pittsburgh 3/73) and Jason Craft (Jacksonville 5/160) in 1999; Clark Haggans (Pittsburgh 5/137) and Erik Olson (Jacksonville 7/236) in 2000; John Howell (Tampa Bay 4/117) and Rick Crowell (Miami 6/188) in 2001; and Dexter Wynn (Philadelphia 6/192) and Andre Sommersell (Oakland, 7/255) in 2003.
• Smith (1995) and Crowell (2000) were conference Players of the Year.
• Myers, a two-time All-American, won the 1995 Jim Thorpe Award.
• Spencer Havner, a UCLA linebacker who was a semifinalist for the Butkus, Rotary Lombardi and Bednarik awards.
• Pac-10 Defensive Player of the Year Dave Ball, and first-team all-conference performer Brandon Chillar.
• Stanford LB Dave Wyman, who enjoyed a nine-year NFL career after Seattle selected him in the second round of the 1987 draft.