Central Catholic names Charlie Landgraf head football coach

The reigning 6A state champion Rams pick one of Steve Pyne's former assistants in Landgraf, who led Marist Catholic of Eugene to the 4A final last season

Charlie Landgraf spent two years honing his football coaching acumen under Central Catholic’s Steve Pyne. 

Landgraf parlayed that experience into his first head coaching job at Marist Catholic last season, and after leading the Spartans to the OSAA Class 4A state championship game, he’ll return to Southeast Portland this year to take the reins from his former mentor. 

Central Catholic named Landgraf its football coach Wednesday afternoon. The 28-year-old takes over the reigning 6A state champions a month after Pyne resigned to take the coaching job at Union. 

“I think it’s a blessing to be at a school where the expectations are really high,” Landgraf said in a phone call Wednesday night. “That’s a credit to Coach Pyne and the standard he set.” 

Landgraf’s Spartans went 11-2 last season, winning the 4A Special District 3 title and reaching the state final, where they lost to Henley 42-28. 

Now, he’s stepping into one of the top coaching jobs in the state. Pyne took over in 2003 and built Central Catholic into a state power, accruing a 195-54 record over 21 seasons and becoming the first head coach in OSAA 6A history to win five state championships with a 49-21 victory over Tualatin in November.

“As a competitor, it’s exciting,” Landgraf said. “We’re going to work our tails off to elevate the program and create something the school is proud of. It’s a cool opportunity. The expectations are really high, but that just means we’ve got to work harder.” 

Landgraf was an all-state center as a senior at Jesuit under Ken Potter in 2013 before walking on at the University of Oregon, playing on the 2019 Pac-12 and 2020 Rose Bowl champions as a senior.

He then joined the Rams staff, coaching the offensive line and serving as the run game coordinator. He helped them win the 6A state championship in 2021 and reach the semifinals the following season.

“We are excited to welcome Coach Landgraf back to Central Catholic,” Rams athletic director Laura Jaeger said in a press release. “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 and academic excellence, along with athletic success.”

Landgraf will start his coaching role at Central Catholic on April 8, overseeing spring drills. He will teach social studies and PE/Wellness at the school starting next school year. 

Photo by Leon Neuschwander