Marshall SperbeckTitle: Head Coach Experience: 2nd Year Alma Mater: Nevada, '84 Email:sperbeck@csus.edu Bio: Marshall Sperbeck is entering his second year as the Sacramento State head coach. Sperbeck was hired to lead the Hornets on Jan. 13, 2007 and became the ninth head coach in school history.
During his first season at Sacramento State, Sperbeck coached 13 players who earned all-Big Sky Conference honors, including linebackers Cyrus Mulitalo and Mike Brannon and defensive tackle Dallas Mauga who all earned first team accolades.
Known for his high-powered offenses, Sperbeck was given the tough task of leading a unit in 2007 that featured a freshman quarterback, two new running backs and only one returning wide receiver. He overcame those obstacles and coached an offense which averaged 341.5 yards per game. That mark was the most for a Hornet team since 2002.
Prior to coming to Sacramento State, Sperbeck was the head football coach at Foothill College in Los Altos, Calif., for 15 years. During that time, he produced a 109-53 overall record and led the Owls to 11 bowl games.
In his final season, Foothill was 10-1 overall and tied for the Northern California Football Association title. The team played in the Silicon Valley Bowl and downed Sierra JC, 24-0.
In 2006, Foothill was one of the top offensive teams in the state with Sperbeck calling the plays. The Owls led all California Junior Colleges with 478.8 yards per game. Foothill also ranked at the top of the list with 590.2 all-purpose yards per game, 7.2 yards per play and 9.6 yards per pass attempt. The Owls were also second in the state with 58 touchdowns and 42.8 points per game.
Foothill ended the season as the top-ranked team in Northern California and scored at least 40 points in seven of its 10 regular season games.
Sperbeck plans to call the plays for Sacramento State but will have two familiar coaches by his side as both Aaron Ingram and Jeff Remington made the move from Foothill to become part of the Hornet coaching staff. Ingram will coach the running backs while Remington will oversee the offensive linemen as well as serve as the team’s run game coordinator.
The 2006 success was just the latest in a long run by Sperbeck’s teams. In his 15 years at the helm, Foothill had only two losing seasons (both 4-6). In fact, the Owls averaged 7.3 wins per season and won at least eight games in eight of the last nine years.
The team also had great success in the postseason, winning its last eight bowl games — including three by shutout. Those numbers resulted in Foothill being nationally ranked seven times in the last eight years.
Sperbeck’s players also left Foothill ready to continue their collegiate careers regardless of their football ability as 86 percent of the sophomore football players transferred to four-year institutions. That said, Foothill also produced numerous players that earned football scholarships, averaging 11 per year since 1998.
A few of the recent transfers to have success are former Weber State running back Johnnie Gray, Mississippi State quarterback Josh Riddel and current Hornet linebacker Mike Hickman.
A native of Sacramento, Sperbeck graduated from Valley High School. He later played at the University of Nevada from 1981-82 and led the team to a pair of winning seasons while throwing for 3,425 yards.
Following college, he had two stints in NFL training camps before joining the Foothill JC staff as an assistant coach in 1985. He coached the quarterbacks and receivers and was later elevated to offensive coordinator before becoming head coach in 1992.
Sperbeck earned a bachelor’s of science degree in physical education from Nevada in 1984 and later added a master’s of education from United States International in 1989.
Marshall and his wife, Kelley, have three children: Brooke (13), Thomas (12), and Ally (10).
Marshall Sperbeck
