Texas State Athletics

David Bailiff is an American college football coach who was the head coach at Rice University in Houston, Texas from 2007 to 2017. During his tenure as head coach, the Rice Owls played in four bowl games and won the 2013 Conference USA championship.
 
Bailiff played for three years as an offensive lineman and tight end for coach Jim Wacker at Southwest Texas State University in San Marcos, TX. As a senior in 1980, he was team captain.
 
After graduating in 1981, Bailiff's first coaching job was in the high school ranks in New Braunfels, TX. After three years coaching the defensive line at New Braunfels Hugh School, he left coaching and entered the private sector for four years. He returned to coaching in 1988 as a graduate assistant at Southwest Texas and was promoted the next year to a full-time position that he held until he was hired to coach the defensive line at the University of New Mexico by Lobos' head coach Dennis Franchione. In 1997, Bailiff returned to Southwest Texas as the defensive coordinator. In 2001, he was hired to serve in the same role at TCU by coach Gary Patterson. Following the 2002 season, in which the Horned Frogs’ defense, led by All-American linebacker LaMarcus McDonald, ranked 2nd in the nation, Bailiff was named the nation's Top Assistant Coach by the All American Football Foundation.
 
On February 5, 2004, Bailiff again returned to his alma mater, which by now was known as Texas State University, this time as head coach. In his first season as the Bobcats' head coach, he guided them to a 5–6 record. In 2005, they finished the regular season 9–2 and were Southland Conference Champions. They then won two games in the NCAA Division I-AA playoffs, eventually losing to Northern Iowa. In 2006, the Bobcats were again 5–6.
 
On January 19, 2007, Rice University hired Bailiff as head coach, replacing Todd Graham. In 2008, he led Rice to a 9–3 record and an appearance in the 2008 Texas Bowl—only their second bowl appearance in 47 years. The Owls won that game 38–14 for Rice's first 10-win season since 1949, and Bailiff was rewarded with a five-year contract extension. In 2012, Rice returned to bowl action with a win over Air Force in the Armed Forces Bowl. The following season, Bailiff became the first coach in Rice history to record two 10-win seasons as Rice won its first outright conference championship since 1957 by defeating Marshall 41–24 and earning a berth in the Liberty Bowl. In 2014, Bailiff led the Owls to a third consecutive bowl game as Rice defeated Fresno State 30–3 in the Hawai’i Bowl.