Saturday, March 31, 2012

ELLENSBURG, Wash. -- Malik Roberson, a standout defensive lineman for two seasons at Central Washington University and a former assistant coach at three NCAA Division I schools in the Pacific Northwest, has been hired as CWU's defensive coordinator.

Roberson, 40, replaces Joe Lorig, who resigned from CWU in January to take a coaching position at Arizona State University.

"I am excited to have Malik join our staff," CWU coach Blaine Bennett said. "He has great experience from his time coaching at the Division I level, and being a Washington native, he has great connections within our state.

With his affiliation to CWU (a 2001 graduate and former Wildcat player), it's nice to bring someone back into our program who has had success both here and elsewhere."

Roberson spent the 2011 season as the defensive line coach at Portland State University of the Big Sky Conference. His stop at PSU was the third of his collegiate coaching career, which dates back to 2000 and also includes stops at Eastern Washington University (2000-07) and Washington State University (2008-10).

As the defensive line coach at Portland State last fall, Roberson helped the Vikings to a 7-4 overall finish. PSU had an improvement of nearly 100 yards per game in both rushing defense and total defense from the previous campaign. Roberson was also previously the defensive line coach for Paul Wulff at both Washington State and at Eastern Washington.

As a student-athlete, Roberson played defensive end at both CWU and at WSU. He played for the Wildcats during the 1994 and 1995 seasons and was a member of the school's NAIA Division II national championship team in 1995. Roberson led the Wildcats in tackles for losses (16) and quarterback sacks (9) as a junior in 1994.

A Spokane native, Roberson prepped at Lewis and Clark High School, where he graduated in 1989. After playing for two seasons at Washington State in 1990 and 1991, Roberson then went back to Lewis and Clark as an assistant coach for two years before resuming his playing career with the Wildcats in 1994.

Roberson, who will officially begin at CWU on Monday, Apr. 2, will be joined in Ellensburg by his wife, Ondria, and twin daughters, Madison and Makayla. The Robersons also have a 20-year-old son, Nick.