Al McCray enters his 17th season as a member of the Fort Hays State coaching staff and 2025 marks his 15th season serving as the assistant head coach, while also coaching the Tiger wide receivers.
In his time at FHSU, McCray has coached 16 wide receivers to postseason accolades. Two of the 16Â earned All-America honors, including O.J. Murdock in 2010 and Monterio Burchfield in 2017. Ed Williams (2014) and Harley Hazlett (2019) earned All-Super Region honors, joining Murdock and Burchfield as receivers to earn the distinction under McCray's guidance.
In 2009, McCray coached three receivers to All-MIAA status, including Murdock, Cordarol Scales, and Anthony Smith. Murdock and Scales repeated as all-conference selections a year later and both were invited to the 2011 Cactus Bowl (Division II All-Star Game). Murdock followed that up with appearances in the East-West Shrine Game and NFL Scouting Combine. In 2016, Layne Bieberle became the first freshman wide receiver under McCray at FHSU to earn All-MIAA status. For the second time under McCray, three receivers earned All-MIAA honors in a season in 2017, including Burchfield, Tyler Bacon, and Harley Hazlett. In 2018, Bieberle and Hazlett each earned All-MIAA status for the second time. In 2019, McCray coached a trio of All-MIAA performers at receiver for the third time at FHSU, which included Hazlett, Bieberle, and Manny Ramsey. Ramsey went on to be a three-time All-MIAA selection earning third team honors in 2021 and then first team honors in 2022. Most recently, Trevor Watts and Jayden Horace earned All-MIAA selections in 2023 and then Horace was a repeat selection in 2024.
Among the receivers to earn postseason accolades, Murdock, Scales, and Williams were signed by NFL teams. Murdock (Tennessee Titans) and Scales (New York Jets) each signed in 2011, while Williams (Green Bay Packers) signed in 2015. In 2024, Jayden Horace signed with the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League (CFL). Prior to his time at FHSU, McCray coached two other receivers that spent time in the NFL, Brian Clark and Greg Lee. He also coached former NFL linebacker Oliver Hoyte.
McCray’s receivers have also left their mark on the Fort Hays State record book. In 2010, Murdock set the single-season record for receiving yards with 1,290 on 60 receptions, while producing the second-most receiving touchdowns for a season in FHSU history with 12. His average of 21.5 yards per catch tied for the highest in a single season in FHSU history. In just two seasons under McCray’s tutelage, Murdock amassed 1,987 receiving yards and 20 touchdowns. In 2017, Monterio Burchfield became the second FHSU receiver under McCray to produce 1,000 receiving yards in a season, finishing with 1,003. Burchfield became the sixth Tiger receiver in history to reach 1,000 yards in a season. In 2018, Harley Hazlett broke the FHSU single-season record for receptions with 91 and then finished his career with a new FHSU record of 184 receptions, accomplishing the feat in just three seasons. Layne Bieberle finished his four-year career in 2019 ranked second in receiving yards (2,625) and receptions (168), and third in touchdowns (21). Hazlett finished sixth on the career receiving yards list with 2,038. Manny Ramsey completed his career in 2022 with 176 receptions and 2,606 receiving yards to finish second and third on the career top 10 lists at FHSU respectively, giving McCray four receivers under his guidance that rank among the top 10 all-time in receiving yards at FHSU.
McCray has helped the Tigers to a big turnaround during his time with the program. The Tigers enjoyed a one-win improvement every year from 2011 to 2015. The 2016 team matched the 2015 team's record of 8-4, then in 2017 the program saw its best season ever by going 11-1 overall. The program enjoyed a winning record seven-straight seasons from 2013 to 2019, making bowl game appearances in 2015 and 2016, then its first appearance in the NCAA Playoffs in 22 years during the 2017 season. The 2018 Tigers finished 9-3 overall, making a second-straight appearance in the NCAA Playoffs. The Tigers earned back-to-back MIAA Championships in 2017 and 2018, finishing a combined 20-2 in conference play over those two seasons (11-0 in 2017, 9-2 in 2018). The Tigers culminated a five-year run of at least eight wins in a season in 2019 with a record of 8-3. In 2024, the Tigers reached eight wins again, going 8-3.
A native of Miami, Florida, McCray came to the program from Florida Atlantic University, where he was an intern coach during the spring of 2008. McCray had 10 years of experience coaching football and track and field in Tampa, Florida, where he also worked as a high school teacher.
McCray played collegiate football at Clinch Valley College in Virginia. He earned a bachelor’s degree in Social Science from the University of South Florida.
