Stephen Ambrose Sarkisian, born on March 8, 1974, in Torrance, California, is a former football player and accomplished American football coach. He is best known for his head coaching roles at top collegiate programs including the University of Washington and the University of Southern California (USC). Sarkisian played quarterback at the collegiate level and began his coaching career shortly after a brief stint in professional football. He earned a degree in sociology from Brigham Young University (BYU) in 1997.
Steve Sarkisian attended West High School in Torrance, California, where he showcased talent in both football and baseball. Although he began his collegiate athletic career in 1992 as a walk-on baseball infielder at the University of Southern California, he transferred to El Camino College in Torrance to pursue more playing opportunities. At El Camino, he played as a shortstop on the baseball team before transitioning to football.
Sarkisian began his football career at El Camino College in 1993 as a redshirt freshman quarterback. He made an immediate impact, completing 72.4% of his passes and earning Junior College All-American honors. This performance led to his recruitment by BYU, where he played under coach LaVell Edwards.
At BYU, Sarkisian played two seasons (1995–1996) and garnered All-Western Athletic Conference honors. During his senior season, he led the Cougars to a 14-1 record and a victory in the Cotton Bowl Classic against Kansas State. His performance helped solidify his reputation as a standout college quarterback.
Sarkisian's professional playing career was brief. From 1997 to 1999, he played as a quarterback for the Saskatchewan Roughriders in the Canadian Football League (CFL). Despite showing potential, his tenure was limited to three seasons, and he retired from professional football after the 1999 season.
After retiring as a player, Sarkisian returned to El Camino College in 2000 to begin his coaching career as the quarterback coach. In 2001, he joined the USC coaching staff as an offensive assistant under offensive coordinator Norm Chow. He later served as quarterbacks coach and eventually became a key figure in USC's explosive offensive units during the early 2000s.
Sarkisian took his first NFL coaching position in 2004 as the quarterbacks coach for the Oakland Raiders. He returned to USC in 2005, where he served as assistant head coach and offensive coordinator, further raising his profile in collegiate coaching.
On December 8, 2008, he was named head football coach at the University of Washington, a program struggling at the time. Under his leadership, Washington improved significantly, finishing his first season with a 5–7 record after going winless the previous year. Sarkisian continued to rebuild the program, eventually leading the team to multiple bowl game appearances.
| Birth Date: | 8 Mar, 1974 |
| Age: | 46 yrs |
| Occupations: | Coach American football player Canadian football player |
| Citizenship: | United States of America |
| Birth Place: | Torrance |
| Education: | Brigham Young University |
| Gender: | Male |
| Net Worth 2021: | 3 million |
