Aaron Best bleeds Eagle red.
2023 marks his 27th season with Eastern Washington football after stepping on campus as a freshman offensive lineman in 1996. After four years as a student-athlete, including two years as the team’s starting center, the Tacoma native was hired as a student assistant in 2000 and steadily worked his way to the top, serving as an assistant coach under Paul Wulff and Beau Baldwin for 16 years before taking over in 2017.
Best earned the Big Sky Conference co-Coach of the Year in 2018 after guiding Eastern to a league co-championship and an appearance in the NCAA Division I Championship Game. He was also voted by fans nationwide as the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) Coach of the Year by Hero Sports.
In his six seasons as head coach, he has compiled a 44-25 record overall (.638) and 32-14 mark in the Big Sky (.696). Both winning percentages rank second in program history since joining the FCS level (formerly Division I-AA) in 1984.
Eastern ranked in the top five in total offense in the FCS in five of his first six seasons at the helm, including ranking 1st in 2019 (524.8 yards per game) and 2021 (554.5), and 3rd in the 2021 spring season. The Eagles also ranked 2nd in overall scoring in 2021, 3rd in passing (399.4) and earned a 6-0 record on the road during the regular season, the best such mark since 1967. Although a 20-game winning streak at home on “The Inferno” came to an end in 2021 and the team went 2-3 in Cheney in 2022, Best boasts an outstanding six-year record at Roos Field of 25-7 (.781).
Entering the 2023 season, he is unbeaten as a head coach versus five current Big Sky Conference schools -- Idaho State, Northern Colorado, Northern Arizona, UC Davis and Cal Poly — as well as former Big Sky member North Dakota.
In his 26 seasons associated with the Eagle program, Best has been a part of teams which have won nine Big Sky Conference titles with a collective league record of 139-62 (.691), have made 12 NCAA Football Championship Subdivision Playoff appearances and have an overall record of 203-110 (.649) in more than two decades (1996-06, 2008-22). He has been a part of 29 total playoff games (18-11), going 16-10 as a coach and 2-1 as a player. 22 of those games were played at home, going 16-6. Best was the team’s offensive coordinator and offensive line coach when the Eagles won the 2010 NCAA Division I title. The Eagles finished with the 3rd-most wins in the decade (2010-19) with 97, and its winning percentage of .735 (97-35) was 5th-best among 124 FCS schools. Moreover, the Eagles currently rank 9th among current FCS members with 15 playoff berths, 12 of which Best was a player or coach during, and t-7th among current members in playoff wins with 20. He has made three FCS Playoff appearances in six years as head coach, going 4-2 overall.
Best has coached 27 offensive linemen to All-America honors, 60 to All-Big Sky honors, 10 to senior bowl or all-star game appearances and two hear their name called in the NFL Draft. As a head coach, nine Eagles have received All-America recognition, including QB Eric Barriere, who was a two-time finalist for the Walter Payton Award, given annually to the most outstanding offensive player in the FCS. Barriere was twice named the Big Sky MVP and the team has earned 77 total All-Big Sky honors with Best at the helm, adding 26 Big Sky Player of the Week awards.
Eastern annually leads the Big Sky Conference in Academic All-Conference honors won, including 29 in the fall of 2022, good for 3rd among football members. Eagle football players consistently earn grade point averages in excess of 3.00 and graduate on-time, which was reflected in the latest 2021-22 NCAA Academic Progress Report as the program earned a score of 968 out of 1000, with 260 student-athletes represented in the four-year rolling average. Best and his staff also ensure Eagle football players are active members of the community, both on and off campus.
As a player, Best was a four-year contributor for the Eagles from 1996-99, serving as the long snapper for all four and starting center for his junior and senior seasons. He earned Big Sky First Team and All-America Honorable Mention honors as a senior, and All-Big Sky Honorable Mention recognition as a junior. A standout in the classroom himself, Best was twice named to the Big Sky All-Academic team and once to both the CoSIDA Academic All-District VIII Team and FCS Athletic Directors Academic All-Star Team (both in 1999). He earned his bachelor's in Social Science from Eastern in 2001.
