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The University of Utah Athletics
Ute Football Staff Adds New Receivers Coach
2/19/2002 12:00 AM | Football
Feb. 19, 2002
SALT LAKE CITY -
University of Utah head football coach Ron McBride has hired Derek Mason as his new wide receivers coach. Mason, who previously coached at Weber State and Idaho State, has spent the last three years at Bucknell. He fills an opening on McBride's staff created by the departure of defensive ends coach Steve Kaufusi. The hire allows second-year Ute assistant Vincent White to concentrate on coaching the running backs, after dividing his time between the running backs and wide receivers last fall.
"I interviewed three good candidates and Derek was by far the best fit for our program's needs," says McBride. "He is enthusiastic, upbeat and smart. He has a solid background of coaching wide receivers and he's lived in Utah before. We expect Derek to be a great addition to our program."
Mason coached the Bucknell wide receivers in 1999 and 2000 before moving to the secondary. As receivers coach, he tutored freshman Jim Horan, whose 31 pass receptions in 1999 set a new Bucknell freshman record. Last fall, as the secondary coach, Mason worked for one of the best defenses in Division I-AA. The Bisons finished fifth in the nation in total defense and 18th in pass efficiency defense. Cornerback Reed Tunison was a first-team all-Patriot League defender.
Mason began his coaching career as a high school defensive coordinator in 1993, before moving on to Mesa Community College in 1994. At Mesa, he coached Daniel Jones, a unanimous first-team junior college All-American who would become an all-conference receiver for Utah as a senior in 1998.
From 1995-96, Mason coached the wide receivers at Weber State. Among those was 1995 first-team All-American Pokey Eckford. In 1996, he coached three of the Big Sky Conference's top receivers in total number of catches. His next stop was Idaho State, where he coached the running backs and worked with the special teams from 1997-98. He joined the Bucknell staff in 1999. Mason has also served two NFL internships-with St. Louis in 1996 and the New York Giants in 2000.
He did his undergraduate work at Northern Arizona, where he was a four-year letterman and two-year starting defensive back. He also ran track at NAU. He graduated with a bachelor's degree in criminal justice from NAU in 1992.
The 32-year-old Phoenix, Ariz., native and his wife Leighanne have two daughters: Makenzie and Sydney. Leighanne was the leader of the Spirit Squad at Weber State when Mason coached there.
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