Keith Gilbertson
{{Short description|American football player and coach (born 1948)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2024}}
{{Infobox college coach
| name = Keith Gilbertson
| image = SeahawksTC-EWU-095.jpg
| alt =
| caption = Gilbertson (far right) with the Seattle Seahawks in 2006
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1948|5|15|mf=y}}
| birth_place = Snohomish, Washington, U.S.
| death_date =
| death_place =
| alma_mater = Central Washington University
B.S. 1971
| player_team1 = Central Washington
| player_years1 = 1967
| player_team2 = Columbia Basin JC
| player_years2 = 1968
| player_team3 = Hawaii
| player_years3 = 1969–1970
| player_positions = Offensive lineman
| coach_years1 = 1971–1974
| coach_team1 = Idaho State (GA)
| coach_years2 = 1975
| coach_team2 = Western Washington (GA)
| coach_years3 = 1976
| coach_team3 = Washington (GA)
| coach_years4 = 1977–1981
| coach_team4 = Utah State (OC)
| coach_years5 = 1982
| coach_team5 = Idaho (OC)
| coach_years6 = 1983–1985
| coach_team6 = Los Angeles Express (OC)
| coach_years7 = 1985
| coach_team7 = Idaho (OC)
| coach_years8 = 1986–1988
| coach_team8 = Idaho
| coach_years9 = 1989–1990
| coach_team9 = Washington (OL)
| coach_years10 = 1991
| coach_team10 = Washington (OC/OL)
| coach_years11 = 1992–1995
| coach_team11 = California
| coach_years12 = 1996–1998
| coach_team12 = Seattle Seahawks (assistant)
| coach_years13 = 1999
| coach_team13 = Washington (AHC)
| coach_years14 = 2000–2002
| coach_team14 = Washington (AHC/OC)
| coach_years15 = 2003–2004
| coach_team15 = Washington
| coach_years16 = 2005–2008
| coach_team16 = Seattle Seahawks (assistant)
| coach_years17 = 2010–2011
| coach_team17 = Cleveland Browns (scout)
| overall_record = 55–51
| bowl_record = 1–0
| tournament_record = 2–3 (NCAA I-AA playoffs)
| championships =
| awards =
| coaching_records =
}}
Keith Steven Gilbertson Jr. (born May 15, 1948) is a retired American football coach and player. He was the head coach at the University of Idaho (1986–1988), the University of California, Berkeley (1992–1995), and the University of Washington (2003–2004), compiling a career college football record of 55–51. Gilbertson retired in 2011 as a coach.
Early life and playing career
The son of a high school football coach, Gilbertson grew up in Snohomish, Washington, northeast of Seattle. He graduated from Snohomish High School in 1966 and attended Central Washington University in Ellensburg, Columbia Basin College, the University of Hawaii, and returned to Central Washington, where he received a bachelor's degree in social sciences in 1971. He later earned a degree in education from Western Washington University in 1974.2003 Washington Football Media Guide, p. 78-79
Coaching career
After three stints as a graduate assistant, Gilbertson became an offensive coordinator in 1977 at Utah State under head coach Bruce Snyder. After five seasons in Logan, he joined Dennis Erickson's new staff at Idaho, who immediately turned the Vandal program around in 1982, going 8–3 in the regular season and advancing to the quarterfinals of the I-AA playoffs. Shortly after, Gilbertson departed for the Los Angeles Express of the newly-formed United States Football League (USFL), where he coached as offensive coordinator for three spring seasons. Following the demise of the league, Gilbertson returned to Idaho in 1985, and the Vandals won their first Big Sky Conference title in fourteen years.
