With a long, vast association with football in the region, Jay Dumas joined the Eastern program as wide receivers coach in 2017 and owns the distinction of being a high school coach for EWU’s record-breaking sensation Cooper Kupp and his younger brother Ketner Kupp.
In 2017, Eastern was eighth in FCS in passing (320.5 per game) and fifth in total offense (476.7), and was also 14th in scoring (34.5) and 11th in third down conversions (46.1 percent). Eastern’s offensive line allowed only 22 sacks in 11 games in 2017, as EWU set a school record for passing yards with 545 in a 48-41 win at Montana. Quarterback Gage Gubrud had individual records of 549 yards passing and 560 yards of total offense in that game.
A pair of his receivers earned All-Big Sky Conference honors in 2017 under Dumas. Nic Sblendorio earned second team honors and Nsimba Webster was a third team pick after they combined for 131 catches and 1,736 yards. Sblendorio was 13th in FCS with an average of 6.5 catches per game (72 total) and 25th in yards (82.9 per game, total of 912), while Webster was 36th in receptions (5.4, total of 59) and 68th in yards (63.0, total of 693).
A 1999 graduate of Washington State, Dumas most recently was a wide receivers coach at Central Washington from 2014-16 under head coach Ian Shoemaker. Among the players he coached there was NCAA Division II All-America Jesse Zalk, who played for the Wildcats from 2014-16. Dumas also coached returners and assisted with summer camps.
Sharing a common thread with several past and present Eagle coaches as a graduate of Curtis High School in Tacoma, Wash., his other collegiate coaching stops have included Montana State and Western Washington.
From 2007-14, Dumas was the offensive coordinator at Davis High School in Yakima where he helped the offense for the Pirates set numerous school records. One of the All-State players he coached was eventual EWU legend Cooper Kupp, who as a senior in 2011 had 60 receptions for 1,059 yards (17.7 per catch) and 18 touchdowns, and scored 22 total touchdowns to set a school record. The eventual Los Angeles Ram also had 11 rushes for 122 yards and two touchdowns as Davis came one game away from a berth in the State 4A Playoffs. Davis finished 6-4 for the second straight year, giving the program back-to-back winning seasons for the first time since 1968-69. Ketner Kupp graduated from Davis in 2015 and will be a senior linebacker for the Eagles in 2018.
Dumas was the running backs and wide receivers coach at Montana State between 2003-06. During his time with the Bobcats, they won the Big Sky Conference title in 2003 and 2005, making the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision Playoffs both of those years. The Bobcats also advanced to the playoffs in 2006.
From 1999-2002, he coached at Western Washington University, which dropped its football program following the 2008 season. He coached tight ends and running backs at Western, and also assisted with team study table and summer camps. It was at Western where he met Shoemaker.
Dumas played four years from 1992-96 as a wide receiver for the Cougars. He finished his career with 96 catches for 920 yards and two touchdowns, including 50 grabs for 463 yards as a senior. He also returned 90 career punts for 705 yards (7.8 average). Dumas was an honorable mention All-Pac-10 Conference choice as junior.
Dumas is a graduate of Curtis High School in Tacoma, the same school Eastern head coach Aaron Best and assistant Brian Strandley attended. He was a high school teammate of Strandley, former Eagle head coach Beau Baldwin and former Eastern assistant Torey Hunter, and together they led the Vikings to the 1989 State AAA championship. He led the South Puget Sound League in receiving as senior with 34 grabs for 704 yards and seven touchdowns. He earned all-SPSL honors on offense and defense, and played on state Class AAA championship teams as junior and sophomore.
His full name is Jasson Dumas and he was born Nov. 10, 1973. His fiancé is Landi Marquis, and he has three sons (Jackson, 25; Camilo, 24; Julius, 20) and two daughters (Joy, 18; Jovi, 7). Last name is pronounced “doo-moss”
