Niners hire Raye as offensive coordinator

After weeks of looking, the San Francisco 49ers finally found their man. They hired Jimmy Raye as their offensive coordinator, league sources said Wednesday night.

Raye, a former running backs coach for the New York Jets, beat out candidates such as Baltimore Ravens quarterbacks coach Hue Jackson and new San Diego Chargers assistant head coach Rob Chudzinski.

The 49ers wanted to hire someone by Thursday, when they were scheduled to begin their draft meetings. Now they have. Raye is their offensive coordinator.
As it turns out, the last man in was the one who got the job.

After several other candidates interviewed for the position, the San Francisco 49ers hired Jimmy Raye II to become the team’s new offensive coordinator, according to Adam Schefter of NFL Network.

Raye served as the Jets’ running backs coach in 2008. As we reported on Tuesday, his contract was not going to be renewed.

Earlier this month, former Rams coach Scott Linehan turned down the job. The team then interviewed Jeff Jagonzinski, Rob Chudzinski, and Hue Jackson.

Raye was the last one to sit for the gig. On the same day he interviewed, he got the job.

Just when it looks like the 49ers' OC search is about to burn out, they throw another candidate onto the fire. This time it was former Raiders offensive coordinator Jimmy Raye, who is currently meeting with Mike Singletary and general manager Scot McCloughan.

Raye, 62, has had seven separate stints as an offensive coordinator, including 2004-2005 with the Raiders. One thing that might grab the attention of Singletary, who wants to run the ball in 2009: The Raiders were 32nd in rushing offense in 2004 and 29th in 2005. Raye most recently was the running backs coach for the Jets.

Raye was a standout quarterback for Michigan State in the mid 1960s, leading the Spartans to the Rose Bowl in 1966. He was drafted by the Los Angeles Rams, who moved him to defensive back. His first offense coordinator job came with the Rams in 1983. Raye was on the same Redskins staff as Hue Jackson, another candidate for the 49ers' OC job, in 2001. The Redskins, led by Marty Schottenheimer that season, finished 28th in total offense and 28th in points. Former 49ers OC Jim Hostler, who was with the Chiefs in 2000, has cited Raye as one of his mentors.

Raye's OC experience:
L.A. Rams (twice - 1983-84, 1991)
Tampa Bay (1985-86)
New England (1990)
Kansas City (1998-2000)
Washington (2001)
Raiders (2004-2005)