Weber State University Athletics
Pupunu and Duff named WSU football assistants
2/8/2017 4:35:00 PM | Football, Touchdown Club, Touchdown Club
OGDEN - Weber State football head coach Jay Hill has announced the hiring of two new coaches to join the Wildcat program. Hill has hired former Weber State All-American Al Pupunu to coach the tight ends and Grant Duff to coach the outside linebackers.
"We are extremely excited to have Al and Grant join our coaching staff at Weber State," Hill said. "Both are very knowledgeable football coaches and will be great fits for our program."
Al Pupunu, a former Wildcat All-American and NFL player is returning home. Pupunu earned All-American honors as a player at Weber State and went on to a nine-year career in the NFL. He is a member of the Weber State Athletics Hall of Fame and the Utah Sports Hall of Fame.
Pupunu comes to Weber State after spending the last seven years as an assistant coach at the University of Idaho where he coached the tight ends.
"I'm really excited to come back and coach at Weber State," Pupunu said. "I wanted to get back closer to my family and it's also great to be able to coach at my alma mater. I had a great experience as a player at Weber State and I'm looking forward to working with coach Hill and with the talented group of players already here."
Pupunu is one of the top football players in Weber State history. After graduating from South High School in Salt Lake City, he played for two seasons at Dixie State College before coming to Weber State to play for Dave Arslanian. As a senior in 1991, Pupunu had one of the best years in Big Sky Conference history. Playing alongside Walter Payton Trophy winner Jamie Martin at quarterback, Pupunu set a Division 1-AA record with 93 receptions for 1,204 yards and 12 touchdowns, helping Weber State to an 8-4 record and a trip to the NCAA Playoffs.
At the time, the 93 receptions was an FCS record and still ranks as the most receptions in a season in Weber State history, and still ranks as the second-most ever in a season by a tight end. He is also third in WSU history in single-season receiving yards. For his efforts that season, Pupunu earned All-Big Sky honors and was named an All-American by the Associated Press, the Sports Network and the Walter Camp Foundation.
After his time at Weber State, Pupunu went on to a nine-year career in the NFL. He spent his first six seasons with the San Diego Chargers and was part of the 1994 Chargers team that went to the Super Bowl. That season he was also named the Offensive Player of the Game in the AFC Championship game.
He later played with the Kansas City Chiefs, New York Giants and Detroit Lions, in addition to another year with the Chargers. In his nine seasons in the NFL, Pupunu played in 103 career games and had 1,000 career receiving yards.
He was inducted into the Utah Sports Hall of Fame in 2004 and the Weber State Athletics Hall of Fame in 2005. He has also been presented with the Distinguished Utahn Award by former Prime Minister of England Margaret Thatcher.
Last season at Idaho, Pupunu helped lead the Vandals to a 9-4 record in 2016, including a win in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl. He began his coaching career as an intern at the University of Utah where he worked with coach Hill. He was also an assistant coach at Southern Utah for two seasons in 2008 and 2009.
A native of Tonga, Pupunu and his wife, Mindi, have five children - Miley, Kade, Brynnli, Kenna and Noah. His son Kade just singed to play football at Weber State.
"Al has been a very successful coach and recruiter at Idaho and is a great hire for us," Hill added. "I've known Al for a long time and I know how great of a coach he is. He brings playing experience as a tremendous player at Weber State and a long and successful career in the NFL. He will also provide toughness and a wealth of knowledge to our program."
Grant Duff will coach the outside linebackers for the Wildcats. He has spent the last three seasons as the Director of Operations for the Wildcat football team where he has assisted in all areas of the program including travel, budget, scheduling and organization.
"It's an honor, blessing and a dream come true for me to be a coach at Weber State," Duff said. "It's been a goal of mine to become a college football coach and I'm extremely grateful for this opportunity. We have a great group of players, coaches and administrators and I look forward to working with them in my new role."
Prior to coming to Weber State, Duff spent five years with the football program at the University of Utah where he worked closely with coach Hill. Duff joined the Ute program in 2008 and spent three seasons as an administrative assistant for the defense and special teams. He spent the 2011 and 2012 seasons as an on-field graduate assistant coach where he worked with the stud linebackers and coached the offensive scout teams.
During his time at Utah, he worked behind the scenes for four Ute bowl teams, including the 2009 Sugar Bowl victory over Alabama. He was also involved in the 2009 Poinsettia Bowl, the 2010 Las Vegas Bowl and the 2011 Sun Bowl.
Duff is a native of Blackfoot, Idaho, and graduated from BYU-Idaho in 2009 with a degree in agriculture. He earned his Master's degree in Health Promotion and Education from the University of Utah in 2013.
He and his wife Lyndi have three children: Abby, Colette and Magnus.
"Grant and I have been together for nine years and he has worked with me on offense, defense and special teams," Hill added. "He is extremely knowledgeable about football and has a great passion for the game and I know the players will see that."
Coach Hill also announced Colton Swan will now the coach the inside linebackers and will continue as the Special Teams Coordinator at Weber State. Swan is a former WSU player and is in his 13th season as an assistant coach with the Wildcats.
"We're really excited to have Colton on the defensive side of the ball," Hill said. "He has a lot of experience on defense and was the defensive coordinator here at Weber State. He has also done an outstanding job with special teams."
