A veteran of nearly 30 seasons coaching at the collegiate level, including 25 at Division I programs, Mike T. Jacobs will serve as the offensive coordinator for the Vulcans in his first season with the Cal U program in 2009.
Jacobs spent the last two seasons as the offensive coordinator/interim head coach at Mesa Community College. Before joining the Thunderbirds, he served as the offensive line coach at Oklahoma State in 2000. His most tenured stops were with Ohio State (1995-99) and West Virginia (1980-94).
While with the Buckeyes, Jacobs served as the offensive line coach and offensive coordinator on two Big Ten Champion teams (1996-98). During his tenure, Ohio State compiled a 57-17 overall record and appeared in five bowl games with a win in the 1997 Rose Bowl. Jacobs played a pivotal role in the development of two-time consensus All-American Orlando Pace, who won the 1996 Outland Trophy and was the No. 1 overall pick in the 1997 NFL Draft.
Prior to his stint with Ohio State, Jacobs served 15 seasons at West Virginia on the staff of head coach Don Nehlen. In his first six years with the Mountaineers, he served as the offensive line coach before accepting the offensive coordinator position from 1986-94. During his tenure, WVU amassed a 110-62-4 overall record and played in nine bowl games. Jacobs and the Mountaineers posted the first undefeated regular season in school history in 1988 behind the play of two-time Heisman finalist Major Harris. While at WVU, he coached two consensus All-America offensive lineman in Brian Jozwiak and 12-year NFL veteran Mike Compton.
The Bereo, Ohio native started his coaching career in 1972 at the scholastic level before spending two seasons at Bowling Green State University as the offensive line and head junior varsity coach. He then spent two years as the offensive line coach at Ashland University (Ohio) before making a one-year stint at Toledo in 1979 as the offensive line coach.
Throughout his coaching career, Jacobs has coached in 13 Division I bowl games, including three Sugar Bowls (1994, 1998, 1999), one Rose Bowl (1997) and one Fiesta Bowl (1988).
He has served on the staff with five coaches who have been inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame: Bill Edwards, Dave Maurer, Fred Martinelli, Don Nehlen and John Cooper.
In addition to his veteran coaching career, Jacobs has served as a speaker at clinics at numerous schools nationwide, including Georgia, Ohio State, Oklahoma State and West Virginia.
Jacobs earned his undergraduate degree in health & physical education from Wittenberg University in Springfield, Ohio. He was a three-year starter on the offensive line for the Tigers and played on the 1969 National Championship team.
He later earned his master’s degree from Bowling Green while working on the Falcon coaching staff.
He is joined on the coaching staff at Cal U by his son Mike R. Jacobs, who is the defensive line coach for the Vulcans.
