Crusader Football Camp
Camp Staff
Bob Muckian
Assistant Head Coach/Offensive Coordinator/Recruiting Coordinator
Bob Muckian joined the Valparaiso University coaching staff as the assistant head coach and offensive coordinator for the Crusader program in late January 2010. Muckian also assumed the role of recruiting coordinator for the Brown and Gold.
Three of Muckian’s offensive players garnered Honorable Mention All-Pioneer Football League honors in his first season on the sidelines with the Crusaders.
Muckian spent 2009 as the offensive coordinator at Ohio Dominican University in Columbus, Ohio, where he helped guide an offense that ranked 11th nationally in NAIA tallying 443 yards per game and was 18th in the country scoring 34.7 points per game.
In 2008, Muckian served as the offensive coordinator and offensive line coach at Assumption College in Worcester, Mass., where he led the Greyhounds to a single season record for completion percentage.
Prior to Assumption, Muckian was the wide receivers coach at Bowdoin College in 2007, after spending five seasons on the coaching staff at Columbia University. He began his coaching career in 1997 at Elmhurst College before joining Tri-State University. He then moved on to Columbia.
Muckian is a 1997 graduate of Valparaiso where he lettered two seasons for the Crusaders. He earned his Bachelor of Science degree in business administration with a double concentration in finance and economics.
Robert Lee
Defensive Coordinator
Robert Lee takes over as the defensive coordinator on the Crusader coaching staff heading into the 2011 season. He joined the Valparaiso University coaching staff in the summer of 2009 as the Crusaders’ special teams coordinator, and also worked directly with Valpo’s defensive line in 2010. Lee worked with linebackers in his first season with the Brown and Gold.
The Crusaders’ special teams saw a school record broken under Lee’s tutelage in 2010. Greg Wood broke a 57-year old mark for punting average in a single season by a yard-and-a-half, on his way to earning First Team All-Pioneer Football League honors.
In addition, two of Lee’s defensive linemen earned Honorable Mention All-PFL honors in 2010.
Lee arrived at Valpo after spending five seasons as the defensive line coach at Eastern Michigan University. With the Eagles, he helped develop Jason Jones, a second round draft choice (No. 54 overall) of the Tennessee Titans. Jones was a First Team All Mid-American Conference selection who was selected to play the 2008 Senior Bowl All-Star game.
At Eastern Michigan, Lee also coached the kickoff return team and was the program’s community service coordinator.
Prior to heading to EMU, Lee was at Butler University from 1994 through 2004. He served as the Bulldogs’ special teams coordinator and defensive line coach for three seasons, and was the junior varsity head coach from 1994 to 1997. He helped Butler win a conference championship in 1994 and then helped the team post its first winning season as an NCAA Division I-AA non-scholarship program in 1997. He coached a First Team All-Conference defensive lineman in each of his first five seasons as a full-time coach with the Bulldogs.
While at Butler, Lee was awarded a summer internship with the Chicago Bears in 2001 where he learned from and assisted the defensive line coach during preseason training camp.
Before arriving at Butler, Lee was the defensive coordinator at Centennial High School in Corona, Calif., for the 1990-1992 seasons.
Originally from Gary, Ind., Lee played football for two years at Illinois State University before a knee injury ended his playing career. As a prep, he was an All-Conference lineman at Gary West Side High School. Lee transferred to IUPUI where he earned his bachelor’s degree in supervision in 1990. He went on to earn a master’s degree in management from National University in San Diego, Calif.
Lee and his wife, La’Tanza, have two children, Robert IV and Rachel.
Marcus Knight
Assistant Coach
Marcus Knight joined the Valparaiso football staff prior to the 2008 season and coaches the wide receivers for the Crusaders.
In his first season with the Brown and Gold, he helped a redshirt freshman receiver garner Honorable Mention All-Pioneer Football League honors as a rookie. One year later, he helped a youthful receiving corps improve considerably, using mainly sophomores, and in 2010 he again produced an Honorable Mention All-PFL performer.
Playing for the Oakland Raiders from 2000 to 2002, Knight was the starting kick returner for the team that faced Tampa Bay in Super Bowl XXXVII. In 2002, he averaged 24.3 yards per return with a long of 65 yards for the Raiders.
