CHADRON, Neb. — Chadron State College has announced three finalists for its head football coaching position.
Jay Long, Brad McCaslin and Chris Stein were chosen as finalists from a field of more than 40 candidates. All three were to conduct on-campus interviews with the search committee.
"The search committee and I feel we have found three capable men from a solid group of candidates who can lead the football program to new heights," CSC Athletic Director Brad Smith said. "I know personally what it takes to be the head football coach at Chadron State, and I'm confident the search committee and I will be able to find the best coach for the program and the college."
A brief biography of each candidate:
Jay Long: He's the head coach at Black Hills State, which is in its transition to Division II and will join the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference in the fall. He became the head coach in 2009 and has guided the Yellowjackets to a 15-15 record. Prior to being the head coach at Black Hills State, he was an assistant coach at the school from 2001-09. During that time he served as the offensive coordinator, offensive line coach, recruiting coordinator and the strength and conditioning coach. Long, who played on the offensive line at Chadron State, earned a bachelor's of science from CSC in the spring of 2001. He was a graduate assistant at Wayne State College, where he obtained a master's of science in sports management in 2003.
Brad McCaslin: McCaslin was a coach at the University of Nebraska at Omaha from 1997 to when the program was discontinued in 2011. During that time, he worked as the assistant head coach (2007-11), defensive coordinator (2005-11), recruiting coordinator (2001-05), special teams coordinator (2003-05) and the video coordinator (2004-07). While at UNO, the Mavericks had a record of 110-48 and won six conference championships. He coached two All-Americans and four players in the NFL. He earned a bachelor's of arts from Hastings College in 1994 and was a graduate assistant at UNO from 1997-2000. Before his time at UNO, he taught at Benson High School in Omaha and he was an assistant football coach and the head soccer coach.
Chris Stein: Stein has been the quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator at Chadron since 2004. During his time as an assistant coach, the Eagles have tallied a record of 60-22 and won three RMAC championships. Prior to coaching college football, Stein was the head coach for the Wyoming Cavalry of the National Indoor Football League in 2003 and the Casper Cavalry in 2000. He also had head coaching stops at Julesburg High School (1992-93), Gordon High School (1994-97) and Gering High School (1998). Stein, who played tight end at Chadron State from 1987-89, graduated from CSC in 1991 with a bachelor's degree in physical education. He also earned a master's of science in education administration from Chadron State in 2003. He was inducted in the college's Athletic Hall of Fame in 2006.
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