Turner Gill and UB announce the Bulls coaches

[duey]

I have to admit that I like the looks of this staff. I think hiring Turner Gill was a coup for this program.

 

http://www.ubathletics.buffalo.edu/footbal...006-staff.shtml

 

BUFFALO, NY – University at Buffalo head football coach Turner Gill has announced the first members of his coaching staff.

Charlie Jackson, Jimmy Williams, Angus McClure, Alex Van Pelt, Brian Mohnsen and Aaron Stamn have joined the staff, while Antonio Goss and Allen Mogridge, two former Bulls' assistants, have been retained.

 

“I think the common thread between all of these coaches is that they will form great relationships with our student-athletes and they are excellent coaches and recruiters,” said Gill, who will serve as the team's offensive coordinator. “I'm very excited about the caliber of men that are joining me to help build this program.”

 

Charlie Jackson, who served as the quality control coach on defense for the Green Bay Packers this past season, will serve as defensive coordinator and secondary coach. Jackson, 28, will be one of the youngest coordinators in the country.

 

Prior to serving with the Packers, Jackson spent one season as assistant defensive backs coach and recruiting coordinator at Air Force Academy, where he had starred as an undergraduate. He began his collegiate coaching career at UCLA, serving two seasons (2002-03) as a volunteer assistant, helping the Bruins to back-to-back bowl appearances.

 

As a player at Air Force, Jackson earned three letters and helped the Falcons to a pair of bowl appearances, while earning a No. 10 national ranking. His teammates voted him the winner of the "Brian Bullard Award," which recognizes leadership, unselfishness and total commitment and pride in his team, the highest honor a player can receive at Air Force. Jackson hails from Montezuma, GA and was the Atlanta Journal Constitution Class A Defensive Player of the Year in high school.

 

“Charlie is a very knowledgeable person, he is a great organizer and has a great plan for defensive schemes,” said Gill. “I had an opportunity to see his abilities this year in Green Bay.”

 

Jimmy Williams, a former Nebraska great who spent 12 seasons in the NFL, will serve as inside linebackers coach and co-defensive coordinator. Williams’ college coaching career includes stints at Mid-American Conference member Toledo as well as Grand Valley State and his alma mater.

 

During his tenure as a college coach, Williams' teams have posted a combined 32-9 record, including a MAC Championship game berth at Toledo in 2002, a trip to the Division II national championship game at Grand Valley State in 2001 and a bowl win at Nebraska in 2003. Williams also served an internship with the Kansas City Chiefs in 2004.

 

Williams was one of the greatest defensive players in Nebraska history after walking on to the team from Washington, D.C. A first-team All-American at Nebraska as a defensive end, Williams was chosen in the first round (15th overall) of the 1982 draft and played nine seasons with the Detroit Lions (1982-90), one with Minnesota and his final two with Tampa Bay in 1992-93. He was twice named the Lions' team MVP in 1984 and 1987.

 

After his playing career ended, Williams coached at Pontiac Northern High School, serving as defensive coordinator and was head coach at Pontiac Central HS for the 2000 and 2001 seasons.

 

“Jimmy has an excellent understanding of linebacker play as evidenced by his 12 years of NFL experience,” said Gill. “He's a very discipline-oriented coach and a strong man of character.”

 

Three other former Nebraska staff members, Angus McClure, Brian Mohnsen and Aaron Stamn have also joined the Bulls’ staff.

 

McClure will serve as the Bulls' offensive line coach and Assistant Offensive Coordinator after serving as an assistant in that capacity on Bill Callahan's Nebraska staff. McClure coached the tackles at Nebraska this past season as well as serving in several special teams roles as well.

 

Prior to his stint at Nebraska, McClure played a major role in record-breaking offenses at Sacramento State University where he served as assistant head coach and offensive line coach. While at Sacramento State from 1997-2003, McClure helped the Hornets set 52 NCAA Division I-AA, Big Sky Conference or school records. He coached 20 All Big Sky conference honorees and had six of his pupils sign NFL contracts. In addition, five Sacramento State players earned All-American status and four were chosen to participate in college all-star games. In his seven seasons at Sacramento State, the Hornets led the Big Sky in rushing yards four times. McClure also spent one season at the University of Nevada (1996), helping the Wolfpack to the Big West title, a 9-3 record and the Las Vegas Bowl championship. That year, the Wolfpack led Division I-A with 527.3 yards per game and were tops in both rushing and passing in the Big West.

 

“Angus is a terrific person who is a great technician with offensive linemen,” said Gill. “He has phenomenal knowledge of offensive line play and builds confidence in his players.”

 

Alex Van Pelt, who comes to UB after a long NFL career with the Buffalo Bills, will coach the Bulls' quarterbacks and serve as passing game coordinator. While it is his first full-time job in college coaching, he served as quarterbacks coach and play caller with the Frankfurt Galaxy of NFL Europe in 2005.

