July 26, 2007
(San Diego, CA) - USD head football coach Ron Caragher has completed his football coaching staff for the upcoming 2007 campaign by naming Steve Mooshagian as the program's wide receivers coach. Mooshagian comes to USD with an extensive coaching background, including four years as the head coach at Sacramento State (2003-2006). In his four years at Sacramento State, Mooshagian coached five Division I-AA All-Americans, three Division I-AA Freshmen All-Americans and 48 players who earned all-Big Sky Conference honors. During his last season the team's 4-4 Big Sky conference record was the 2nd best record in the school's 11-year Division I history. In his four seasons he played a direct role in the development of All-America wide receiver Fred Amey who played for the San Francisco 49ers in 2005. Mooshagian coached the receivers in his first two seasons, including 2004 when Amey caught a school-record 72 passes and was named first team all-Big Sky for the third straight year.
A native Californian, Mooshagian has coached at the high school, junior college, college and professional levels. Prior to his post at Sacramento State, he served as the wide receivers coach with the Cincinnati Bengals from 1999-2002. In 2002, he guided the only receiving corps in the NFL to have four players with at least 40 catches. With the Bengals, he coached some of the best young receivers in the league, including all-pro Chad Johnson, Peter Warrick, Darnay Scott, Carl Pickens, and T.J. Houshmandzadeh.
Prior to working with the Bengals, Mooshagian was the offensive coordinator at the University of Pittsburg for two years (1997-98), and offensive coordinator at Nevada in 1996. That year the Wolf Pack led the nation in total offense with an average of 527.3 yards of total offense and posted a 9-3 overall record while winning the Big West title and Las Vegas Bowl. He also had coaching stops at Fresno City College (head coach, 1995), Fresno State (1985-1994) and Washington Union HS (1983-84).
Mooshagian graduated from Fresno State with a degree in physical education (1982) and later added his master's degree in 1984 from Columbia Pacific University. He played two years for the Bulldogs (1980-81) as a wide receiver, and following graduation signed as a free-agent wide receiver with the Los Angeles Express of the USFL (1983).
He and his wife, Rene, have three grown children - daughters Janaye and Danielle, and a son, Bobby.
