The legend of Napoleon Kaufman continues as the former California prep star, University of Washington standout, and Oakland Raiders running back has been hired as head coach of the Dublin High School football team in California.
He will replace Brandon Black, who became head coach of Granada High School (Livermore, Calif.) earlier this month.
Kaupman has a track record of high school dominance. As a teenager, he broke 1,000 rushing yards as a sophomore, got 2,953 all-purpose yards and 39 touchdowns as a junior, and as a senior, rushed for 1,960 yards and 34 touchdowns despite injuries as he led Lompoc High School to a CIF state championship, according to the Dublin Gaels website. The USA TODAY First Team All-American was also a track star, winning CIF titles in the 100- and 200-meter races.
At Washington from 1991-94, he became the lead back as a sophomore, breaking 1,000 yards in each of his final three seasons and averaging 1,345 rushing yards and 23.5 rushing touchdowns over his junior and senior seasons, still standing as one of just three Huskies running backs to rush for 1,000 yards in three straight seasons. Kaufman was a first-round draft pick by the Raiders, where he spent six seasons and rushed for about 4,800 yards.
According to the Gaels site, Kaufman coached his sons in the Pleasanton Junior Football League for almost a decade and then became their head coach at Bishop O’Dowd (Oakland, Calif.) in 2014. He spent six years as head coach of the program, winning a championship in 2016 and recording a record of 51-25 overall during his tenure.
According to the Mercury News, Kaufman has been a pastor at a nearby church for the Last Four Years.
Now he’s back on the sideline, taking over for the Dublin team that went 25-21 over five years with Black as the head coach. After going 6-4 in 2022, the Gaels went 5-5 in 2023.
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