Ashland High School coaching legend Jim Nagel joined the Southern Oregon coaching staff in the spring of 2013 as an offensive assistant.
Nagel turned the Ashland High School football program into a region and state power during a 20-year head coaching stint (1983-2002). He led the Grizzlies to 16 consecutive postseason appearances, five state championship game appearances and state titles in 1989, '91 and '98. He also served as the school's athletic director from 1991-04 before retiring to take the quarterbacks coaching job at NCAA Div. III Linfield College in McMinnville, Ore.
At Linfield Nagel helped elevate a storied football program to even greater heights, calling the Wildcats' plays from the press box as the team led all of NCAA Div. III in scoring in 2004 and 2005 and set numerous team passing records in the greatest offensive stretch in team history. Nagel coached Div. III National Player of the Year Brett Elliott, who set a national collegiate record with 61 touchdown passes as Linfield won the national championship in 2004.
After several years as offensive coordinator and nine years total in McMinnville, Nagel left Linfield following the 2012 season to return to the Rogue Valley that he has called home for the past 30 years.