Coaching Career • Associate head coach Joe DeForest is in his 11th year as a member of the Oklahoma State coaching staff. He coaches the Cowboys' special teams and safeties. He coached the 2008 Ray Guy Award winner in Matt Fodge and the 2010 Lou Groza Award winner in Dan Bailey.
• With DeForest serving as special teams coordinator, the 2010 Oklahoma State kicker/punter combination of Dan Bailey and Quinn Sharp ranked as the best in the country in 2010, as Bailey won the Lou Groza Award and Sharp was a first-team All-American by the Football Writers Association of America.
• Freshman Justin Gilbert excelled in the return game under DeForest's watch in 2010, leading the Big 12 and ranking second nationally with two kickoff return touchdowns. Gilbert's 26.9 yards per kick return average ranked second in the Big 12 and 24th nationally.
• DeForest was behind seven non-offensive touchdowns in 2010, as Oklahoma State's special teams unit accounted for two kick return touchdowns, a punt return touchdown and two blocked punt returns for touchdowns and safeties Johnny Thomas and Markelle Martin both returned interceptions for touchdowns.
• Under DeForest's leadership, Oklahoma State ranked second in the Big 12 in both punt return average (13.3) and kickoff coverage (45.5 net average) in 2009. Redshirt freshman punter Quinn Sharp became a Ray Guy Award candidate and ranked second in the league in punting (45.1 yards per punt), while kicker Dan Bailey was perfect on PAT's. Perrish Cox set the Big 12 record for career kickoff return yardage and earned all-Big 12 second team honors as a kick/punt returner.
• 2008 was yet another banner year for the Oklahoma State special teams units under the guidance of DeForest. Punter Matt Fodge was the winner of the Ray Guy Award presented to the nation's top punter, punt returner Dez Bryant was the Big 12 special teams player of the year and kick returner Perrish Cox set a Big 12 record with two kick returns for touchdowns to up his career total to four kick returns for scores, a figure that at one time led all active NCAA players. Cox was a first-team All-America honoree by CBSSportsline.com and was a third-team All-America kick returner by Rivals.com.
• DeForest's 2008 punt unit ranked sixth in the nation, his punt return squad ranked second nationally and his kick return squad was 18th nationally.
• In 2007, Perrish Cox was one of only three players in the nation to return a punt and a kickoff for a touchdown. In 2006, Oklahoma State ended the year No. 8 nationally in kickoff returns, No. 27 in punt returns, and had some of the nation's standout special teams performers in return specialists Cox (No. 14 in punt returns), Grant Jones (No. 13 in kickoff returns) and punter Matt Fodge (eighth in the country). The Cowboys were also 11-of-13 in field goals in 2006. Jones and Fodge were both second-team All-Americans, and Cox was a Freshman All-American. Jones and Cox both had kickoff returns for touchdowns in 2006.
• In 2005, Daniel McLemore turned into one of the league's most feared kick returners and racked up the second-most kickoff return yards (638) in OSU history. DeForest also oversaw the development of walk-on kicker Bruce Redden into a weapon who connected on 11-of-14 field goals.
• In 2004, the Cowboys led the Big 12 and were 10th nationally in punt returns, averaging 14.7 yards per return. The Cowboys were 26th in net punting and 38th in kickoff returns.
• DeForest's impact on the Cowboys was felt immediately upon his hiring. In his first season, OSU improved in every statistical category, going from 73rd to 10th in net punting, from 67th to 12th in punt returns and from 92nd to third in kickoff returns. Chris Massey led the NCAA in kickoff returns in 2001.
• DeForest's special teams at Duke were impressive. The Blue Devils finished the 2000 season No. 6 in the nation in net punting and 15th in kickoff returns. Punter Brian Morton was second in the nation in punting, averaging 45.2 yards per kick, while two players - Kyle Moore (ninth) and Chris Douglas (45th) - ranked in the top 50 in kickoff returns.
Personal • The Titusville, Fla., native was born April 17, 1965, and was a four-year letterman at linebacker for Southwestern Louisiana (now known as Louisiana-Lafayette). He was twice named to the all-Southern and all-Louisiana independent teams and was also a two-year letterman for the baseball squad as a pitcher. He graduated from Louisiana-Lafayette with a bachelor's degree in marketing in 1987.
• DeForest played two seasons of professional football with the Houston Oilers, the New Orleans Saints and finally the Calgary Stampeders of the CFL in 1987-88. He started his coaching career as an assistant coach at Titusville High from 1988-90 before moving to Rice.
• He and his wife, Laura, have one daughter, Ashley.