Best agreed to terms on new two-year extension to his contract in January 2019, which runs through 2024. The extension came after the Eagles were 12-3 in Best’s second year at the helm, finishing as NCAA Division I Runner-Up.
Excellence Under Best
In his 26 seasons as a player, assistant or head coach, Eastern Washington football has experienced unparalleled success. Eagle accolades and achievements during Best’s tenure in Cheney include:
- 1 FCS National Championship (2010)
- 1 FCS National Championship Runner-Up (2018)
- 9 Big Sky Conference Championships (97, 04, 05, 10, 12, 13, 14, 16, 18)
- 12 playoff appearances (97, 04, 05, 07, 09, 10, 12, 13, 14, 16, 18, 20/21, 21)
- 15 winning seasons
As a member of the coaching staff, Best has led EWU offensive linemen to incredible individual awards, including:
- 27 All-America Honors (11 First Team, 10 Second Team, 6 Third Team)
- 60 All-Big Sky Honors (19 First, 20 Second, 4 Third, 27 Honorable Mention)
- 10 senior bowl or all-star game appearances
- 2 NFL draft picks (Michael Roos, 2005 2nd Rd; Jake Rodgers, 2015 7th Rd)
Since taking over as head coach in 2017, the recognition keeps rolling in for all positions. With Best at the helm, Eagles have been earned:
- 9 All-America Honors (4 First, 4 Second, 1 Third)
- 2 National Award Finalists (QB Eric Barriere, STATS Walter Payton Award 2x; 2nd in 2020/21, 5th in 2019)
- 2 Big Sky MVPs (Barriere, 2020/21 & 2019)
- 77 All-Big Sky Honors (17 First, 22 Second, 23 Third, 15 Honorable Mention)
- 26 Big Sky Players of the Week
Coaching Summary at EWU
- 2017-present: Head Coach
- 2014-16: Run Game Coordinator / Offensive Line / Academic Coordinator
- 2009-13: Offensive Coordinator / Offensive Line / Academic Coordinator
- 2008: Offensive Line
- 2002-06: Offensive Line
- 2001: Graduate Assistant
- 2000: Student Assistant
Other Coaching Positions
- 2007: Offensive Line at Toronto Argonauts (CFL)
Playing Experience at EWU
- 1996-99: Center (2-year starter) / Long Snapper (4)
Coaching Accolades
- Big Sky Coach of the Year (2018)
- Hero Sports FCS Coach of the Year (2018) -- fan vote
Playing Accolades
- All-America Honorable Mention (1999)
- All-Big Sky First Team (1999)
- CoSIDA Academic All-District VIII (1999)
- FCS Athletic Directors Academic All-Star Team (1999)
- Big Sky All-Academic Team (1998, 1999)
- All-Big Sky Honorable Mention (1998)
Team Performance
- Head Coach (6 seasons): 44-25 (.638) Overall / 32-14 (.696) Big Sky
- Assistant Coach (16 seasons): 129-68 (.652) Overall / 86-37 (.699) Big Sky
- Player (4 seasons): 30-17 (.638) Overall / 21-11 (.656) Big Sky
- Combined (26 seasons): 203-110 (.649) Overall / 139-62 (.691) Big Sky
Head Coach Year-by-Year
| Year |
Overall |
Big Sky |
BSC Rank |
Playoffs |
Reached |
| 2022 |
3-8 |
2-6 |
t-8th |
0-0 |
N/A |
| 2021 |
10-3 |
6-2 |
t-3rd |
1-1 |
2nd Round |
| 2020-21* |
5-2 |
5-1 |
2nd |
0-1 |
1st Round |
| 2019 |
7-5 |
6-2 |
t-3rd |
0-0 |
N/A |
| 2018 |
12-3 |
7-1 |
t-1st |
3-1 |
Championship |
| 2017 |
7-4 |
6-2 |
t-3rd |
0-0 |
N/A |
| Totals |
44-25 (.638) |
32-14 (.696) |
|
4-2 |
|
*played Spring 2021 due to COVID
