Rich Ellerson is one of five former Arizona assistants who are now head coaches on the college level. Photo by Jake Roth-US PRESSWIRE
The firing of Arizona Wildcats head coach Mike Stoops during last season sent a wave of assistant coaches to various points across the country.
Seven landed new jobs. One — offensive line coach Robert Anae — was rehired by new coach Rich Rodriguez. Another, quarterbacks coach Frank Scelfo, is sitting out this season before jumping back into coaching again.
The upshot of it all is that the ranks of former Arizona Wildcats assistant coaches in college or professional football has swelled, by my count, to 53. Stoops is the only former UA head coach still coaching, so the number grows to 54 if you include him.
Since I last updated this list, about this time last year, three former UA assistants retired: Clarence Shelmon (San Diego Chargers offensive coordinator), Steve Axman (Idaho offensive coordinator) and Ron McBride (Weber State, head coach).
Well … check that about McBride. He quickly grew bored with retirement and joined the staff of the Utah Blaze of the Arena Football League this spring. We’ll still count him as active.
Another good story: Jeff Woodruff, the former head coach at Cholla High School who was a UA assistant in 1998 and 1999, went from assistant head coach at UTEP to the head coach at Oaks Christian High in Westlake Village, Calif. Woodruff is a former Washington assistant and Eastern Michigan head coach.
The list of former Arizona assistants still coaching at the college or pro level dates back to Mike Hankwitz, whose first full-time coaching job came in 1973 at Arizona under Jim Young. Hankwitz, who later served as interim head coach for the Wildcats in 2003 after John Mackovic’s dismissal, is the defensive coordinator at Northwestern.
Five of these ex-UA assistants are head coaches, including Army’s Rich Ellerson, a Salpointe Catholic High School graduate. Former UA offensive coordinator Dino Babers is in the midst of his first head coaching gig, at Eastern Illinois.
Here’s a look at all the former UA assistants and where they are now in coaching, with years at Arizona followed by current occupation:
Duane Akina, 1987-2000
Texas, assistant head coach/defensive backs
Pete Alamar, 1995-1999
Stanford, specials teams coordinator
Alamar is in his first season at Stanford after working at Fresno State under Pat Hill, who was fired after last season.
Chuck Amato, 1980-1981
Akron, associate head coach/defensive coordinator
Back for his 40th year in coaching with head coach Terry Bowden after sitting out the past two seasons.
Bobby April, 1980-1986
Philadelphia Eagles, special teams coordinator
Dino Babers, 1995-2000
Eastern Illinois, head coach
John Baxter, 1990-1991
USC, associate head coach/special teams
Bill Bedenbaugh, 2007-10
West Virginia, offensive line
Gary Bernardi, 1983-1986
San Jose State, offensive line
Jay Boulware, 2001-2003
Auburn, specials teams coordinator/tight ends
Clarence Brooks, 1990-1992
Baltimore Ravens, defensive line
Greg Brown, 2010
Colorado, defensive coordinator/secondary
Mike Canales, 2004-2006
North Texas, offensive coordinator/quarterbacks
Gerald Carr, 1991
Virginia Destroyers (UFL), running backs
Garret Chachere, 2009-2011
Southern Miss, tight ends/special teams coordinator
Bob Davie, 1979
New Mexico, head coach
Back on the sideline after 10 years in the ESPN booth.
Charlie Dickey, 1992-2003
Kansas State, offensive line
Dana Dimel, 2005-09
Kansas State, co-offensive coordinator/running backs/tight ends
Kasey Dunn, 2004-2006
Oklahoma State, receivers
Sonny Dykes, 2007-2009
Louisiana Tech, head coach
Rich Ellerson, 1992-1995; 1997-2000
Army, head coach
Jeff Hammerschmidt, 1993-95; 2008-11
Colorado State, special teams coordinator/running backs
Mike Hankwitz, 1973-1976; 2003
Northwestern, defensive coordinator
Jeff Hecklinski, 2003
Michigan, wide receivers
Josh Heupel, 2005
Oklahoma, co-offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach
Pat Hill, 1990-1991
Atlanta Falcons, offensive line
Landed in the NFL after being the head coach at Fresno State for 15 years.
Rob Ianello, 1993-2002
Kansas, recruiting coordinator/wide receivers
Reunited with head coach Charlie Weis (they were together at Notre Dame) after being fired after two seasons as the head coach at Akron, where he posted a 2-22 record.
Bobby Kennedy, 2001
Colorado, wide receivers
Tim Kish, 2003-2011
Oklahoma, assistant defensive coordinator/linebackers
Seth Littrell, 2009-2011
Indiana, offensive coordinator
Lawrence Livingston, 2000
Albany State, offensive line
Marty Long, 1996-2003
Northwestern, defensive line
Johnnie Lynn, 1988-1993
Oakland Raiders, defensive backs
Veteran NFL assistant is in his first year with Oakland after being let go by the Philadelphia Eagles after last season.
Larry Mac Duff, 1987-1996, 2001-02
Las Vegas Locomotives (UFL), defensive coordinator/special teams
John Matsko, 1986
Carolina Panthers, offensive line
Ron McBride, 1987-1989
Utah Blaze (Arena), offensive line coach
Dave Nichol, 2008-2011
East Carolina, outside receivers coach
Bob Palcic, 1984-1985
SMU, offensive line
Spent the past four seasons as UCLA’s offensive line coach.
Mose Rison, 2003
Central Michigan, receivers
Joe Robinson, 2004-2007
South Carolina, special teams coordinator/tight ends
Has gone from LSU to North Carolina to South Carolina in the past three years.
Joe Salave’a, 2011
Washington State, defensive line
A member of our All-Pac-12 coaches team (When they played the game)
Rip Scherer, 1989-1990
Colorado, assistant head coach/quarterbacks
Michael Smith, 2007-09
Kansas State, receivers
Richard Smith, 1987
Denver Broncos, linebackers
Steve Spurrier Jr., 2004
South Carolina, co-offensive coordinator/receivers
Mark Stoops, 2004-2009
Florida State, defensive coordinator
Mike Stoops, 2003-2011
Oklahoma, defensive coordinator
Mike Tuiasosopo, 2004-2010
Colorado, defensive line
Ron Turner, 1979-1980
Tampa Bay Buccaneers, quarterbacks
Ryan Walters, 2011
Oklahoma, graduate assistant
Charlie Williams, 2004-2006
Indianapolis Colts, receivers
Was the receivers coach at North Carolina for the past five seasons.
Ted Williams, 1994
Philadelphia Eagles, running backs
Eric Wolford, 2004-2006
Youngstown State, head coach
Third-year head coach led the Penguins to season-opening 31-17 win at Pittsburgh.
Kevin Wolthausen, 1985-1986
Purdue, defensive line
Darrell Wyatt, 2007
Texas, co-recruiting coordinator/wide receivers