Craig Naivar Position: Co-Defensive Coordinator/Safties Second Year: Hardin-Simmons--1994

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Craig Naivar is back for his second season as Rice's co-defensive coordinator as well as guiding the Owls' safeties. In his first season on South Main, Naivar was forced by injuries to constantly juggle the personnel at safety, but the one constant under his direction was junior Andrew Sendejo, who developed into an honors candidate.

Naivar joined the Rice Owls football coaching staff on January 19, 2007, following head coach David Bailiff to Rice from Texas State.

Prior to coming to Rice, he masterminded the defensive and special teams' schemes for the previous five years at Texas State and Sam Houston, schemes that annually produced league leading totals.

In addition to coordinating the Bobcats' defensive unit, Naivar was also responsible for coaching the squad's safeties. The 2005 season marked the second time Naivar had been a part of a Southland Conference championship. During his tenure in Huntsville, Sam Houston won the Southland Conference title in 2001 and reached the NCAA Division I-AA playoffs, losing in the quarterfinals to eventual national champion Montana.

In 2001, the Bearkats led the league in quarterback sacks, ranked second in turnover ratio and third in total defense. During his first season at Sam Houston while working not only on defense but with the Bearkats' special teams, the squad led the league in kickoff returns, were second in punt returns and third in sacks. The Bearkats blocked seven punts, returning five for touchdowns. The team blocked a school-record 12 kicks during the year.

Naivar also served two seasons as the special teams coordinator and defensive line coach at Southern Illinois. Naivar was a defensive graduate assistant coach at TCU during the spring of 1998 under former Texas A&M head coach Dennis Franchione. He also worked under Franchione at New Mexico in 1996 and 1997, coaching the defensive line, tight ends and wide receivers.

From 1994 to 1995, Naivar was the special teams coordinator and defensive assistant at Hardin-Simmons under Texas High School Coaches Association Hall of Honor member Jimmie Keeling.

Naivar holds both a master of sports management and a bachelor's of science degree in physical education from Hardin-Simmons. He was a four-year football letter winner at quarterback and free safety, earning all-conference honors. He played on a conference championship team which advanced to the national semifinals his senior year. He also received academic honors from Hardin-Simmons.

Naivar and his wife Michelle, also a Taylor native, have a daughter, Jordan Ashleigh (4) and a son, Gunner, (2).