Temple University Athletics
Curtis Bray Named Linebackers Coach
1.30.07 | Football
Jan. 30, 2007
PHILADELPHIA - Curtis Bray - who spent seven seasons as an assistant at Pittsburgh, including the past four directing the linebackers - has been named linebackers coach at Temple University by head coach Al Golden. Bray arrives in Owl Country with 14 seasons of Division I coaching experience on the defensive side of the ball.
"I remember playing against Curtis while I was at Penn State and he was at Pitt," said Golden. "His tenacity and dedication to the game was evident by the manner in which he competed. When our playing careers ended, I admired the success Curtis achieved by translating this passion into the coaching realm. His strong Pennsylvania recruiting ties and familiarity with the City of Philadelphia will serve our program well. More important, he is a relationship builder who inspires student-athletes to achieve. I am very excited to have Curtis on our staff as we prepare to attack the MAC in our inaugural league season."
Under Bray's direction this past season, H.B. Blades ranked fourth nationally in tackles en route to FWAA First Team All-American and Big East Conference Defensive Player of the Year honors. Blades, a three-time first team all-conference selection, became the first Panther linebacker to earn All-America honors since Jerry Olsavsky in 1988. Bray, who recruited western Pennsylvania and Ohio while having collateral duties in all phases of special teams, instructed defensive ends at his alma mater from 2000 to 2002 before moving to linebackers. Among the players to graduate to the NFL under his instruction are Claude Harriott, J.J. Horne and Bryan Knight.
The Panthers competed in five bowl games during Bray's coaching tenure, winning the 2001 Tangerine Bowl and the 2002 Insight Bowl, while competing in the 2005 Fiesta Bowl after winning the 2004 Big East title. In 2003, he participated in the NFL Minority Fellowship program for the Denver Broncos and worked with the linebackers and defensive coordinator Larry Coyer during training camp.
Bray is very familiar with the City of Philadelphia, having served as defensive ends coach on the Main Line at Villanova from 1997 to 1999. He helped the Wildcats emerge as a national power in Division I-AA. In 1997, Villanova captured the Atlantic 10 championship and was named the Eastern College Athletic Conference's Team of the Year with a perfect 11-0 regular season mark.
Prior to Villanova, Bray was the defensive line coach at Western Kentucky (1995-96) and the defensive coordinator at Duquesne (1993-94). Bray also coached the linebackers and handled special teams for the Dukes, who ranked 11th nationally in total defense in 1994.
Bray was a standout linebacker for Pitt from 1988 to 1991 and finished his career with 170 tackles despite an array of injuries his final two collegiate seasons. One of his most memorable performances occurred at Penn State in 1988, when he had a sack for a safety and a key interception to lift the Panthers to a 14-7 victory. Both Golden and current Temple defensive coordinator Mark D'Onofrio were members of that Nittany Lions squad. Golden and D'Onofrio competed against Bray on four occasions in college, with three games being decided by a touchdown or less and PSU earning three wins (1989-91).
A native of Monroeville, Pa., Bray is a 1988 graduate of Gateway High School, where he enjoyed an exceptional athletic career. In 1987, he became the first defensive player to be honored as the Gatorade National High School Football Player of the Year and also was a first team USA Today All-American. Bray excelled in track and field as well, capturing the state javelin championship as a senior. He was named the Monroeville Citizen of the Year in 1998.
Born May 9, 1970, Bray graduated from the University of Pittsburgh in 1992 with a bachelor's degree in economics. He and wife Heather have a two year-old daughter, Sydney Nicole.
