@CoachCrutchley
Steve Crutchley originally joined the Leatherneck Football coaching staff in January 2013, and while entering his fourth year at Western Illinois he begins his first year working with Charlie Fisher.
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Crutchley 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.
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In his first year working with the running backs, Crutchley worked with junior transfer J.C. Baker who made an immediate impact. Baker, runner-up as Missouri Valley Football Conference’s ‘Newcomer of the Year’, rushed for 1,149 yards (10th-most in a season) and earned All-MVFC honors. Baker was the only Leatherneck in their first year at the Division I level to surpass 1,000 rushing yards.
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Western ranked third nationally in fumbles lost, none of which were by the running backs. The running backs combined for eight 100-yard rushing games in 2013.
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Baker, an All-MVFC selection, finished the 2014 season 20th nationally in rushing yards, and in just two years he turned in the sixth-most rushing yards in program history.
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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. Watson concluded his career with 2,844 yards – the fourth-highest career rushing total in WIU history.
Crutchley spent the previous five years as the running backs coach at Southern Illinois. During his tenure, Crutchley coached two All-Americans and had three of his running backs record 1,000 rushing yards in a season.
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In his first season with the Salukis, he coached Larry Warner to a First Team All-America honor in 2008 by the Associated Press. Warner was chosen Third Team All-America by the Sports Network. He rushed for 1,265 yards and 10 touchdowns that season and returned three kickoffs for a TD while finishing second nationally in kick return average.
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During the 2009 season, Crutchley worked with Deji Karim and saw him become a consensus All-America. Karim led the nation with nearly 1,700 rushing yards, was the Missouri Valley Football Conference 'Offensive Player of the Year' and third in the Walter Payton Award voting. He twice broke the SIU record for longest run from scrimmage (92 and 93 yards). Karim would get drafted in the sixth round of the 2010 NFL Draft by the Jacksonville Jaguars.
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The following year, Southern averaged nearly 190 rushing yards per game using a combination of three running backs. In 2011, Crutchley coached transfer Jewel Hampton as he became the third Saluki in four years to surpass 1,000 rushing yards in a season. He surpassed 1,100 yards and rushed for 17 TDs.
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Saluki running backs registered a total of 23 100-yard games during his five years.
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.
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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. He captured the 1999 WIAA conference championship in the indoor 200 meters and set the program record in that event. Twice he was part of the national qualifying 4x100 meter relay team.
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Crutchley received a bachelor's degree in Social Studies from UWEC and a master's degree in Sports Management from St. Cloud State.
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