Sport(s) | Football |
---|---|
Biographical details | |
Born |
Baton Rouge, Louisiana |
July 15, 1923
Died | December 28, 1997 Everett, Washington |
(aged 74)
Playing career | |
1941–1942 | LSU |
Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
1955–1956 | Mater Dei HS (CA) |
1957–1961 | Orange Coast College |
1962–1964 | Idaho (assistant) |
1965–1967 | Idaho |
Head coaching record | |
Overall | 13–17 (college) |
Accomplishments and honors | |
Championships | |
1 Big Sky (1965) |
Steve Musseau | |
---|---|
Allegiance | United States |
Service/branch | U.S. Army |
Years of service | 1943–1945 |
Unit | Airborne infantry |
Battles/wars | World War II |
Stephen Joseph "Steve" Musseau, Jr. (July 15, 1923 – December 28, 1997) was an American college football coach, the head coach at the University of Idaho for three seasons, from 1965 to 1967. Following coaching, he was a motivational speaker and mental performance teacher.
Born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Musseau played football at LSU until interrupted by World War II. While serving as a paratrooper in the U.S. Army, he incurred a badly fractured leg that ended his football career, but led him to his future wife, a nurse he met while recuperating. He returned to LSU to finish his degree, changing from engineering to pre-dental to education.
A high school head coach in Louisiana and California, Musseau was at Mater Dei High School for two seasons, then moved to the junior college level in 1957. He was the head coach at Orange Coast College for five years when named to the staff at Idaho in 1962 by new head coach Dee Andros. Three years later, Andros left for Oregon State in 1965 with several assistants and offered him an assistant coaching position in Corvallis as well; Musseau was named head coach at Idaho within two days.
Musseau's 1965 Vandals, with fullback Thunder Ray McDonald, won the Battle of the Palouse over neighbor Washington State for the second straight year, this time on the road in Pullman, and finished at 5–5.
Although Idaho was a charter member was the Big Sky Conference in 1963, it had only played one conference game in football in the first two seasons, a previously scheduled game against Idaho State. Idaho was a "university division" program and a longtime member of the defunct PCC, while the other four football-playing members of the Big Sky were "college division" (Division II). Under Andros, Idaho viewed the six-team Big Sky as an answer to its basketball scheduling problems, as well as other sports, but had desired to continue as an independent at the top level in football.