 

After an outstanding career at his hometown University of Pittsburgh, where he broke many of Dan Marino’s passing records, Van Pelt spent 10 years as a quarterback with the Buffalo Bills, starting for portions of his career while serving as a backup to Jim Kelly and Drew Bledsoe. He has spent the past two years as the color analyst on Buffalo Bills games through Citadel Broadcasting. He has entrenched himself as part of the Western New York community, and has worked with charitable organizations like Women and Children's Hospital, Western New York Food Bank and Juvenile Diabetes.

 

“Alex has great knowledge of the quarterback position and an excellent understanding of the passing offense,” said Gill. “I know he will get the best out of our quarterbacks.”

 

Mohnsen has most recently been the defensive line coach at Minnesota State-Mankato. In 2004, he was the defensive coordinator at Northwestern Oklahoma State, leading the defense to a second place ranking nationally in total defense and pass defense, third in rushing defense and fifth in scoring defense.

 

Mohnsen spent 12 years at Nebraska (1992-2003), serving as director of the Cornhuskers' video scouting department while assisting with gameday management for both home and away games.

 

“Brian is a very intelligent person who knows how to coach defensive linemen in both technique and aggressiveness,” Gill said. “He, like Angus, is an outstanding technician.”

 

Stamn, who will coach UB's tight ends, spent the past two seasons at Nebraska as a defensive assistant, working with Huskers' defensive line with coach John Blake, and helping that unit lead the nation with 50 sacks this season and an Alamo Bowl victory win over Michigan. That figure is the second highest in school history.

 

Stamn came to Nebraska from St. Cloud State in Minnesota, where he served as a graduate assistant coach for two years (2002-03). In 2002, he assisted with the defensive line and outside linebackers as the Huskies ranked third in Division II in rush defense while posting a 9-2 record. In 2003, Stamn helped St. Cloud to a 7-4 record while coaching the linebackers.

 

Stamn also served as a student assistant coach while earning his undergraduate degree in Physical Education at Minnesota State-Mankato. He served as an offensive line assistant coach in 2000, while assisting with the defensive backs in 2001.

 

“Aaron is an outstanding young person,” said Gill. “He will bring a lot of energy to our staff and our team.”

 

Meanwhile, Antonio Goss, who has been at Buffalo since the 2001 season, and Allen Mogridge, who has been on the Bulls' staff for four of the past five seasons will remain with the program.

 

Goss, who has coached the Bulls' cornerbacks the past two seasons, will coach outside linebackers and serve as special teams coordinator.

 

Goss helped UB lead the MAC in pass defense this past year, while Buffalo's defense ranked fourth overall in the conference. A seven-year veteran of the National Football League who was part of two Super Bowl Championship teams with the San Francisco 49ers, Goss came to Buffalo from North Carolina Central in Durham, NC.

 

Goss spent three years coaching in and around the Durham/Chapel Hill area after earning his degree in Sociology at the University of North Carolina in 1989, where he starred on the football team as a linebacker. He went on to spend six years with the San Francisco 49ers, playing with future Hall of Famers like Jerry Rice, Ronnie Lott and Joe Montana, and playing a part in two Super Bowl Champion teams. Goss was a backup linebacker and also served as captain of special teams during his tenure with the 49ers. After leaving San Francisco, he played one season with the St. Louis Rams, in 1996, where he started five games and again led the special teams unit.

 

“Antonio has a strong understanding of defenses, has a great rapport with players and has tremendous respect for the game of football,” said Gill. “He does an excellent job of getting his guys to play hard.”

 

Mogridge will once again coach the Bulls' running backs, a position he has held the past two seasons, and will also serve as recruiting coordinator.

 

He rejoined the Buffalo coaching staff in February of 2004 after spending one season at Western Carolina as defensive ends coach and recruiting coordinator. He had initially joined the staff at Buffalo in 2001 as a defensive graduate assistant coach.

 

Mogridge had an excellent career at North Carolina, playing four different positions and earning the Kenan Award for Leadership in his senior season. He spent one year as strength and conditioning coach at UNC as well while pursuing his masters degree. He spent the summer of 2000 in the Carolina Panthers training camp before playing for one year in the Arena Football League with the Carolina Cobras.

 

“Allen is an energetic, positive person who brings great chemistry to our football program,” said Gill. “He's an outstanding young man who I look forward to working with.”

[X. Benedict]

Alex with the Bulls. I will miss him on Sundays with Murph. I am a turn the volume down

radio up guy.

[PromoTheRobot]

UB has a chance to tap into the football mania of Bills fans, especially withthe AVP connection. If they start winning, I'll bet they will sell out every game, especially if they can play home when the Bills are on the road.

 

PTR