Arbuckle named special teams coach at UM
1/15/2010 12:00:00 AM | Football
Veteran mentor Dick Arbuckle will be joining The University of Montana Grizzly football staff as the special teams coach, announced UM head coach Robin Pflugrad.
For the past five years he has been a volunteer assistant coach at Sheldon High School in Eugene, Ore., working with the special teams, defensive ends, and assisting with the quarterbacks. During his five-year span, the Sheldon Irish football team posted a 57-game winning streak in league and won two 6A state championships (2007 and 2009).
Arbuckle has 19 years of experience as a head coach at the college and high school levels and 15 years as an assistant coach in the Pac-10 Conference, including stints at Arizona State, Cal, Oregon State, and Oregon.
Most recently he was at Arizona State, under the tuteledge of the late Bruce Synder, and worked with the tight ends and special teams there from 1992-2000. At ASU he tutored several All-Pac-10 tight ends and future NFL players like Steve Bush, Brian Jennings, and Todd Heap.
Prior to his stint at ASU, he worked for Snyder, a former college teammate at Oregon, at California in 1991-92, coaching the wide receivers and special teams.
Prior to Cal, Arbuckle spent three seasons (1987-89) at Boise State where he served as both offensive coordinator and recruiting coordinator. While there, he helped the Broncos to three consecutive winning seasons, including a Division I-AA playoff berth in 1988. Previous to Boise State, he spent two years (1985-86) at Oregon State where he served as recruiting coordinator and assisted with the offensive line.
Arbuckle worked as a head coach at the Oregon Institute of Technology, going 8-3 in 1981 and 8-2 in 1982, en route to two league titles. He then moved to Western Oregon State College for two years (1983-84). His first stint in the college ranks was at his alma mater, Oregon, where coached outside linebackers and special teams from 1974-76.
The early part of his coaching career was spent at the prep level in Oregon. He was the head coach at Sheldon High School for 13 seasons from 1965-73 and 1977-1980. During that span at Sheldon he moved to the college ranks and coached special teams and outside linebackers for head coach Don Read at Oregon for three seasons (1974-76). Before that he was the head coach at Oregon City High School in 1963-64. He began his coaching career as an assistant at North Eugene High School from 1961-63.
He co-authored a book called "Special Teams: The Winning Edge" in 2002.
He played at Oregon from 1958-60 and was a two-year letterman for the Ducks, playing safety and quarterback. He was a starter at safety for Oregon in the 1960 Liberty Bowl. Born in Los Angles (5/15/39), he graduated from Oregon in 1961 with a degree in physical education. He received a master???s degree from Oregon in physical education in 1966.
Dick and his wife, Sherry, have three children, Vicki, Becki, and Joe, and five grandchildren.
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