HOME OF BULLDOG FOOTBALL - 28 SCIAC Championships, including 10 since 1990

Jeff Thomas
	Defensive Coordinator/Recruiting Coordinator jeff_thomas@redlands.edu 909-748-8415

No stranger to Bulldog football fans, Jeff Thomas moved into the role of defensive coordinator after the 2009 campaign, returning to the side of the ball where he was named the 2002 SCIAC Defensive Player of the Year and led all NCAA divisions in total interceptions with 13.  

He originally joined the coaching staff as a graduate assistant in 2003, working with the receivers and tight ends, and then moved into a full-time position in 2004 as the defensive backs coach and special teams coordinator.  Following the 2006 season, he was named the Bulldogs' offensive coordinator and led the Bulldogs to various school-record  performances, including total offense in a single game with 677 yards on Nov. 3, 2007.  In addition, Thomas has guided various individuals to top-10 marks at Redlands, including wide receiver Brian Putman's '09 (Bakersfield, CA) record-breaking 77 receptions during the 2009 season.

At the conclusion of the 2009 season, Thomas was named the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Division III Assistant Coach of the Year for his leadership both on the field and in the community.  Outside of coaching, he serves as the community service director for the Bulldog football program. Since his arrival, the team has donated more than 500 blankets and three pick-up loads of top ramen soup to the San Bernardino Mission. He also led two team trips to New Orleans to help with the Hurricane Katrina relief efforts and coordinated a seven-day building effort for Habitat for Humanity. Most recently, he organized a project that entailed planting more than 4,000 trees in four days throughout the San Bernardino National Forest. 

A four-year letter-winner and senior captain, Thomas began his career as a quarterback but then developed into one of the most decorated defensive backs in Redlands histroy.  He won numerous accolades as he helped the Bulldogs reach the NCAA playoffs in 2002.  He set the school records for most interceptions in a season (13) and most in one game (4). His play earned him a spot on the US team in the 2002 Aztec Bowl, an annual game pitting Division III football all-stars from the United States against their Mexican counterparts.

Thomas also embodied the role of the student-athlete as he graduated with a bachelor's degree in Government and was named CoSIDA Academic All-District. In late 2005, Thomas completed his Master of Arts from the School of Education at the University of Redlands.

Thomas appreciates the opportunity to use his playing experience and several years of coaching at the summer Contact Football Camps to educate his student-athletes both on and off the field. This native of Tucson, AZ, enjoys following politics when he is not coaching. A member of the AFCA, Thomas currently lives in Beaumont.