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Leatherneck Football Finalizes Coaching Staff

Head coach Charlie Fisher announces his coaching staff

MACOMB, Ill. – Western Illinois head football coach Charlie Fisher finalized his coaching staff and announced the hirings on Monday (Feb. 1).
 
Joining Leatherneck Football for the first time are: David Elson (Defensive Coordinator/Defensive Backs), Doug Malone (Offensive Coordinator/Tight Ends), Garry Fisher (Linebackers/Co-Special Teams Coordinator), Ty Howle (Offensive Line/Coordinator of Walk-On Program), David Rocco (Wide Receivers/Director of On-Campus Recruiting/High School Relations) and Tyler Stockton (Defensive Line).
 
Rejoining the program are four assistant coaches. Jared Elliott (Assistant Head Coach/Quarterbacks/Recruiting Coordinator) returns to Western as the quarterbacks coach, the same position group he coached in 2012. Steve Crutchley (Running Backs/Co-Special Teams Coordinator) and David Milke (Director of Operations) return in their roles from the past three seasons. Jason Enos (Defensive Graduate Assistant) returns to finish his second year at Western.
 
"I could not be more excited about the staff I have put together," said Fisher. "I was determined to take my time and not just hire a group of men, but hire the right men. I have put together a fantastic blend of experience, youth, energy and passion. Most importantly, we have a staff of coaches that are great teachers of the game and also men of the highest character to represent Western Illinois University."
 
Doug Malone
Malone spent the last five years in the Canadian Football League, most recently with the British Columbia Lions as the offensive line coach. The Lions advanced to the Western Conference semifinals in 2015 and Malone coached the All-West 'Offensive Lineman of the Year' and the team finished second in the CFL for fewest quarterback sacks allowed.
 
From 2013-14 he worked with Saskatchewan Roughriders as the offensive line coach and during his time won a Grey Cup Championship.
 
In the three years before joining the CFL, Malone worked at Presbyterian College as the offensive coordinator. In 2007 he was the offensive coordinator at Western Carolina. His coaching career included stops at: Tennessee Tech (1999-2006), Wingate (1986-98) and Cal State-Northridge (1983-85). During his final five years at Wingate he served as head coach.
 
 
Jared Elliott
Elliott, who worked at Western during the 2012 season, spent the last three years at Carthage College as an assistant coach and co-offensive coordinator. Last year, Carthage averaged more than 360 yards of total offense and finished 5-5. The program improved in each of the three years Elliott worked at Carthage going from a 1-9 record in 2013 to 3-7 and .500 during the 2015 campaign.
 
During the 2012 season, Elliott and the Leathernecks started three different quarterbacks (including a true-freshman). He joined Western after serving as a graduate assistant for Fisher at Miami (Ohio). Elliott was a graduate assistant in both 2010 and 2011. Elliott worked as an assistant coach for wide receivers at Missouri Southern State University in both 2008 and 2009.
 
Elliott was a quarterback and wide receiver at Miami (Ohio) from 2004 to 2007 and part of three Mid-American Conference championship teams. A four-year player, he was part of three Mid-American Conference championships (2004, 2006 Co-Champs and 2007 Co-Champs) and the 2004 Independence Bowl.
 
 
David Rocco
David Rocco spent the last three years at Richmond, first as an offensive intern and quality control assistant coach before getting promoted to Director of Player Personnel in April 2015.
 
In his recent role, Rocco assisted with the football operations staff and recruiting, while serving as an assistant to the offensive staff and working with the quarterbacks. After the 2015 season, Richmond finished ranked third nationally and finished with more than 3,600 passing yards.
 
Prior to working at Richmond, Rocco was a student assistant at Liberty assisting the video operations and serving as a quality control analyst.
 
 
Steve Crutchley
Crutchley, part of the Leatherneck program that qualified for the NCAA FCS Playoffs last year, will continue to work with the running backs, and look to extend a streak of three consecutive years with a 1,000-yard rusher who earned All-Missouri Valley Football Conference honors. Last season, Nikko Watson rushed to First Team All-MVFC honors as he turned in the second-most rushing yards in the Valley (1,196 yards) and rushed for 14 touchdowns. His 108.7 yards per game ranked him 11th in the country.
 
Crutchley spent five years as the running backs coach at Southern Illinois prior to joining the Leathernecks. During his tenure, Crutchley coached two All-Americans and had three of his running backs record 1,000 rushing yards in a season. He worked for six seasons at St. Cloud State (2002-07), first serving as the wide receivers coach and then promoted to co-offensive coordinator.


A standout two-sport athlete, Crutchley earned All-Conference honors in both football and track/field. A three-year starter at wide receiver and twice an All-Conference selection, Crutchley played the year Eau Claire won the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Association title in 1998.
 
 
Ty Howle
Howle spent the last two years at North Carolina State as a graduate assistant with the offensive line. He worked on film breakdown, defensive scout team preparation and recruiting.
 
A two-year starter at Penn State and a four-year letterwinner along the offensive line, Howle played for the Nittany Lions from 2010-13. He started at center and left guard, helping protect the quarterbacks that Fisher coached during his tenure at Penn State.
 
