Michigan adds San Jose State's Jimmie Dougherty to coaching staff
San Jose State assistant head coach, passing game coordinator and wide receivers coach Jimmie Dougherty is a new assistant offensive coach for Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh, according to a source.
It’s a non-full-time assistant position coach role for Dougherty, who is reuniting with Harbaugh after the two worked together when Harbaugh was San Diego’s coach from 2004–06. Dougherty was the Toreros’s wide receivers coach in ’04, tight ends coach the following year and quarterbacks coach in Harbaugh’s final season.
The bright Dougherty was nearly hired as a full-time assistant coach at Michigan last year when Harbaugh put together his initial staff. This past season was Dougherty’s third at San Jose State. He was the program’s offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach his first two seasons and added his title of assistant head coach in 2014.
During his first season, the Spartans finished sixth in the FBS in passing offense and 15th in total offense. San Jose State’s offense set more than 45 team and individual school records combined that season.
That was after the 37-year-old Dougherty was an assistant at Washington from 2009–12. He was the Huskies’ wide receivers coach all four seasons and added passing game coordinator duties his final year. He came to Washington after he spent two more seasons at San Diego, first as passing game coordinator and quarterbacks coach before being promoted to offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach.
A Peoria, Ill., native, Dougherty got his start in coaching in 2002 at Illinois Wesleyan, where he was in charge of the secondary for two seasons. He was a quarterback at Missouri from 1997–2001.
Michigan had an impressive 10–3 record this past season in the shrewd Harbaugh’s inaugural campaign back at his alma mater. The Wolverines capped the season with a 41–7 blowout of Florida in the Citrus Bowl.
