VEISHEA Opening Ceremony
| Date/Time: | Friday, 17 Apr 2009 at 12:00 pm |
|---|---|
| Location: | Central Campus |
| Cost: | Free |
| Contact: | |
| Phone: | 515-294-9934 |
| Channel: | Lecture Series |
| Categories: | Lectures |
| Actions: | Download iCal/vCal | Email Reminder |
Paul Rhoads, who was raised in Ankeny, Iowa, coordinated the Pitt defense for eight seasons (2000-07) before moving to Auburn in the same role last season.
His resume includes a 2004 Big East Conference championship with the Panthers. Five of the defenses he coordinated ranked in the nation's Top 30 for scoring and three in the NCAA's Top 12 for fewest yards allowed. His aggressive philosophy allowed Pitt to score 10 defensive touchdowns from 2004-06.
His last two defenses (Auburn in 2008 and Pitt in 2007) ranked 15th nationally in scoring defense and fifth in total defense, respectively. The Sporting News named him the best defensive coordinator in the Big East Conference two years ago. His Panther teams led that league in scoring defense, total defense and pass efficiency defense once each during his tenure. One of the highlight games of his Pitt tenure was the 13-9 upset of No. 2-ranked West Virginia in 2007. The Mountaineers gained 183 total yards, which were 292 below their season average.
Rhoads coordinated defenses for both Walt Harris and Dave Wannstedt at Pitt. He was approached by Auburn's Tommy Tuberville to move to Auburn in 2002 after two spectacular seasons at Pitt but turned down the offer. Tuberville again offered Rhoads his top defensive coaching position prior to last fall and he accepted.
Rhoads familiarity with Iowa State goes back to his youth growing up in central Iowa but also includes a five-year stint as inside linebackers (1995) and secondary (1996-99) coach with the Cyclones. He was a member of Dan McCarney's first staff at ISU.
His first full-time coaching stint was at Pacific (1992-94) where he climbed from position coach to pass game coordinator in three years. Rhoads also had graduate assistantships at Ohio State (1991) under John Cooper and Utah State (1989-90) under Chuck Shelton.
"I have been blessed to learn from and work along side some great football minds," Rhoads said. "I've taken pieces from all of them and formed my own coaching philosophies, leadership style and approach to strong player relations."
Six of his former defensive backs have been drafted by the National Football League, including Pitt's Darrelle Revis (the 14th overall pick by the Jets) in 2007. He has coached in six bowl games, including the 2005 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl with Pitt. Fourteen of his Panther defenders earned first-team All-Big East honors including H.B. Blades (the 2006 Big East Defensive Player of the Year) and Scott McKillop (the nation's leading tackler in 2007).