Howle was a four-time Academic All-Big Ten selection and capped his career by receiving the Maginnis Memorial Award, given to the most outstanding senior offensive lineman.
 
 
David Elson
During the past two years, Elson worked at Southern Illinois as an assistant coach in charge of the secondary and served as the defensive coordinator in the 2015 season. Last year the Saluki defense finished 27th nationally in redzone defense.
 
In Elson's season as the program's defensive coordinator, three of his players finished in the top five in the MVFC in tackles per game (Chase Allen, Kenny James and Markese Jackson). Allen and James earned All-MVFC recognition after the season.
 
Elson is no stranger to the MVFC, having served as the head coach at Western Kentucky for seven seasons from 2003 to 2009. He helped lead the Hilltoppers through their transition from the FCS to the FBS. Prior to taking over as head coach, he was the defensive coordinator at WKU under Jack Harbaugh and helped the team win the 2002 I-AA national championship. During his seven year coaching career he finished fifth all-time in WKU history with 39 victories and went to the FCS Playoffs in consecutive years.
 
Prior to joining the Salukis, Elson served two years as defensive coordinator at New Mexico State. He spent the 2010 season on the Indiana coaching staff as defensive quality control coach. Elson's career began as a graduate assistant at SIU in 1994 and 1995.
 
 
Tyler Stockton
Stockton joins the Leathernecks as the defensive line coach after working the previous two seasons at Connecticut. He served as the assistant to the defensive coordinator and defensive line coach during his two years as a graduate assistant with the Huskies and was the primary coach for the interior defensive line. Stockton ran on-field drills, conducted position meetings, and managed the scout team offense. Last year the Huskies defense ranked 15th-best in the country.
 
A five-year member of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish program, Stockton was a Monogram award winner and helped the team make appearances in the 2010 Sun Bowl (champions), 2013 BCS National Championship game, and 2013 Pinstripe Bowl (champions). He was a member of the nation's top-ranked defense during the Fighting Irish's year advancing to the national championship game.
 
A standout high school player, Stockton was a 2009 High School All-American and the top-ranked high school football player in the state of New Jersey. He was listed as the 31st overall player in the nation (ESPN.com).
 
 
Garry Fisher
Garry Fisher (no relation) joins Western after spending the last seven years at Eastern Kentucky. He saw the linebackers corps have eight players earn All-Ohio Valley Conference honors (three 1st Team, five 2nd Team). EKU spent most of the season nationally ranked, and made two FCS Playoff appearances during Fisher's time with the Colonels.

Before arriving at EKU, he served as the co-defensive coordinator and linebackers coach at Kentucky State in 2008. Fisher was a four-year letterwinner at Bowling Green (1998-01) as an outside linebacker before transitioning into the Falcons' coaching ranks in 2002. After serving two years as a defensive assistant at BGSU, Fisher moved to Utah where he served as an offensive assistant for the 2004 Mountain West Conference and 2005 Fiesta Bowl champions. At both of his first two coaching jobs, Fisher served under current Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer.

Following a one-year stint at Heidelberg College (2005) as the special teams coordinator, Fisher landed at Shenandoah University for two years (2006-07) as the defensive coordinator.
 
 
David Milke
David Milke joined the football staff in spring 2013 as the Director of Football Operations and now begins his first year working with head coach Charlie Fisher. Milke oversees all the day-to-day office duties, coordinate study hall and training table, coordinates team travel (regular season and worked with postseason), works with official and unofficial recruiting visits, assist with summer camps, serve as liaison with the football program's support staff, and student-athlete ticketing pass list.



Jason Enos
Jason Enos enters his second year at Western Illinois working with the defense. During the 2015 season, two defensive linemen earned Honorable Mention All-Missouri Valley Football Conference honors (Kris Harley, Eddy Holtschlag), helping the Leathernecks advance to the FCS Playoffs for the first time in five years. In 2014, one lineman earned a spot on the MVFC All-Newcomer Team (Harley).
 
Enos worked at Southwest Minnesota State during the spring and summer before joining WIU. He was the offensive line coach at Presentation College (S.D.) during the 2013 season. The program, in just its third year of existence, won a high of five games. For two seasons Enos played professional football, starting on the offensive line for the Wichita Wild of the Indoor Football League. He earned First Team All-IFL honors following the 2012 campaign.
 
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Players Mentioned

Kris Harley

#92 Kris Harley

DL
6' 1"
Senior
Warren Central / Virginia Tech
Eddy Holtschlag

#99 Eddy Holtschlag

DL
6' 4"
Senior
Notre Dame
Nikko Watson

#41 Nikko Watson

RB
6' 0"
Senior
Rock Island

Players Mentioned

Kris Harley

#92 Kris Harley

6' 1"
Senior
Warren Central / Virginia Tech
DL
Eddy Holtschlag

#99 Eddy Holtschlag

6' 4"
Senior
Notre Dame
DL
Nikko Watson

#41 Nikko Watson

6' 0"
Senior
Rock Island
RB