Steve Kazor

{{short description|American football scout and former coach (born 1948)}}

{{Infobox college coach

| name = Steve Kazor

| image =

| alt =

| caption =

| current_title = General manager

| current_team = Michigan Panthers

| birth_date = 1948

| birth_place = New Kensington, Pennsylvania, U.S.

| death_date =

| death_place =

| alma_mater =

| player_years1 = 1966–1969

| player_team1 = Westminster (UT)

| player_positions = Nose tackle

| coach_years1 = 1970

| coach_team1 = Westminster (UT) (assistant)

| coach_years2 = 1971–1972

| coach_team2 = Camden Military Academy (SC)

| coach_years3 = 1973

| coach_team3 = College of Emporia (assistant)

| coach_years4 = 1974

| coach_team4 = Texas–Arlington (assistant)

| coach_years5 = 1975

| coach_team5 = Colorado State (DL)

| coach_years6 = 1976

| coach_team6 = Southern Utah State (DC)

| coach_years7 = 1977–1978

| coach_team7 = Texas (DB)

| coach_years8 = 1979–1980

| coach_team8 = UTEP (LB/RC)

| coach_years9 = 1982–1992

| coach_team9 = Chicago Bears (STC/DA/TE/AHC)

| coach_years10 = 1993

| coach_team10 = Iowa Wesleyan

| coach_years11 = 1994–1996

| coach_team11 = Detroit Lions (TE/OL/ST)

| coach_years12 = 1998–1999

| coach_team12 = McPherson

| coach_years13 = 2000–2003

| coach_team13 = Wayne State (MI)

| coach_years14 = 2004–2005

| coach_team14 = DuPage

| coach_years15 = 2006

| coach_team15 = Ottawa Renegades (OL)

| admin_years1 = 1981

| admin_team1 = Dallas Cowboys (scout)

| admin_years2 = 2007–2022

| admin_team2 = St. Louis / Los Angeles Rams (scout)

| admin_years3 = 2023–present

| admin_team3 = Michigan Panthers

| overall_record = 33–40 (college)

| bowl_record =

| tournament_record =

| championships =

| awards =

| coaching_records =

}}

Steven Kazor (born 1948) is an American football executive, scout, and former coach who is the general manager for the Michigan Panthers of the United Football League (UFL). Kazor served as the head football coach at Iowa Wesleyan College (1993), McPherson College (1998–1999), and Wayne State University (2000–2003), compiling a career college football head coaching record of 33–40. He was assistant coach in the NFL with the Chicago Bears from 1982 to 1992 and the Detroit Lions from 1994 to 1996. Working under head coach Mike Ditka, Kazor was a member of the coaching staff for the 1985 Chicago Bears, champions of Super Bowl XX.

Early life and playing career

Kazor was born in 1948 in New Kensington, Pennsylvania.{{cite news |author= |title=Steve Kazor; Special Teams |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/32206829/chicago_tribune/ |newspaper=Chicago Tribune |location=Chicago, Illinois |date=January 3, 1986 |page=126 |access-date=June 3, 2019 |via=Newspapers.com {{Open access}} }}{{cite news |author= |title=Steve Kazor |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1986-09-07-8603070689-story.html |newspaper=Chicago Tribune |location=Chicago, Illinois |date=September 7, 1986 |access-date=June 26, 2019 }} A native of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, he graduated from Rancho High School in North Las Vegas, Nevada. He attended Westminster College—now known as Westminster University—in Salt Lake City, where he lettered for four years on the football team, playing as a nose tackle, and was tri-captain in his senior year.{{cite news |author= |title=Kazor Gets SUSC post |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/20746783/the_daily_spectrum/ |newspaper=The Daily Spectrum |location=St. George, Utah |date=August 13, 1976 |page=7 |access-date=June 7, 2018 |via=Newspapers.com {{Open access}} }}

Coaching career

After graduating from Westminster College, Kazor coached at Camden Military Academy in Camden, South Carolina. In 1973, he was named head football coach at the College of Emporia in Emporia, Kansas, but the school was closed in 1974.{{cite news |author= |title=Presbies |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/33278472/the_emporia_gazette/ |newspaper=Emporia Gazette |location=Emporia, Kansas |date=December 19, 1973 |page=15 |access-date=June 26, 2019 |via=Newspapers.com {{Open access}} }} Kazor spent the 1974 season at the University of Texas at Arlington as an assistant coach. The following year he was hired as defensive line coach at Colorado State University.{{cite news |author= |title=Kazor Moves |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/33278268/the_high_point_enterprise/ |newspaper=The High Point Enterprise |location=High Point, North Carolina |agency=Associated Press |date=August 15, 1975 |page=15 |access-date=June 26, 2019 |via=Newspapers.com {{Open access}} }} After working for a year at Colorado State under head coach Sark Arslanian, Kazor was hired in 1976 as the defensive coordinator at Southern Utah State College—now known as Southern Utah University—under head coach Tom Kingsford. In 1977, he moved to the University of Texas at Austin as an aide to head coach Fred Akers.{{cite news |author= |title=SUSC Seeks Grid Aide |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/33278670/the_daily_herald/ |newspaper=Daily Herald |location=Provo, Utah |date=March 31, 1977 |page=9 |access-date=June 26, 2019 |via=Newspapers.com {{Open access}} }}

