RENO, Nev. -- Nevada football Head Coach Ken Wilson announced today, Jim Mastro, who brings 31-plus years of collegiate football coaching experience, returns to the program as the Senior Director of Administration and Operations. Mastro returns to a football program that he helped lead to two conference championships over 11 seasons as running backs coach from 2000-10.
 
During Mastro's time at Nevada under head coach Chris Ault, the Wolf Pack successfully developed the Pistol offense into one of the most potent in college football at the time. Nevada claimed a pair of Western Athletic Conference championships (2005, 2010) during his 11 seasons in Reno, while finishing in the top five in the country in both rushing and total offense during Mastro's last three years at Nevada.
 
Mastro spent 11 seasons (2000-10) as running backs coach at Nevada before moving to the Pac-12, building one of the top rushing attacks in the nation and helping develop the Pistol offense.
 
During those 11 seasons, a Wolf Pack running back led the Western Athletic Conference in rushing five times and Mastro helped five Nevada running backs produce nine 1,000-yard seasons. In 2010, Vai Taua was seventh in the nation with 123.9 yards per game while producing his third consecutive 1,000-yard campaign. In Mastro's second season at Nevada, he took a walk-on redshirt freshman, Chance Kretschmer, and developed him into the nation's leading rusher.
 
With Mastro directing running backs, Nevada led the nation with 344.9 rushing yards per game in 2009 and was third in the nation in both 2008 (277.8) and 2010 (292.2). Mastro helped Nevada develop the Pistol offense in 2005 under head coach Chris Ault, resulting in the Wolf Pack having at least one 1,000-yard rusher and a first-team All-WAC selection in each season with the exception of 2006, when Robert Hubbard finished with 996 yards.
 
In 2009, Mastro was the running backs coach for the only offense in history with three 1,000-yard rushers in the same season, when two Nevada running backs and a quarterback accomplished the feat. Also, during Mastro's tenure, the Wolf Pack set a record that still stands for career rushing yards by a tandem, eclipsing the record previously held by SMU's Eric Dickerson and Craig James. Taua and quarterback Colin Kaepernick combined to rush for 8,700 career yards, while Kaepernick also threw for 10,098 yards and 82 touchdowns during that time.
 
Mastro also served as recruiting coordinator during his time at Nevada, overseeing several top recruiting classes.
 
Mastro helped lead the Wolf Pack to seven bowl appearances and coaches seven all-conference selections including Assistant Head Coach Vai Taua, who was selected as an All-American two times (2009, 2010).
 
Mastro, who has coached in the Pac-12 Conference the past 11 seasons, joined Mario Cristobal's staff at Oregon in January 2018. The veteran coach spent the previous six seasons coaching running backs at Washington State after one year as run-game coordinator at UCLA.
 
In all, Mastro has spent 28 of his 31-year career coaching running backs. In addition to his time at Nevada, Washington State and Oregon, he coached the backfield his first five seasons at Cal Poly as well as the two seasons he spent at Idaho.
 
In four seasons at Oregon (2018-21), Mastro has developed a young group of running backs into a potent ground attack. The trio of CJ Verdell, Travis Dye and Cyrus Habibi-Likio, who were all freshmen in Mastro's first season with the Ducks, combined to rush for 4,772 yards and 47 touchdowns over the last three seasons, while adding 1,101 receiving yards and eight more TDs.
 
Verdell, along with Dye, put together back-to-back 1,000-yard rushing seasons in 2018 and 2019, becoming just the fifth Ducks' running back all time to have consecutive 1,000-yard seasons. As a freshman in 2008, Verdell rumbled for 1,018 yards and 10 touchdowns on the ground while catching 27 passes for 315 yards and two more TDs. He was the only Power 5 player in the nation with 1,000 yards rushing and 300 yards receiving. Verdell was one of just eight FBS freshmen with 1,000 yards on the ground and just the third freshman in Oregon history to accomplish the feat.
 
In Mastro's three seasons, Oregon has averaged 174.9 yards rushing per game. In 2018, the Ducks finished fourth in the Pac-12 in rushing gaining 179.38 yards per contest. In 2019, Oregon improved its Pac-12 ranking finishing second in the league in rushing while gaining 175.69 yards per game. During the shortened 2020 season, Oregon averaged 166.71 yards per game.
 
Mastro spent six season coaching running backs at Washington State (2012-17) before joining the Oregon coaching staff.
 
In his final season at WSU, Mastro led a group of running backs that surpassed both the 1,000-yard rushing (1,096) and receiving (1,073) marks for the second straight season, finishing with a combined 2,169 yards. Honorable mention All-Pac-12 Conference selection Jamal Morrow led the team with 522 rushing yards, while also hauling in 60 receptions for 506 yards and scoring nine total touchdowns.
 
Mastro spent the 2011 season as the run-game coordinator while coaching tight ends, slots and the quarterback run game at UCLA. Mastro also played a key role in the Bruins' rushing attack, which ranked third in the Pac-12 with 178.4 rushing yards per game.
 
