Football
- Title:
- Wide Receivers Coach
- Email:
- jconway3@tulane.edu
- Hometown:
- Knoxville, Iowa
| PROFILE Hometown: Knoxville, Iowa Wife: Jolene Children: Callie, Patsy and Bobbi EDUCATION Bachelor’s – Northwest Missouri State, 1981 PLAYING EXPERIENCE 1978-81, Northwest Missouri State - Football COACHING EXPERIENCE 1984, Northwest Missouri State (Asst.) 1984-85, Sam Houston State (WR) 1986-89, Lamar (QB/WR) 1990, North Shore High School (Texas) (OC) 1991-92, Missouri Western State (OC) 1993-96, Blinn College (OC) 1997, Blinn College (HC) 1998-99, New Mexico (TE) 2000-01, New Mexico (RB) 2002-03, New Mexico (WR) 2004-09, Central Missouri (WR) 2010-11, Sam Houston State (WR) 2012-15, Texas State (OC/TE/RB) 2016-Present, Tulane (WR) POSTSEASON EXPERIENCE (9) 2020 Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl - Tulane 2018 AutoNation Cure Bowl - Tulane 2011 NCAA Playoffs Sam - Houston State 2010 NCAA Playoffs Sam - Houston State 2003 Las Vegas Bowl - New Mexico 2002 Las Vegas Bowl - New Mexico 1996 Mineral Water Bowl (NJCAA) - Blinn College 1995 Texas JUCO Shrine Bowl (NJCAA) - Blinn College 1994 Mineral Water Bowl (NJCAA) - Blinn College |
Jeff Conway is in his sixth season as the wide receivers coach for the Green Wave in 2021.
Throughout his career, Conway has been a part of eight bowl games and five conference championships.
The 2020 season saw the emergence of Duece Watts and Jha’Quan Jackson, as the two combined for 14 touchdown receptions under Conway’s leadership. Watts led the team in receiving yards 512, while Jackson paced the team with eight touchdown receptions.
In 2019, Tulane’s receivers closed the year with 111 receptions, 1,591 yards and 12 touchdowns. Conway coached Darnell Mooney all four years of his career. Mooney finished fifth in program history in career receiving yards at 2,572. He was selected in the fifth round of the 2020 NFL Draft by the Chicago Bears.
In 2018, Conway’s receivers finished the year with 120 receptions, 2,135 yards and 15 touchdowns. Under Conway’s watchful eye, wide receivers Darnell Mooney and Terren Encalade both posted single-season career highs in receptions and played major roles in the Green Wave’s offensive attack.
Mooney led the team with 993 yards receiving and eight touchdowns. His 20.7 yards per reception led the American Athletic Conference and ranked sixth nationally. Mooney would go on to earn All-AAC honors from Phil Steele Magazine.
During the 2017 campaign, Conway’s receivers accounted for 103 receptions, 1,602 yards and eight touchdowns. In his first season at Tulane, the Green Wave had 14 different players haul in a catch with four of them grabbing touchdown catches.
Conway and head coach Willie Fritz have a storied history together that dates back to 1984 when both were in their first stints at Sam Houston State. Since then, the two have worked together at Blinn Junior College, Central Missouri, a second time at Sam Houston State and have reunited at Tulane for the fifth time over the last 30-plus years.
Prior to Tulane, Conway spent four seasons as the co-offensive coordinator, running backs and tight ends coach at Texas State under head coach Dennis Franchione.
Conway coached one of the top running backs in the Sun Belt Conference (SBC) when Robert Lowe, who finished the 2015 season rushing for 915 yards and seven touchdowns on 175 carries despite missing the final game and sitting out most of the previous game with an injury. Lowe also caught 18 passes for 145 yards and three TDs out of the backfield.
In 2014, Conway produced two of the top 10 rushing leaders in the Sun Belt, including Lowe, who went on to earn Phil Steele and College Sports Madness honors. He also was an All-SBC Third-Team selection after he became the first Bobcat since 2009 to rush over 1,000 yards after he ranked fifth among league leaders with 1,091 yards and 12 touchdowns on 185 carries. Terrence Franks also ranked 10th among SBC rushing leaders with 712 yards and eight touchdowns on 107 carries.
In 2013, Lowe earned All-SBC Second-Team honors after he ranked second among the league leaders with 945 yards and nine touchdowns on 164 carries. Chris Nutall also gained 477 yards and scored six TDs on 83 carries to rank 10th among league leaders. In his first season at Texas State, Conway tutored Second-Team All-Western Athletic Conference tight end Chase Harper, who finished the season second among Bobcat reception leaders with 28 catches for 315 catches and three touchdowns. In addition, running back Marcus Curry was an Honorable Mention All-WAC selection after leading the Bobcats in rushing with 685 yards and 10 touchdowns on 113 carries in 2012.
He also coached kickoff returns on special teams and produced two of the top kick returners in the nation in 2012 and 2013. In 2013, record-setting Brandon Smith ranked fifth nationally after averaging 29.9 yards per return and tied a NCAA record when he returned two kickoffs for touchdowns in the same game at UL-Lafayette.
In 2012, Jafus Gaines led the WAC in kickoff returns and ranked 10th nationally with 28.9 yards per return. Conway came to Texas State after serving as the assistant head coach and wide receivers coach at Sam Houston State during the two previous seasons when the Bearkats posted a combined record of 20-6.
Prior to his arrival at Texas State, Conway spent two seasons at Sam Houston State where he helped guide the Bearkats to a 14-1 record, a trip to the Division I Football Championship Subdivision Final and a No. 2 national ranking. The Bearkats also won the Southland Conference with a 7-0 league record. One of his receivers at Sam Houston State was 2011 SLC Offensive Player of the Year Richard Sincere, who caught 25 passes for 449 yards and rushed 120 times for 965 yards and nine touchdowns when lining up behind center in the “Wild Bearkat” formation.
Conway went to Sam Houston State after serving as the associate head coach and wide receivers coach at Central Missouri for six seasons. During that span, the Mules compiled a 41-24 record, including an 8-3 mark in 2009. Central Missouri also had four seven-win campaigns in 2004, 2005, 2007 and 2008.
He also worked six seasons as a special teams and recruiting coordinator at the New Mexico, where he began his tenure coaching tight ends in 1998-99, running backs in 2000-01 and wide receivers from 2002-03. During the 2001 season as running backs coach, New Mexico enjoyed its best season in four years as the Lobos averaged 191 yards per game and produced NFL Draft selection, Jarrod Baxter.
Conway went to New Mexico from Blinn College, where he was a first-year head coach in 1997 and led the Buccaneers to an 8-3 record and a No. 14 national ranking.
He was named head coach after serving as the offensive coordinator for four seasons when Blinn posted a 47-8-1 record, won 26 consecutive games and won back-to-back national championships in 1995 and 1996.
Conway also served as the offensive coordinator at Missouri Western State in 1991 and 1992 after serving in the same capacity at Houston’s North Shore High School in 1990. He began his coaching career as an assistant at his alma mater, Northwest Missouri State in the spring of 1984 before moving to Sam Houston State as a wide receivers coach in 1984-85. The Bearkats finished 8-3 both seasons and won a Gulf Star Conference championship. He also served as a quarterbacks and receivers coach at Lamar from 1986-89. Conway is a 1981 graduate of Northwest Missouri State where he earned his bachelor’s degree in finance and played football as a free safety from 1978 to 1981. He was named an All-Conference selection as a senior.
A native of Knoxville, Iowa, Conway and his wife, Jolene, have three daughters: Callie, Patsy and Bobbi.
