Central Catholic Rams Hire Rising Star to Continue Championship Football Program

(March 20, 2024)—Central Catholic High School (Portland, Ore.) has hired Charlie Landgraf, former University of Oregon offensive lineman and Offensive Line Coach for Central Catholic from 2021 until 2023, as its new head coach of the Rams football team. Landgraf will leave his head coaching position at Marist Catholic High School in Eugene, Ore. to re-join the Rams.

“I could not be more excited to re-join the Central Catholic community as a teacher and head football coach and I am grateful to Central Catholic’s leadership team for the opportunity to lead this championship program,” said Landgraf. “I can’t wait to get back on campus and continue to build a program that the Central Catholic community can be proud of. Working together with the dedicated and experienced coaching staff at Central Catholic, I will bring a strong focus on developing our players into leaders inside and outside of the classroom, on the field, and out in the community.”

As Marist Head Coach he led the team to a #2 ranking in OSAA 4A football, with an overall record in the 2023-24 season of 11-2; 6-0 in league play; in addition the team won the League Championship and was the 4A State Runner-up. His team had one of the 10 highest  cumulative team GPAs in the state for football this year; 19 players earned all-league honors, and seven all-state players.

As the Offensive Line Coach/Run Game Coordinator at Central Catholic he helped lead the Rams to a 14-0 season and the 6A State Championship title in 2021. In partnership with Head Coach Steve Pyne and the rest of the coaching staff, Landgraf installed and implemented new techniques and schemes on the offensive line to maximize offensive efficiency in the run game, leading to an offensive line that paved the way for over 2,000 rushing yards during the 2021 season.

“We are excited to welcome Coach Landgraf back to Central Catholic. He has the skills, charisma, and experience to lead our football program, continuing our long tradition of ensuring a team culture focused on developing moral character and faith, teamwork, leadership, academic excellence, along with athletic success,” said Central Catholic Athletic Director Laura Jaeger. “Charlie’s emphasis on commitment, mental toughness, and respect are traits we value and which we have seen him model in his coaching and teaching career. He walks the talk, and his passion for coaching is evident both on and off the field.”

Landgraf was a standout offensive lineman at Jesuit High School before walking on at the University of Oregon, where he was part of the team that won both the 2019 Pac-12 Championship and the Rose Bowl as a senior.

Marcus Arroyo, Offensive Coordinator at Arizona State University, coached Landgraf at the University of Oregon for three years as his Offensive Coordinator, and said this of him, “Charlie knows that building a strong culture internally is vital in laying and sustaining a successful scholastic environment. He is well aware that the common denominator of this all is his attitude and work ethic; he doesn’t expect things to be easy and will work tirelessly for his players, staff and school. His connections with his community and the college football community give his future student athletes a huge upper-hand when it comes to their life after football, or at the next level.”

Landgraf will begin in his coaching role on April 8, when spring training resumes for Central Catholic’s football program; he will begin as a combination of social studies and PE/Wellness teacher in the 2024-25 school year.

A meet and greet for players, coaches, teachers and staff, families, and local media will take place after Spring Break and the Easter holiday at a date and time to be announced on or after April 2, 2024. New Coach Landgraf, exiting Coach Pyne, and Athletic Director Laura Jaeger will all be on hand to answer questions.