With Idaho (1998-99), Mastro spent two seasons as running backs and special teams' coach. During his tenure with the Vandals, he helped Idaho to a Big West Championship and coached Joel Thomas, the 1998 Big West Player of the Year and Idaho's career rushing leader.
 
At San Jose State in 1996, Mastro spent one season with the Spartans serving as the team's linebackers and special teams' coach in John Ralston's final season as head coach at San Jose State.
 
Mastro started his coaching career at his alma mater, Cal Poly, in 1989 while completing his undergraduate degree. He was the running backs coach from 1989-1993 before taking over direction of the defensive line and special teams while also serving as strength coach from 1994-95. In 1990, Mastro coached Joe Fragiadakis, who finished with 1,040 yards, to the seventh-best rushing season in Mustang history at the time.
 
Mastro returns to the Wolf Pack family with his wife, Terri, who he married in 2001. They have three kids – Michael, Ronnie and Cheryl – and three grandchildren – Kaydin, Mason and Brooke.
 
COACHING CAREER

2018-21	Running Backs/Run Game Coordinator	Oregon
2012-17	Running Backs	Washington State
2011	Run-Game Coordinator/TE/Slots/QB Run Game	UCLA
2000-10	Running Backs	Nevada
1998-99	Running Backs/Special Teams	Idaho
1996	Linebackers	San Jose State
1994-95	Defensive Line/Special Teams/Strength Coach	Cal Poly
1989-93	Running Backs	Cal Poly

                                                  
CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIPS (7)
2020 Pac-12 Conference – Oregon (Running Backs/Run Game Coordinator)
2019 Pac-12 Conference – Oregon (Running Backs/Run Game Coordinator)
2019 Pac-12 North – Oregon (Running Backs/Run Game Coordinator)
2011 Pac-12 South – UCLA (Run-Game Coordinator/TE/Slots/QB Run Game)
2010 Western Athletic Conference* – Nevada (Associate Head Coach/Defensive Ends)
2005 Western Athletic Conference* – Nevada (Assistant Head Coach/Linebackers)
1998 Big West Conference – Idaho (Running Backs/Special Teams)
* Co-champions
 
BOWL GAMES (17)
2021 Fiesta Bowl – Oregon (Running Backs/Run Game Coordintor)
2020 Rose Bowl – Oregon (Running Backs/Run Game Coordinator)
2018 Redbox Bowl – Oregon (Running Backs/Run Game Coordinator)
2017 Holiday Bowl – Washington State (Running Backs)
2016 Holiday Bowl – Washington State (Running Backs)
2015 Sun Bowl – Washington State (Running Backs)
2013 New Mexico Bowl – Washington State (Running Backs)
2012 New Mexico Bowl – Nevada (Associate Head Coach/Linebackers)
2011 Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl – UCLA (Run-Game Coordinator/TE/Slots/QB Run Game)
2010 Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl – Nevada (Running Backs)
2009 Hawaii Bowl – Nevada (Running Backs)
2008 Humanitarian Bowl – Nevada (Running Backs)
2007 New Mexico Bowl – Nevada (Running Backs)
2006 MPC Computers Bowl – Nevada (Running Backs)
2005 Hawaii Bowl – Nevada (Running Backs)
1998 Humanitarian Bowl – Idaho (Running Backs/Special Teams)
 
ALL-AMERICANS COACHED
2010 RB Vai Taua -- Nevada (AP – 3rd)
2009 RB Vai Taua – Nevada (Sports Illustrated)
 
CONFERENCE PLAYERS OF THE YEAR COACHED
2005 RB B.J. Mitchell – Nevada – WAC (Offensive Player of the Year)
2001 RB Chance Kretschmer – Nevada – WAC (Freshman of the Year)
1998 RB Joel Thomas – Idaho – Big West (Co-Offensive Player of the Year)
 
ALL-CONFERENCE SELECTIONS COACHED (15)
2020 RB Travis Dye – Oregon – Pac-12 (Coaches – HM)
2019 RB CJ Verdell – Oregon – Pac-12 (AP – 2nd, Coaches 2nd)
2017 RB Jamal Morrow – Washington State – Pac-12 (Coaches – HM)
2016 RB Jamal Morrow – Washington State – Pac-12 (Coaches – HM)
2012 RB Teondray Caldwell – Washington State – Pac-12 (Coaches – HM)
2010 RB Vai Taua – Nevada – WAC (Coaches – 1st)
2009 RB Vai Taua – Nevada – WAC (Coaches – 1st)
2008 RB Vai Taua – Nevada – WAC (Coaches – 1st)
2007 RB Luke Lippincott – Nevada – WAC (Coaches – 1st)
2005 RB B.J. Mitchell – Nevada – WAC (Coaches – 1st)
2003 RB Chance Kretschmer – Nevada – WAC (Coaches – 2nd)
2001 RB Chance Kretschmer – Nevada – WAC (Coaches – 1st)
1998 RB Joel Thomas – Idaho – Big West (Coaches – 1st)
1995 DL Ryan Turner – Cal Poly – All-American West (Coaches – 1st)
1994 DL Brian Pearsall – Cal Poly – All-American West (Coaches – 1st)