Tiger Football Staff
Todd Knight, Head Football Coach
"Coach Knight exemplifies everything we were looking for in a head coach, his teams win, his players graduate and he believes in the mission of our university." Dr. Andrew Westmoreland.
Since taking over the reigns of the Tiger Football team, Coach Knight has been hard at work in improving all aspects of the program, from the field to the facilities, nothing has been left out. The field house has been renovated for additional coach's offices and a 3000 square foot weight room has been added, complete with new equipment. Plans are under way to make major renovations to the stadium in the not too distant future.
Coach Knight was a player at Ouachita under legendary coach, Buddy Benson in the early 1980's. Knight played on the last Tiger team that won a conference championship (Arkansas Intercollegiate Conference) in 1982 and in his four years the Tigers had three winning seasons. That competitive nature is something that Knight is seeking to re-establish at his alma mater. The first step was taken last September when the Tigers beat cross-town rival Henderson State University 34-14, the first win for the Tigers against HSU in 12 years.
After graduating from Ouachita, Knight went to Delta State as a graduate assistant coach, earning his Master's degree in 1987. His next move was to the University of Texas at El Paso where he coached offensive linemen and running backs. Knight was hired as the Head Coach at Delta State in 1990. Knight turned the struggling Statesmen into a competitive program and the Statesmen won their first Gulf South Conference championship in the school's history in 1998. Knight was selected Gulf South Conference Coach of the Year for 1998 and led the Statesmen to their first postseason game since 1959. Under Knight, the Statesmen had the highest graduation rate for college football players in the entire state of Mississippi.
"The key to graduating players is recruiting young men that want to be successful and that are seeking quality instruction," Knight says. "Ouachita has a strong faculty and a reputation for being tough academically. It's not all about championships. A good program is also about relationships and the opportunity to graduate." There is no doubt that Coach Knight and his staff will build a "good program" at Ouachita.
Assistant Head Coach / Offensive Coordinator Deron Huerkamp
Knight brought two assistant coaches with him from Delta State - Assistant Head Coach Deron Huerkamp and Jay Derby. At Delta State, Huerkamp was the offensive coordinator for six seasons. In four of those seasons, the Statesmen led the GSC in rushing and consistently led the conference in time of possession, fewest penalties and fewest turnovers. Coach Huerkamp will continue to work with the offensive line and serve as the strength and conditioning coach, as well as the Offensive Coordinator duties.
Huerkamp is a native of Decatur, Alabama and played football at Auburn University and the University of West Alabama at Livingston. He coached the defensive line at Livingston and also coached at Ole Miss and the University of Texas at El Paso before joining Knight at Delta State in 1993. "Coach Huerkamp was a big reason for our success and he will make someone a great head coach one of these days. I have total trust in Deron Huerkamp."
Assistant Coach Jay Derby
Jay Derby is a native of Goldsboro, N.C. and played college football at Guilford College in North Carolina. Derby was an assistant coach at Guilford before joing Knight at Delta State. Derby has coached almost every position while working with Knight, but he will be coaching the defensive line at Ouachita. Coach Derby will also serve as the Recruiting Coordinator for the Tigers. Coach Derby is known for his intensity both coaching and recruiting. "Coach Derby contacted more than 1,000 high schools this year in leading our recruiting effort, he is a great recruitor and a hard worker."
Defensive Coordinator Rustin Gortmaker
Rustin Gortmaker is a Texas native and played football at Tarleton State University in Texas. Before joing the OBU staff, Gortmaker was a graduate assistant under Ken Hatfield at Rice University. "Coach Hatlfield was very high on Gort's coaching abilities and Rice does a lot of things on defense that are similar to the scheme we wanted to install here," Knight says. Coach Gortmaker will coordinate the defense and coach the defensive backs for the Tigers. Gortmaker says he wants "a defense that swarms the ball a forces turnovers."
Assistant Coach Todd Cooley
Coach Cooley comes to OBU from Northeastern State University in Oklahoma where he coached quarterbacks and receivers. Coach Cooley is a native of Nashville, Arkansas and attended Arkansas Tech University. While at Tech, Cooley set 13 passing records and was one of 23 Division II nominees for the Harlon Hill Award in 1997. He was also named to the Division II All South Region Team in 1997 and voted GSC Player of the week for three performances. Coach Cooley graduated with honors at Tech and recently completed his Master's degree at Northeastern State. "In Todd Cooley, we're adding a first class person with experience coaching quarterbacks and receivers at two schools which won conference championships while he was there. He's an outstanding talent and knows what it takes to be successful."
Graduate Assistant Coach Greg "Rudy" Rudolph
Coach Rudolph graduated from Delta State University in 1999. While at Delta State, Rudolph was the punter for Coach Knight's Conference Championship team in 1998. Coach Rudolph transferred to Delta State from Mississippi Gulf Coast Junior College. Rudolph coached punters/kickers at OBU during the fall of 1999 and will assist with outside linebackers beginning this spring.