Erickson departed for Wyoming in December,{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=dMcSAAAAIBAJ&sjid=v_kDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6696%2C79565 |newspaper=Spokane Chronicle |location=(Washington)|last=Boling |first=Dave |title=Erickson leaves Idaho for Wyoming |date=December 2, 1985 |page=C1 }} and Gilbertson was promoted to head coach of the Vandal program.{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=eMcSAAAAIBAJ&sjid=v_kDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6976%2C1272903|newspaper=Spokane Chronicle |location=(Washington) |last=Boling |first=Dave |title=Idaho passes the football to Gilbertson |date=December 6, 1985 |page=C1 }} In his three seasons in Moscow as head coach (1986–88), Gilbertson's win–loss record was {{winning percentage|28|9|record=y}}, which remains the best in UI history.{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=pXdfAAAAIBAJ&sjid=mC8MAAAAIBAJ&pg=3060%2C2401011|newspaper=Lewiston Morning Tribune |location=(Idaho) |agency=Associated Press and staff reports |title=Good-bye Gilby |date=December 24, 1988 |page=B1}} His {{winning percentage|19|4|record=y}} record in conference play was the best-ever in the Big Sky.{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=4_MtAAAAIBAJ&sjid=hNAFAAAAIBAJ&pg=3774%2C2746815 |work=Idahonian |location=(Moscow)|title=Gilbertson leaves with the Big Sky's best-ever record |date=December 22, 1988 |page=12A}}
Following consecutive conference championships and advancing to the Division I-AA semifinals, Gilbertson interviewed at UTEP in December 1988 but withdrew from consideration.{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1345&dat=19881221&id=WhhXAAAAIBAJ&sjid=6fkDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6488,745663 |newspaper=Spokane Chronicle |location=(Washington)|title=Gilbertson withdraws |last=Boling |first=Dave |date=December 21, 1988 |page=C1}} Days later, he accepted an offer to coach the offensive line in the Pac-10 at Washington in Seattle under head coach Don James and offensive coordinator Gary Pinkel.{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=7_MtAAAAIBAJ&sjid=hNAFAAAAIBAJ&pg=4187%2C3057195 |newspaper=Idahonian |location=(Moscow)|last=Meehan |first=Jim |title=Official: Gilbertson leaving Vandals to accept Husky post |date=December 24, 1988 |page=1D }}{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=nNozAAAAIBAJ&sjid=RI8DAAAAIBAJ&pg=6804%2C7768079 |newspaper=Ellensburg Daily Record |location=Washington |agency=Associated Press |title=Former Idaho coach key for Huskies |date=December 28, 1990 |page=12 }} The compensation was similar to his Idaho salary, about $55,000;{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=hLsyAAAAIBAJ&sjid=zu8DAAAAIBAJ&pg=1996%2C3267726 |work=Spokesman-Review |location=(Spokane, Washington) |agency=Associated Press |title=Gilby not spreading self at UW |date=April 19, 1989 |page=D1}} Gilbertson replaced Dan Dorazio on the UW staff.{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=5UJYAAAAIBAJ&sjid=3_kDAAAAIBAJ&pg=5439%2C952936 |work=Spokane Chronicle |location=(Washington) |title=Hobert selects UW; James fires an aide |date=November 22, 1988 |page=C1}}{{cite news |url=https://www.si.com/vault/1991/12/30/125733/mr-flexibility-because-coach-don-james-was-willing-to-make-changes-washington-is-on-the-brink-of-a-national-title |magazine=Sports Illustrated |last=Looney |first=Douglas S. |title=Mr. Flexibility |date=December 30, 1991 |page=34}} After three wins to start the 1988 season, the Huskies finished 6–5 and 3–5 in conference, with losses to the USC Trojans, the UCLA Bruins, the Oregon Ducks, the Arizona Wildcats and the Washington State Cougars. Gilbertson's three-year stint concluded with the undefeated 1991 national championship team, for which he was also offensive coordinator.
Two weeks after winning the Rose Bowl, Gilbertson became the head coach at California in January 1992.{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=RxlXAAAAIBAJ&sjid=EfoDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6482%2C1867743 |work=Spokane Chronicle |location=(Washington) |last=Curtis |first=Jake |agency=(San Francisco Chronicle) |title=Cal names Gilbertson new coach |date=January 15, 1992 |page=D1}} Despite leading Cal to a 9–4 record in 1993 with a decisive victory in the Alamo Bowl, he was dismissed after his fourth season when the 1995 Bears went 3–8. Gilbertson's overall record at Cal was {{nowrap|{{winning percentage|20|26|record=y}}.{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=3bReAAAAIBAJ&sjid=CzAMAAAAIBAJ&pg=4492%2C1601435|work=Lewiston Morning Tribune |location=(Idaho) |agency=Associated Press |title=Cal says good-bye to Gilby |date=November 21, 1995 |page=1B }}}}
After Cal, he was an assistant coach for the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League (NFL) for three seasons (1996–98) under Erickson; the last two years as tight ends coach. In 1999, he returned to the Washington Huskies as an assistant head coach under new head coach Rick Neuheisel.
