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Buzz Preston spent four seasons at Stanford during his two stints on The Farm. Preston was the running backs coach for three campaigns at Stanford (1999-2001) before returning to be the running backs coach in 2006. Preston has 27 seasons of collegiate coaching experience.
During his first three-year run on The Farm, Preston was part of two bowl teams that were also two of the best squads in Stanford history. He helped coach the Cardinal to the 1999 Pac-10 title on its way to the 2000 Rose Bowl. In 2001, Stanford put together a 9-3 record and was ranked among the Top 10 teams in the nation during the year before playing in the Seattle Bowl.
Following his three seasons at Stanford under former head coach Tyrone Willingham, Preston went with Willingham to Notre Dame for three more seasons (2002-04) to coach the running backs, helping lead the Irish to two bowl games with appearances at the Gator Bowl in 2002 and the Insight Bowl following the 2003 regular season.
Before coming to Stanford for the first time, Preston was the assistant head coach and offensive coordinator/QB coach at UNLV in 1998.
Prior to that, he coached running backs at Washington State from 1994-97. During his four-year term at Washington State, Preston was part of a coaching staff that guided the Cougars to the Pacific-10 Conference championship in 1997 and its first Rose Bowl appearance in 67 years. The Cougar offense broke the Pac-10 record for most total yards in a single season. One of Preston's pupils, Mike Black, gained 1,157 yards rushing and was named to the All-Pac-10 team. The Cougars finished 10-2 overall and were ranked ninth in the nation.
Preston also coached at his alma mater, Hawaii, from 1987-93. He had several roles during his tenure with the Rainbows, including coaching the offensive special teams, receivers and defensive backs, while also serving as the strength and conditioning coordinator. Preston's seven-year stay at Hawaii was highlighted by the first two bowl games in school history and the first Western Athletic Conference title ever for the program. In 1989, Hawaii participated in its first bowl game, losing to Michigan State in the Aloha Bowl. The Rainbows won the WAC championship in 1992 and went on to defeat Illinois in the Holiday Bowl.
Preston's first full-time coaching job came at Southern Illinois from 1984-86 when he coached receivers and the defensive backfield. During his three seasons in Carbondale, SIU's defense improved dramatically - from eighth to second in the conference - while nine of his pupils received all-conference recognition.
He was a graduate assistant at Hawaii in 1980 and 1981, a part-time coach at UH in 1982, and a graduate assistant at Washington in 1983.
During his career, Preston has also been a guest coach for the Toronto Argonauts, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Miami Dolphins and Philadelphia Eagles.
A native of Los Angeles, Preston received a Bachelor's degree in Speech from Hawaii in 1982. He was a two-year letterwinner (1978-79) with the Rainbow football team.
Preston is a 1975 graduate of Banning High School in Los Angeles. He and his wife, Audrey, have three children: Amber, Evan and Quinn.
The Preston File
| Full Name: | Albert W. (Buzz) Preston |
| Date of Birth: | November 9, 1961 |
| Hometown: | Los Angeles, CA |
| High School: | Banning |
| College: | Hawaii, 1982 (B.A., Speech) |
| Wife: | Audrey |
| Children: | Amber, Evan, Quinn |
| Playing Experience: | DB/WR, Hawaii (1978-79) |
| Recruiting Regions: | Inland Empire, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Kansas City, St. Louis |
Coaching Assignments
YEAR(S) | SCHOOL/TEAM | POSITION |
1980-82 | Hawaii | Graduate Assistant (1980-81), Part-Time (1982) |
| 1983 | Washington | Graduate Assistant |
| 1984-86 | Southern Illinois | Defensive Backs/Receivers |
| 1987-93 | Hawaii | Defensive Backs/Offensive Special Teams/Receivers/Strength and Conditioning Coordinator |
| 1994-97 | Washington State | Running Backs |
| 1998 | UNLV | Offensive Coordinator/Assistant Head Coach/Quarterbacks |
| 1999-2001 | Stanford | Running Backs |
| 2002-04 | Notre Dame | Running Backs |
| 2006 | Stanford | Running Backs |
Bowl Experience
| YEAR | BOWL | SCHOOL |
| 1989 | Aloha Bowl | Hawaii |
| 1992 | Holiday Bowl | Hawaii |
| 1994 | Alamo Bowl | Washington State |
| 1997 | Rose Bowl | Washington State |
| 2000 | Rose Bowl | Stanford |
| 2001 | Seattle Bowl | Stanford |
| 2002 | Gator Bowl | Notre Dame |
| 2004 | Insight Bowl | Notre Dame |
Prominent Players Coached
| PLAYER | POSITION | SCHOOL |
| Vince Albritton | DB | Washington |
| Vestee Jackson | CB | Washington |
| John Fields | DB | Southern Illinois |
| Mike Akul | WR | Hawaii |
| Derrick Branch | WR | Hawaii |
| Walter Murray | WR | Hawaii |
| Chris Roscoe | WR | Hawaii |
| Jeff Snyder | WR | Hawaii |
| Mike Black | RB | Washington State |
| Frank Madu | RB | Washington State |
| Brian Allen | RB | Stanford |
| Kerry Carter | RB | Stanford |
| Casey Moore | FB | Stanford |
| D.J. Fitzpatrick | K/P | Notre Dame |
| Ryan Grant | RB | Notre Dame |
| Julius Jones | RB | Notre Dame |
| Tom Lopienski | FB | Notre Dame |
| Nick Setta | K/P | Notre Dame |
| Darius Walker | RB | Notre Dame |
Last Updated: December 11, 2006