NIPPERT STADIUM

2015 UNIVERSITY OF CINCINNATI FOOTBALL
COACHING LEGACY
The University of Cincinnati has been well-represented on the lists of professional and college coaching
greats, a legacy which continues into 2014 with a proliferation of former Bearcats mentors, assistant
coaches and players in the NFL, CFL and major university ranks.
Sid Gillman has long been the standard-bearer for Bearcat coaching greats. Gillman, whose 50-13-1
record in his six seasons in the late 1940s and early 1950s is one of the winningest marks at UC, is one
of the few coaches to earn induction into both the college and professional football halls of fame. His
UC success vaulted him into the NFL, with the Los Angeles Rams.
Two other members of the College Football Hall of Fame, Frank Cavanaugh and George Little, launched
their head coaching careers at UC. Cavanaugh, the legendary “Iron Major” for his accomplishments as a
coach and war hero at Army, in 1898, and Little, who earned fame at Michigan and Wisconsin, in 1914-
15. Former UC assistants Dick MacPherson and Don Nehlen are also in the College Football Hall of Fame.
MacPherson, a UC assistant in the early 1960s, concluded a distinguished career at Syracuse. Nehlen, on
the 1963 UC staff, was West Virginia’s winningest coach following his 21 seasons there.
One-time Bearcats mentors Homer Rice (1967-68), and Chuck Studley (1961-66) were NFL head
coaches at Cincinnati and Houston, respectively, as were former assistants Leeman Bennett (Atlanta)
and Jack Faulkner (Denver).
Nick Skorich, a member of the UC Athletic Hall of Fame for his football prowess in the 1940s, was head
coach of the Philadelphia Eagles and Cleveland Browns.
Numerous former UC players or assistants went on to head coaching jobs in the college or NFL ranks
and a trio of former Bearcats assistants, John Harbaugh (Baltimore Ravens), Rex Ryan (Buffalo Bills),
and Mike Tomlin (Pittsburgh Steelers) are current NFL head coaches. Harbaugh was a UC assistant from
1989-96, Ryan from 1996-97, and Tomlin was on the UC staff from 1999-2000.
Harbaugh has assistants on his staff with UC ties. Jerry Rosburg (1992-95) is in Baltimore as the
Associate Head Coach/Special Teams and has coached in the NFL for over 10 years. Don Martindale
(1997-98), a former UC defensive line coach, joined the Ravens staff in 2012 coaching the inside
linebackers and senior offensive assistant Craig Ver Steeg was on the UC staff from 1990-93 and has
coached nearly 30 years at all levels of football. Chris Hewitt was defensive back for UC from 1993-96
and is Harbaugh’s defensive backs coach.
The Tampa Bay staff features a former UC letterwinner in offensive line coach George Warhop (1981-82)
and former offensive coordinator Mike Bajakian. Warhop, a center during his time at UC, has coached in
the NFL for 17 seasons during stints for the Cleveland Browns, Arizona Cardinals, Dallas Cowboys, and
St. Louis Rams. Bajakian was the Bearcats OC from 2010-12 and coaches the Buccaneers QBs.
Bill Davis, a quarterback at UC (1985-88) is a 22-year veteran as an NFL assistant, currently serving
as defensive coordinator of the Philadelphia Eagles. He previously was a coordinator for the Arizona
Cardinals and San Francisco 49ers. Eagles inside linebackers coach Rick Minter was UC’s head coach
from 1994-2003.
Three more recent UC student-athletes, Blue Adams (1998-02), Sam Garnes (1993-96) and Chris
Hewitt (1993-96), are on staff for Miami, Denver and Baltimore, respectively.
Arizona has a trio of former Bearcats coaches on its sidelines with special teams coordinator Amos Jones
(1999-2002), assistant OL coach Larry Zierlein (1997-2000) and tight ends coach Rick Christophel
(1983). Zierlein won Super Bowl XLII I with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2008. Christophel was the head
coach at Austin Peay from 2007-12.