Gilbertson became the head coach at Washington in 2003, following the abrupt summer dismissal of Neuheisel. His first season ended at 6–6; only a blowout loss to Cal in the next-to-last game of the season kept the Huskies out of a bowl game. The bottom fell out a year later, in which the Huskies finished 1–10. He resigned prior to the end of the season but remained the head coach through their last games; his record at Washington was {{winning percentage|7|16|record=y}} [http://www.seattlepi.com/huskies/197686_gilbertson01ww.html Gilbertson ousted as UW coach.] Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Monday, November 1, 2004 He then returned to the Seahawks as an assistant under Mike Holmgren.
Gilbertson's overall record as a collegiate head coach is {{winning percentage|55|51|record=y}}.
Head coaching record
=College=
{{CFB Yearly Record Start | type = coach | team = | conf = | bowl = | poll = both }}
{{CFB Yearly Record Subhead
| name = Idaho Vandals football
| conf = Big Sky Conference
| startyear = 1986
| endyear = 1988
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| year = 1986
| name = Idaho
| overall = 8–4
| conference = 5–2
| confstanding = T–2nd
| bowlname = NCAA Division I-AA First Round
| bowloutcome = L
| bcsbowl =
| ranking =
| ranking2 =
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
| championship = conference
| year = 1987
| name = Idaho
| overall = 9–3
| conference = 7–1
| confstanding = 1st
| bowlname = NCAA Division I-AA First Round
| bowloutcome = L
| bcsbowl =
| ranking =
| ranking2 =
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
| championship = conference
| year = 1988
| name = Idaho
| overall = 11–2
| conference = 7–1
| confstanding = 1st
| bowlname = NCAA Division I-AA Semifinal
| bowloutcome = L
| bcsbowl =
| ranking =
| ranking2 =
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Subtotal
| name = Idaho
| overall = 28–9
| confrecord = 19–4
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Subhead
| name = California Golden Bears
| conf = Pacific-10 Conference
| startyear = 1992
| endyear = 1995
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| year = 1992
| name = California
| overall = 4–7
| conference = 2–6
| confstanding = 9th
| bowlname =
| bowloutcome =
| bcsbowl =
| ranking =
| ranking2 =
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| year = 1993
| name = California
| overall = 9–4
| conference = 4–4
| confstanding = T–5th
| bowlname = Alamo
| bowloutcome = W
| bcsbowl =
| ranking = 24
| ranking2 = 25
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| year = 1994
| name = California
| overall = 4–7
| conference = 3–5
| confstanding = T–6th
| bowlname =
| bowloutcome =
| bcsbowl =
| ranking =
| ranking2 =
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| year = 1995
| name = California
| overall = 3–8
| conference = 2–6
| confstanding = T–8th
| bowlname =
| bowloutcome =
| bcsbowl =
| ranking =
| ranking2 =
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Subtotal
| name = California
| overall = 20–26
| confrecord = 11–21
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Subhead
| name = Washington Huskies
| conf = Pacific-10 Conference
| startyear = 2003
| endyear = 2004
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| year = 2003
| name = Washington
| overall = 6–6
| conference = 4–4
| confstanding = T–5th
| bowlname =
| bowloutcome =
| bcsbowl =
| ranking =
| ranking2 =
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| year = 2004
| name = Washington
| overall = 1–10
| conference = 0–8
| confstanding = 10th
| bowlname =
| bowloutcome =
| bcsbowl =
| ranking =
| ranking2 =
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Subtotal
| name = Washington
| overall = 7–16
| confrecord = 4–12
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record End
| overall = 55–51
| bowls = no
| poll = two
| polltype =
}}
References
{{Reflist}}
{{Navboxes
|list =
{{Idaho Vandals football coach navbox}}
{{California Golden Bears football coach navbox}}
{{Washington Huskies football coach navbox}}
{{1991 Washington Huskies football navbox}}
}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gilbertson, Keith}}
Category:California Golden Bears football coaches
Category:Hawaii Rainbow Warriors football players
Category:Idaho State Bengals football coaches
Category:Idaho Vandals football coaches
Category:Sportspeople from Snohomish, Washington
Category:Players of American football from Snohomish County, Washington
Category:Seattle Seahawks coaches
Category:Los Angeles Express coaches
Category:Utah State Aggies football coaches