Steve Crosby Steven Kent " Steve " Crosby ( born July 3 , 1950 ) is an American football coach and retired National Football League ( NFL ) running back . He last coached special teams for the San Diego Chargers in 2010 . Crosby was named the NFL Special Teams Coach of the Year in 2007 , and he has spent 33 years in the NFL — 3 as a player , 4 as a scout and 26 as a coach . He played for the New York Giants from 1974 – 1976 . Afterwards he scouted or coached in the NFL for the Miami Dolphins , Atlanta Falcons , Cleveland Browns , New England Patriots and the Philadelphia Eagles . He then coached college football for three years at Vanderbilt University before joining the Chargers in 2002 . College career . Crosby played college football for Fort Hays State , where he was an Associated Press Little All - American ( 1973 ) , two - time National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics ( NAIA ) All - District 10 ( 1972 – 1973 ) , and two - time All - Great Plains Athletic Conference selection ( 1972 – 1973 ) . The tailback finished his career with 2 , 780 rushing yards and 27 touchdowns while also filling in for injured teammates at quarterback and middle linebacker . Professional playing career . Crosby was selected by the New York Giants in the 17th round of the 1974 NFL Draft . He was one of the few 17th round picks to ever make an NFL team after reporting to training camp in his best ever physical condition . The 1974 NFL strike also may have helped as veterans missed training camp . Stomach and knee injuries impacted Crosby ' s first year . He played three seasons with the Giants and retired following the 1976 season after a serious knee injury . Coaching career . Crosby recovered from his injury and earned his master ' s degree . Three weeks after accepting a position to teach high school , he was offered to be a scout for the Miami Dolphins . He accepted , and later became a coach under Don Shula . The Dolphins went to Super Bowl XVII in 1982 . Crosby then coached for the Atlanta Falcons , Cleveland Browns , New England Patriots and the Philadelphia Eagles . In 1985 with the Browns , Crosby was the running backs coach that oversaw both Earnest Byner and Kevin Mack both running for 1 , 000 yards . Crosby joined the Chargers in 2002 as special teams coach under their new incoming head coach , Marty Schottenheimer . Crosby was honored as the 2007 NFL Special Teams Coach of the Year by Professional Kicking Services . His kickoff strategy with the Chargers emphasized placement of the ball — forcing the return team to one side of the field — as a tradeoff for the distance of the kick . During his Chargers tenure , four special team players were selected to the Pro Bowl including covermen Kassim Osgood ( 3 - time selection ) and Hanik Milligan , kicker Nate Kaeding ( 2 - times ) and long snapper David Binn . Additionally , punter Mike Scifres was a Pro Bowl first - alternate four times , and kick returner Darren Sproles was a first - alternate once and a second alternate twice . Kaeding , who started his NFL career under Crosby , was the NFL ’ s most accurate kicker of all - time as of the end of the 2010 season , converting 86 . 5 % of his field goals attempts . The " San Diego Union - Tribune " wrote that Crosby ' s special teams unit in 2010 was " by some measures the worst special teams season in NFL history . " The Chargers allowed touchdowns on three kickoffs and one punt , and had four punts blocked and another deflected . As of 2010 , two teams since 1994 had allowed more kickoff returns for touchdowns and five allowed as many as the Chargers . Two teams had allowed more blocked punts , and none since 1976 surrendered a punt return average higher than the Chargers ' 18 . 9 yards . Crosby was unable to get a group of inexperienced players to play at an acceptable level . Some team members said it was time for a change after listening to Crosby for nine years , and his contract was not renewed after the season .