Philip Vigil enters his fourth year as an assistant coach at Fort Hays State in 2018. He serves as the team's passing game and recruiting coordinator.
Vigil was instrumental in helping coach quarterback Treveon Albert to All-America status in 2015. Albert was a dual-threat generating 2,980 yards of total offense, passing for 1,752 yards and rushing for 1,228 yards. Vigil helped the Tigers to an appearance in the Mineral Water Bowl, the team’s first postseason game appearance in 20 years. In 2016, Vigil coached Jacob Mezera to All-MIAA status, who threw for 2,541 yards and 19 touchdowns. Mezera set a new single-season school record for pass completion percentage (63 percent) and finished with the sixth-most passing yards in a season in school history. He helped the team to its first-ever postseason game win as FHSU defeated Eastern New Mexico 45-12 in the Heart of Texas Bowl. In 2017, Mezera repeated as an All-MIAA performer, throwing for 2,824 yards and 23 touchdowns. Mezera set the school's top pass completion percentage for a season at 65.7 percent, breaking the school record for a second straight year, while producing the fourth-most passing yards for a season in program history.
Vigil came to Fort Hays State from Colorado Mesa University, where he coached for four years as the associate offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. Under Coach Vigil’s tutelage the quarterbacks at CMU had great success. In 2014, he recruited and led a true freshman quarterback to set school records in completions and yards thrown in a season. In the year prior, he led the quarterbacks to a school record in touchdowns thrown for a season.
Vigil coached at Northwest Missouri State during the 2010 and 2011 seasons, directing the running backs. During his tenure at NWMSU the team achieved great success. In 2010 NWMSU finished 12-2 overall and advanced to the NCAA Division II National Semifinals, finishing with the No. 3 national ranking in the AFCA Top 25 Poll. In 2011 the Bearcats finished 11-3 and reached the quarterfinals of the NCAA Division II playoffs, finishing with the No. 5 ranking in the final national poll. During the 2011 season the Bearcats ranked first in the country in scoring offense, averaging 53 points per game, and ranked second in the country in total yards, averaging 510 per game.
Coach Vigil’s running backs at Northwest Missouri State, Jordan Simmons and James Franklin, were considered the best tandem backs in the country. Simmons and Franklin were named all-conference and all-region. Simmons was voted to the D2Football.com All-America Team.
Prior to arriving at Northwest Missouri State, Vigil was an assistant at Colorado School of Mines. He coached the Oredigger secondary where several defensive backs went on to earn All-Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference honors.
A former quarterback at Colorado Mesa University (then known as Mesa State) from 2005-2008, Vigil was a four-year letterwinner and two-year starter. He led the team to the NCAA Division II Playoffs in 2007 falling to eventual quarterfinalist, Abilene Christian University. Vigil started all 12 games on the way to a 10-2 overall record as the Mavericks ended the year ranked No. 19 in the final AFCA Top 25 Poll.
Vigil ranks second all-time in career passing yards (4,583), while ranking second (2,032) and third (1,960) respectively in single-season passing yards at Colorado Mesa. He was a two-time All-RMAC selection and four-time RMAC All-Academic honoree.
A native of Denver, Colorado, Vigil and his wife Melanie have three children, son Peyton and daughters Ava and Olivia.
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