He also played for the Amsterdam Admirals for one season in NFL Europe before signing with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for one season. From 2005 to 2007, Knight played in the Arena Football League for both the Philadelphia Soul and the Columbus Destroyers.
In the spring of 2007, Knight served as the wide receivers coach for Grenada High School in California.
Knight played collegiately for the University of Michigan. He was a member of the Wolverines national championship team in 1997 that played in the Rose Bowl.
While at Michigan, he earned Second Team All-Big Ten honors as a senior as voted upon by the media while leading the team in yards per catch (20.4) in 1999. A four-year letterman, Knight started 23 career games and finished tied for 11th all-time at Michigan in career receiving yards (1,508) and 13th in career receptions (88).
Knight completed his bachelor’s degree with a focus on history, Afro-American studies, and psychology from Michigan in December of 2007. He earned his master’s degree in sports administration at Valparaiso in 2010.
Kyle Conner
Special Teams Coordinator
Kyle Conner begins his first season at Valparaiso University taking over as the Crusaders’ special teams coordinator. He will also work with the secondary on a daily basis.
Conner spent five seasons at Indiana University, the last four as the Hoosiers' tight ends coach. He also worked with the tackles in 2010 after assisting with the offensive line in 2009. Conner spent the 2006 campaign, his first with Indiana, in charge of quality control for the offensive staff, before earning a promotion to assistant coach prior to the 2007 season.
Two of the players Conner worked with were either drafted or signed an NFL free-agent deal following the 2009 campaign. Left tackle Rodger Saffold was selected with the first pick in the second round of the 2010 NFL Draft by the St. Louis Rams. He became Indiana's highest draft pick since defensive end Nathan Davis (32nd pick, 1997). Tight end Troy Wagner signed a free-agent deal with the Cleveland Browns in April.
Saffold earned second team All-Big Ten honors from the conference media following the campaign, the first All-Big Ten Hoosier offensive lineman since Enoch Demar (second team, 2002). He also participated in the 2010 NFL Scouting Combine and in the 2010 East-West Shrine Game.
The tight ends were also a crucial part of the Hoosier rushing attack. In 2008, Indiana broke the 2,000-yard rushing mark for the second straight year, the first time since 2000 and 2001 an IU team produced back-to-back 2,000-yard rushing seasons. The Hoosiers averaged 4.5 yards per carry and carded 19 rushing scores, their best numbers since 2001 (5.5, 33). Indiana rushed for over 250 yards four times with a season-best 297 yards in the season-opening win over Western Kentucky.
Conner went to Indiana following nearly a decade at Butler University. He spent the 2005 season as the co-offensive coordinator after serving as tight ends coach in 2002 and the wide receivers coach in 2003 and 2004.
A two-time All-Pioneer Football League wide receiver with the Bulldogs (1999-2000), Conner finished his career third on Butler's all-time pass receptions list (124). He owned the second-highest single-season receptions total (63 in 2000) in Bulldogs history and the third-highest single-season receiving yardage total (876 in 2000). He set a Butler single-game record with 260 yards against San Diego as a senior, and he finished his career with Butler's fourth-highest all-time receiving yardage total (1,801).
Conner earned a bachelor's degree in elementary education from Butler in 2001. Kyle and his wife, Angela, have three children.
Rob Hanson
Assistant Coach
Rob Hanson returned to the sidelines for the Valparaiso Crusaders for the 2006 season after a year’s hiatus. The Valpo defensive line coach was an integral part of the Crusader coaching staff from 1996 to 2004 prior to taking a year off from football in 2005. For the 2010 season, he moved to the other side of the football and assisted with the offensive line, but returns to coaching the defensive line in 2011.
The 2010 squad saw two offensive linemen earn Honorable Mention All-Pioneer Football League honors under Hanson’s watch.
Hanson’s defensive line was the front line on a pass defense that finished 11th in the nation in 2008. Two of the defensive linemen went on the earn Honorable Mention All-PFL honors during the year as well. One year later, in 2009, another defensive lineman earned Honorable Mention All-PFL accolades, while another earned Academic All-America honors.
In 2007, Hanson’s defensive line accounted for nearly 50 tackles for loss, including approximately 75 percent of the Crusaders’ 30 sacks on the season. Valpo’s 2.73 quarterback sacks per contest ranked 12th among all NCAA Division I-FCS schools during the season.
