Jimmie Dougherty joined the San José State University football coaching staff in January 2013. In 2015, besides his duties as Assistant Head Coach, he is serving as the Passing Game Coordinator and Wide Receivers Coach.
Dougherty was the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach in his first two seasons with the Spartans. San Jose State’s quarterbacks combined to complete at least 60 percent of their passes in each season. The Spartans accomplished the feat in 2014 with three starting quarterbacks, each of whom exceeded 60 percent for the season. He was side-by-side with Joe Gray, who tied a Mountain West record for consecutive games passing for at least 300 yards, Blake Jurich, who completed 88.0 percent of his passes in a 2014 victory, and Mitch Ravizza, a dual-threat quarterback pressed into action when injuries sidelined Gray and Jurich.
Dougherty added the responsibilities of Assistant Head Coach in 2014. He was the mastermind behind one of the top offenses in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) in 2013. Nationally, the Spartans were sixth in passing offense, 15th in total offense and averaged 32.4 points per game.
San José State's offense set 10 single-season team school records and its players had a hand in tying or establishing more than 35 new school individual marks. Dougherty worked directly with quarterback David Fales on a passing game that gained more than 4,000 yards for the second season in a row. His success was recognized nationally as a 2013 nominee for the Broyles Award honoring the top assistant coach in the NCAA Division I FBS football.
He came to San José State after spending the 2009 through 2012 seasons coaching wide receivers at the University of Washington. In his last three seasons with the Huskies, Washington participated in the 2010 Holiday, 2011 Alamo and 2012 Maaco Las Vegas Bowls. Dougherty guided the college careers of Jermaine Kearse and Devin Aguilar, two of the top pass catchers to play at Washington. Kearse, currently with Seattle, was a starter on the Seahawks' Super Bowl XLVIII winning team. For 2012, Dougherty added the title of passing game coordinator.
The Spartans' offensive coordinator is reunited with San José State head coach Ron Caragher. The two worked together in 2007 and 2008 at the University of San Diego. In all, Dougherty coached five seasons with the Toreros. Dougherty's players included Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Josh Johnson, who completed his seventh National Football League season in 2014.
A quarterback at the University of Missouri during the 1997 through 2001 seasons, Dougherty began his coaching career at Illinois Wesleyan College in 2002 and was there two seasons coaching defensive backs.
The 2001 Missouri graduate majored in interdisciplinary studies. Dougherty earned his master's degree in sports management from Illinois State University in 2004. He and his wife, Harper, have two daughters, Collins and Ellie.
JIMMIE DOUGHERTY YEAR-BY-YEAR
| Born September 9, 1978 in Peoria, Ill. | |
| 2015 | San José State University assistant head coach/passing game coordinator/wide receivers coach |
| 2014 | San José State University assistant head coach/ offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach |
| 2013 | San José State University offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach |
| 2012 | University of Washington wide receivers coach/passing game coordinator |
| 2009-11 | University of Washington wide receivers coach/passing game coordinator |
| 2008 | University of San Diego offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach |
| 2007 | University of San Diego passing game coordinator/quarterbacks coach |
| 2006 | University of San Diego quarterbacks coach |
| 2005 | University of San Diego tight ends coach |
| 2004 | University of San Diego wide receivers coach |
| 2002-03 | Illinois Wesleyan University secondary coach |
THEY PLAYED FOR COACH DOUGHERTY
| David Fales, QB | Chaicago Bears, 1 NFL season |
| Jermaine Kearse, WR | Seattle Seahawks, 3 NFL seasons |
| Josh Johnson, QB | Cincinnati Bengals, 7 NFL seasons |
| Kevin Smith, WR | Seattle Seahawks, 1 NFL season |
| DiAndre Campbell, WR | 2015 San Francisco 49ers free agent |
| Kasen Williams, WR | 2015 Seattle Seahawks free agent |
| Mike Gasperson, WR | Played one NFL season |
| Devin Aguilar, WR | 2012 Tennessee Titans free agent |