Kazor was the linebackers coach at the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) in 1979 and 1980 under head coach Bill Michael before moving to the National Football League (NFL) in 1981 to work as a scout for the Dallas Cowboys. In 1982, he was hired as the special teams coach for the NFL's Chicago Bears by newly appointed head coach Mike Ditka.{{cite news |author= |title=Ex-Miner coach joins Chicago Bear's staff |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/33278880/el_paso_times/ |newspaper=El Paso Times |location=El Paso, Texas |date=May 8, 1982 |page=19 |access-date=June 26, 2019 |via=Newspapers.com {{Open access}} }} He won Super Bowl XX with the team.{{Cite web |date=1986-01-27 |title=Bears Trounce Patriots, 46-10, in Super Bowl |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1986-01-27-mn-540-story.html |access-date=2023-10-31 |website=Los Angeles Times |language=en-US}}

After 11 seasons with the Bears, Kazor returned to the college football ranks, in 1993, when he was hired as the head football coach at Iowa Wesleyan College—now known as Iowa Wesleyan University.{{cite news |author= |title=Iowa Wesleyan hires Ditka staffer |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/33278948/iowa_city_presscitizen/ |newspaper=Iowa City Press-Citizen |location=Iowa City, Iowa |date=August 2, 1993 |page=22 |access-date=June 26, 2019 |via=Newspapers.com {{Open access}} }} Kazor was the head football coach at McPherson College in McPherson, Kansas for the 1998 and 1999 seasons.{{cite news |author= |title=McPherson name Kazor as its coach |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/33283174/the_salina_journal/ |newspaper=The Salina Journal |location=Salina, Kansas |date=May 28, 1998 |page=20 |access-date=June 26, 2019 |via=Newspapers.com {{Open access}} }} His coaching record at McPherson was 12–8.{{Cite web|url=http://www.macbulldogs.com/custompages/Media%20Guides/2010%20McPherson%20College%20Football%20Media%20Guide%20(web).pdf|title=McPherson College Football Media Guide 2010|publisher=McPherson College Athletics|accessdate=November 10, 2010}} In February 2000, Kazor was named the head football coach at Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan.{{cite news |author= |title=Wayne State hires ex-Bears aide |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/33283637/chicago_tribune/ |newspaper=Chicago Tribune |location=Chicago, Illinois |date=February 13, 2000 |page=34 |access-date=June 26, 2019 |via=Newspapers.com {{Open access}} }}

Kazor was inducted into the Alle-Kiski Valley Sports Hall of Fame in 2005.{{cite news |last=Whalen |first=William |title=High school coach influenced inductee's success through college, NFL ranks |url=https://archive.triblive.com/news/high-school-coach-influenced-inductees-success-through-college-nfl-ranks/ |newspaper=TribLive |location=Tarentum, Pennsylvania |date=April 10, 2005 |access-date=August 4, 2024 }}

Head coaching record

=College=

{{CFB Yearly Record Start | type = coach | team = | conf = | bowl = | poll = NAIA }}

{{CFB Yearly Record Subhead

| name = Iowa Wesleyan Tigers

| conf = NAIA Division I independent

| startyear = 1993

| endyear = single

}}

{{CFB Yearly Record Entry

| championship =

| year = 1993

| name = Iowa Wesleyan

| overall = 8–3

| conference =

| confstanding =

| bowlname =

| bowloutcome =

| bcsbowl =

| ranking = 12

| ranking2 = no

}}

{{CFB Yearly Record Subtotal

| name = Iowa Wesleyan

| overall = 8–3

| confrecord =

}}

{{CFB Yearly Record Subhead

| name = McPherson Bulldogs

| conf = Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference

| startyear = 1998

| endyear = 1999

}}

{{CFB Yearly Record Entry

| championship =

| year = 1998

| name = McPherson

| overall = 5–5

| conference = 4–4

| confstanding = T–4th

| bowlname =

| bowloutcome =

| bcsbowl =

| ranking =

| ranking2 = no

}}

{{CFB Yearly Record Entry

| championship =

| year = 1999

| name = McPherson

| overall = 7–3

| conference = 5–3

| confstanding = T–3rd

| bowlname =

| bowloutcome =

| bcsbowl =

| ranking =

| ranking2 = no

}}

{{CFB Yearly Record Subtotal

| name = McPherson

| overall = 12–8

| confrecord = 9–7

}}

{{CFB Yearly Record Subhead

| name = Wayne State Warriors

| conf = Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

| startyear = 2000

| endyear = 2003

}}

{{CFB Yearly Record Entry

| championship =

| year = 2000

| name = Wayne State

| overall = 4–6

| conference = 4–6

| confstanding = T–8th

| bowlname =

| bowloutcome =

| bcsbowl =

| ranking =

| ranking2 = no

}}

{{CFB Yearly Record Entry

| championship =

| year = 2001

| name = Wayne State

| overall = 3–7

| conference = 3–6

| confstanding = T–7th

| bowlname =

| bowloutcome =

| bcsbowl =

| ranking =

| ranking2 = no

}}

{{CFB Yearly Record Entry

| championship =

| year = 2002

| name = Wayne State

| overall = 3–8

| conference = 3–7

| confstanding = T–9th

| bowlname =

| bowloutcome =

| bcsbowl =

| ranking =

| ranking2 = no

}}

{{CFB Yearly Record Entry

| championship =

| year = 2003

| name = Wayne State

| overall = 3–8

| conference = 2–8

| confstanding = T–11th

| bowlname =

| bowloutcome =

| bcsbowl =

| ranking =

| ranking2 = no

}}

{{CFB Yearly Record Subtotal

| name = Wayne State

| overall = 13–29

| confrecord = 12–27

}}

{{CFB Yearly Record End

| overall = 33–40

| bowls = no

| poll =

| polltype = Rankings from final NAIA Division I poll

| legend = no

}}

{{cite web |author= |title=NCAA Statistics; Coach; Steve Kazor |url=https://stats.ncaa.org/people/3494?sport_code=MFB |publisher=National Collegiate Athletic Association |access-date=December 13, 2024 }}