Gary Houser
Asst. Football Coach (1979-89)
Head Football Coach (1989-96)

Gary Houser served as a teacher and coach at Chico State for 17 years beginning in 1979 until 1996. He came to Chico to take over the defensive coordinator responsibilites and held that position for 10 years under head coaches Dick Trimmer and Mike Belloti.

When Bellotti left Chico State in 1989, Gary was the natural choice for the head coaching position. Proving quickly that his knowledge of the game was on both sides of the ball, Houser led his Cats to a #1 offensive ranking for all of Division II in his first year at the helm. Houser was instrumental in the success enjoyed by 2003 Hall of Fame inductee, Rob Tomlinson. Nearly 15 years after his last game, Tomlinson still ranks among the all-time passing leaders in Division II football history, and he can thank Houser for his development as a quarterback.

Gary was an outstanding player in his own right, earning a full scholarship to play at Oregon State. He earned First Team All-Pac 8 honors as a senior, and was chosen to play in both the Hula Bowl and the East/West Shrine game.

For all of his 17 years at Chico State, Gary was known as a player’s coach. His players and fellow coaches gained a deep and lasting feeling of respect for coach Houser. For many year, football was a great experience at Chico State and Gary helped make it so.

After leaving Chico State, Gary moved on to the business world where he enjoyed impressive success in pharmaceutical sales. But the draw of college athletics brought him back into the fold, and in 1999, he was named Director of Athletics at Shasta Junior College. Three years later, he was selected as the Dean of Public Safety, Physical Education and Athletics.

Gary and his wife Terry have been married for 35 years. They have many fond memories of their time in Chico, and Chico State Athletics will always remember Gary and his entire family.