Football Coaches' Profiles

Philip Willenbrock - Logger Head Football Coach

Philip Willenbrock became the Loggers head football coach on January 16th, 2002.

Willenbrock comes from Allegheny College (Meadville, PA) where he has served as the assistant head coach, offensive coordinator and offensive line coach since 1998. Allegheny College is a NCAA Division III institution that competes in the North Coast Athletic Conference.

Willenbrock began his coaching career at San Francisco State in 1990, and served as the offensive line coach for three seasons, and the assistant head coach and offensive coordinator from 1993-94. In 1995, following the elimination of the San Francisco State program, Willenbrock coached in the high school ranks as assistant head coach at Wasson High School (Colorado Springs, Colo.) and was head coach at Doherty High School (Colorado Springs, Colo.) in 1996. Coach Willenbrock returned to college coaching in 1997 at the University of South Dakota before joining the Allegheny staff in 1998.

His Allegheny offense was ranked first in the North Coast Conference in rushing in 1998,1999 and 2000. In 2001, the Gators were ranked in the top twenty nationally in total and scoring offense. During the past four years the Gators have averaged 38 points, 250 rushing yards and 450 yards in total offense per game.

"The University of Puget Sound is the type of opportunity I have been working towards in my preparation to be a head football coach. Puget Sound is not just a job, it's a great job and I am very excited about the opportunity," noted Willenbrock.

A native of State College, PA., Willenbrock is a 1989 graduate of Gettysburg College. He was a three-year starter at tight end for the Bullets and earned all-conference honors as a senior. Willenbrock earned his Master of Arts in Sports Administration from San Francisco State in 1992.

"Having played and coached at the Division III level, Phil has an understanding of the unique factors in recruiting and developing players at a school like Puget Sound," noted Ulrich.

"The recommendations for Phil have been outstanding and come from a broad cross section of individuals familiar with his abilities and work. His experience coupled with his focus and energy will be important to revitalizing the Logger football program," commented Ulrich.

Gerry Woodruff - Assistant Head Coach - Defensive Coordinator

Coach Woodruff joined the Puget Sound community in 2002 and brings veteran experience to the Logger staff. Most recently coach Woodruff coached in the Texas High School ranks at Bastrop High School and Texas City High School. As the special teams coordinator at Texas City he helped lead the program to two State Championship Titles. His collegiate experience includes stops at San Francisco State (1990-92), where he first worked with Coach Willenbrock, University of California-Berkeley (1988-90) and Eastern New Mexico (1987-88). Coach Woodruff will coordinate the defense for Puget Sound this season and brings extensive experience coaching defensive line, secondary and linebackers. In addition to his coordinator duties, Woodruff will coach linebackers for the Loggers.

Woodruff is a 1977 graduate of Baylor University and earned his masters degree from Texas Christian University in 1983. He is a member of the American Football Coaches Association and Texas Coaches Association. Woodruff and his wife Deirdre live in the Tacoma area

Jeff Halstead - Offensive Coordinator/Recruiting/Quarterbacks Coach

In his fourth year on the coaching staff Coach Halstead takes over duties as Offensive Coordinator for the 2004 Loggers. A familiar face to Logger fans after an outstanding playing career, Halstead was an eight-time letter winner on both the football and baseball teams. He was named to All-Northwest Conference teams five times. He also currently is the Outfield and assistant hitting coach for the Loggers Baseball team in the spring. Halstead still holds the single season record for the most receptions in a season. In addition, Halstead played professional baseball during the summer of 2001 before returning to UPS to earn his Masters Degree in Teaching.

Ryan Jones - Special Teams Coordinator/Defensive Line/Strength Coach

Coach Jones is entering his third season at the University of Puget Sound. For the past two seasons Jones has coached the offensive line where he helped the Loggers achieve a new single season rushing record of 2,642 yards in 2003. For the 2004 season Jones has picked up the duties of special teams coordinator and will switch sides of the ball to coach the defensive line. The Pennsylvania native attended Allegheny College where he earned a BA in History. He was a two-year starter on the offensive line at Allegheny where he led the Allegheny offense to two Top 20 rankings for rushing offense. Jones is single and resides in Tacoma.

Jared McNeilly - Inside Linebackers

Coach McNeilly begins his first season at Puget Sound in 2004, rejoining his former coach on the Logger sidelines. A three-time All-Conference tightend, McNeilly, graduated from Allegheny College in 2003 with a BS in Physics after a four-year playing career. McNeilly spent last season coaching at Pymatuning Valley High in Andover, Ohio, working primarily with linebackers and running backs while also serving as the schools strength and conditioning coach.

Chad Mahoe - Running Backs

Chad Mahoe returns to the sidelines of the Loggers as Running Backs coach after a very successful four-year playing career for Puget Sound. A three-time All-NWC selection, Mahoe is currently pursuing an M.Ed degree at UPS in the School of Education. Mahoe graduated in 2003 and has previously worked with running backs at Kamchameha School in Honolulu, Hawaii, where as a former player his was an All-State selection.

Josh Manning - Receivers

Josh Manning joins the Puget Sound Football community as the receivers coach for 2004. Manning, an Exercise Science graduate from Western Oregon University, lettered in both baseball and football during his playing career. Manning previously served as an assistant coach with McNary High School.

Jonas Compton - Outside Linebackers

Coach Compton begins his first year of coaching with the Loggers in 2004. Compton received his BA from Pacific Lutheran where he played defensive back. A 2000 graduate of the Seattle University School of Law, Compton served as a graduate assistant at Howard University in Washington, D.C. after beginning his coaching career at Lakes High School.

Al Mahoe - Equipment Manager

Al Mahoe joins the Loggers staff as an equipment manager in 2004. A retired supervisor of 42 years at the Port of Honolulu, Mahoe recently moved from Hawaii to the Tacoma area with his wife Cheri. Al is the father of current running backs coach Chad Mahoe and serves as a Board Member of the Logger Club.

Ron Hill - Equipment Manager

Ron Hill begins his third year as the football equipment manager for the Loggers. A graduate of the University of Puget Sound, past president of the Logger Club and a retired Tacoma Police Department Detective, his service is invaluable to the Puget Sound football program. Ron and his wife Sharon are avid Logger athletic fans, their daughter Renee is a UPS grad, and they have four grandchildren.