One of Hanson’s defensive linemen, Andrew Mack, earned Second Team All-Pioneer Football League honors in 2007, one year after Jimmy Riker earned First Team accolades at the same position.
Hanson spent the final eight years of his first stay with the Brown and Gold as the defensive line coach after tutoring linebackers in his first season. During Valpo’s run to the 2003 Pioneer Football League championship, Hanson’s defensive line recorded 16 of the team’s league-leading 28 sacks. The defensive line also played a significant role in the 2000 PFL championship season, recording 24.5 of Valpo’s 40 sacks. Hanson was instrumental in tutoring three-time First Team All-PFL selection Ric Edgcomb from 1998 to 2001.
Prior to arriving at Valparaiso, Hanson was the head football coach at Highland High School in Highland, Ind., for three years. Before Highland, Hanson served as head football coach at Gavit High School in Hammond, Ind., beginning in 1987. He was a two-time Lake Athletic Conference Coach of the Year, after guiding Gavit to two league championships. Before enjoying success at Gavit, Hanson was the defensive coordinator at Wawasee High School, under head coach Myron Dickerson for four years, helping lead the Warriors to a state runner-up finish.
Hanson also had previous collegiate coaching experience, having served as a part-time offensive line coach at Western Michigan University and two years at Ball State University as a graduate assistant, where he coached the defensive line and the linebackers. As a player, Hanson lettered as an offensive tackle at Ball State.
Hanson earned his Bachelor of Science and Master of Arts degrees from Ball State in 1976 and 1980, respectively, in physical education. Hanson and his wife, Linda, have four grown children, Molly, Melissa, Michael, and Mitch.
Trevor Jaskiw
Assistant Coach
Trevor Jaskiw joined the Crusader coaching staff prior to the 2008 season and spent two seasons as a student assistant. Prior to the 2010 season, Jaskiw was promoted to the offensive graduate assistant where he coaches the Brown and Gold’s tight ends and assists with the slot receivers.
A member of the Valpo roster from 2005 to 2007, Jaskiw was a two-year letter winner for the Crusaders. During his stint on the field, Jaskiw served as a receiver, punt returner, and kick returner until an injury cut short his playing career in the 2007 season.
Jaskiw’s longest reception as a Crusader was a 68-yard touchdown grab at Saint Joseph’s (Ind.), a game he was named the team’s Offensive Player of the Week. In 2006, Jaskiw led the team averaging 20.5 yards per catch. As a freshman, Jaskiw was named Valpo’s Scout Team Player of the Week twice, while sitting out the season as a redshirt.
Jaskiw graduated from Valparaiso in 2009 with a degree in psychology and is now pursuing his master’s degree in clinical mental health counseling.
Rob Jacobi
Assistant Coach
Rob Jacobi joined the Valparaiso University coaching staff prior to the 2011 season. He will serve as the Crusaders’ running backs coach for the upcoming season.
Jacobi spent six seasons at Concordia University (Wis.), where he was the school’s special teams coordinator from 2008-2010. He also was the offensive line coach in 2010 after previously serving as the inside linebackers coach and cornerbacks coach. During each season with the Falcons, he tutored student-athletes that went on to earn All-Northern Athletics Conference honors.
He began his collegiate playing career at Northern Michigan University prior to transferring to Concordia to conclude his eligibility.
Jacobi is a 2007 graduate of Concordia with a bachelor’s degree in psychology.
Steven Donovan
Assistant Coach
Steve Donovan joined the Valparaiso University coaching staff prior to the 2011 season. He will serve as the defensive graduate assistant and will be working with the defensive line.
Prior to joining Valpo, Donovan spent one year coaching the defensive line at his alma matter, Benedictine University, where the Eagles posted an 8-3 overall mark, including a perfect 7-0 record in the Northern Athletics Conference on the way to a league crown. Benedictine qualified for the NCAA Division III national championships in his one season on the sidelines.
Donovan was a four-year letter winner and a two-year starter for the Eagles. In his junior and senior season he recorded 85 tackles, including 17 tackles for loss, and had six quarterback sacks, four forced fumbles, and one interception.
A 2010 graduate of Benedictine with a bachelor’s degree in business administration, Donovan had a concentration in management and organizational behavior. He is currently enrolled in the masters of sports administration program at Valparaiso University.