Former UC aide Bill Sheridan (1989-91) is the linebackers coach for the Detroit Lions after serving two
seasons as defensive coordinator for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Dan Roushar (2005-06) is a 29-year coaching veteran entering his second season as running backs
coach of the New Orleans Saints
Former defensive coordinator Mark Duffner (1977-80) was a collegiate head coach at Holy Cross and
Maryland before coaching in the NFL for the Cincinnati Bengals and Green Bay Packers. He is currently
the Miami Dolphins linebackers coach. Kevin Coyle (1978-79) is the Dolphins’ defensive coordinator.
Paul F. Boudreau (1998-99) is St. Louis’ assistant special teams coach, Jeff Fitzgerald (1985) is a 21-
year veteran who is the linebackers coach in Indianapolis and Mike Solari (1981-82) is the assistant
offensive line coach in Green Bay.
In Canada, former Bearcats player and coach Dave Ritchie directed British Columbia and Winnepeg to
Grey Cup titles, the Canadian Football League’s Super Bowl, and former UC quarterback Danny Barrett
spent six years as the head coach of the Saskatchewan Roughriders (2000-06). Barrett is now the
running backs coach at UCF.
Bob Wylie has four decades of coaching football under his belt that includes 18 years at the professional
level. He coached at UC in the mid 1990s and spent time as the Oakland Raiders offensive line coach.
He currently is the offensive line coach for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the Canadian Football League
and formerly worked for Blesto and consulted with EA Sports on the Madden Football video game
franchise.
UC’s representation in the college coaching ranks is highlighted by a trio of former assistants. Paul
Dietzel, an aide to Gillman in 1949-50, directed LSU and its namesake Chinese Bandits defense to
the national title in 1958 and later coached at Army and South Carolina. Other UC assistants to garner
head coaching positions include Baldwin (San Jose State), Duffner (Holy Cross, Maryland), Foge Fazio
(Pittsburgh), Joker Phillips (Kentucky), Charley Molnar (UMass), Jeff Quinn (Buffalo), Chuck Stobart
(Toledo, Utah, Memphis), Don Treadwell (Miami OH), Lou West (Indiana State), TJ Wiest (UConn) and
Ron Zook (Florida, Illinois).
Joe Morrison, a standout as a Bearcats player and later for the New York Giants in the NFL, achieved
similar success during his 15 seasons as a major college head coach at Tennessee-Chattanooga, New
Mexico and South Carolina.. His grandson Max is a junior wide receiver on UC’s 2014 squad.
Urban Meyer, a Bearcat in the mid-1980s and later a student assistant coach, carved out an impressive
career at Florida following successful stints at Bowling Green and Utah, spent a year as a college
football analyst for ESPN and is now the head coach at Ohio State.
Four former UC assistants are current head coaches at the collegiate level, including Kim Dameron
(Eastern Illinois), Bob Diaco (UConn), Jimbo Fisher (Florida State) and Pat Narduzzi (Pittsburgh).
Several former UC assistants are coordinators at NCAA FBS schools including, Dave Baldwin (OC Oregon
State), Tim Banks (DC Illinois), Dan Enos (Arkansas), Tyson Helton (OC Western Kentucky), Greg Hudson
(DC Purdue), John Jancek (DC Tennessee), William Inge (Co-DC Indiana) and Art Kaufman (DC Cal).
Some former players in coaching roles include UC James P. Kelly Athletics Hall of Fame QB Gino Guidugli,
the running backs coach at Central Michigan, All-American DB Mike Mickens as the defensive backs
coach at Bowling Green and standout DE Walter Stewart coached ends at Florida A&M.
Former UC letterwinner Dana Bible just wrapped up a storied career as a collegiate assistant, with his
last stop coming as the OC at NC State.
Tom Rossley, who set many UC receiving records, spent nearly four decades in the coaching ranks at
the college and NFL levels, including a stint as head coach at SMU and six seasons as the offensive
coordinator for the Green Bay Packers. He most recently was the quarterbacks coach at Texas A&M.