Bowling Green State University Athletics
Brandon Organizing Staff For 2003
January 17, 2003 | Football
Jan. 17, 2003
Bowling Green, Ohio - Bowling Green State University football coach Gregg Brandon has announced the addition of four assistant coaches to his staff for the 2003 season and finalized assignments for the remaining four members of last year's coaching staff that have remained at BGSU.
"I think we have assembled a staff of great teachers who come from a diverse background," said Brandon. "These are hands-on coaches who are outstanding recruiters. Most have had ties to this part of the country and I have a great deal of trust in them."
Tim Beckman, who begins his sixth year with the Falcons, will be assistant head coach and defensive coordinator. He is a two-time Broyles Award nominee, given to the top assistant coach in the country, who oversaw the MAC's top defense in 2001. Third-year coach Greg Studrawa will be the team's offensive coordinator and coach the offensive line. John Bowers, who is in his third year at BGSU, will coach the linebackers and oversee special teams, and fourth-year coach Mike Ward returns to coach the defensive line.
Brandon also has filled four spots on his coaching staff. Mick McCall will coach the quarterbacks after serving in a similar position at Wyoming. Oregon, Ohio native Troy Rothenbuhler joins the staff as tight ends and recruiting coordinator. He has coached at Arkansas State and Ohio State. Dennis Springer, who has spent eight years in the MAC as a member of the Ball State staff, will coach running backs. Steven Wilks will coach the defensive backs. He comes to BGSU after serving as co-defensive coordinator at East Tennessee State University.
2003 BGSU FOOTBALL STAFF
HEAD COACH: Gregg Brandon (Northern Colorado '78) ASSISTANT HEAD COACH/DEFENSE: Tim Beckman (Findlay '88) OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR/OFFENSIVE LINE: Greg Studrawa (Bowling Green '87) LINEBACKERS/SPECIAL TEAMS: John Bowers (James Madison '79) DEFENSIVE LINE: Mike Ward (Georgetown '84) DEFENSIVE BACKS: Steven Wilks (Appalachian State '92) QUARTERBACKS: Mick McCall (Southern Colorado '79) TIGHT ENDS/RECRUITING: Troy Rothenbuhler (Ohio State '95) RUNNING BACKS: Dennis Springer (Butler '93)
MICK MCCALL, QUARTERBACKS
McCall comes to BGSU after spending the last two seasons as an assistant at Wyoming. In 2001, he coached the running backs and last year he oversaw the quarterbacks. He came to Wyoming from J.K. Mullen High School in Denver, Colo., where he was among the most successful high school football coaches in the state of Colorado from 1994 to 2000. McCall also brings a wealth of experience at the collegiate level, having served as an assistant coach at Oregon State from 1988-90, at Idaho State from 1983-87 and at the University of Southern Colorado from 1979-82. During McCall's seven-year tenure as head coach at Mullen High School, he led the football program to a 68-17 (.800) record and a state championship in 1998 earning Denver Post Coach of the Year honors that season. McCall also was the head coach at Douglas County High School in Castle Rock, Colo., for three seasons from 1991-93. He holds an overall high school head-coaching record of 80-36 (.690). Among the more notable players McCall coached during his career was former Idaho State running back Merril Hoge. Hoge went on to star for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the NFL from 1987-93 and is currently an NFL analyst for ESPN. Prior to entering a career in coaching, McCall was a running back at the University of Southern Colorado in Pueblo, Colo., from 1975-78 where he was a two-time All-Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference performer and lettered in basketball. He was invited to and participated in the training camp of the NFL's Detroit Lions following his college playing career. McCall was born April 6, 1957. He and his wife, JoAnn, have two daughters, Ashley and Brittany.
TROY ROTHENBUHLER, TIGHT ENDS/RECRUITING COORDINATOR
An Ohio native, Rothenbuhler will coach the tight ends and coordinate the Falcons recruiting efforts. He comes to BGSU after spending the past year as offensive coordinator at Heidelberg. He had previously spent five years as an assistant coach at Arkansas State where he worked with BGSU offensive coordinator Greg Studrawa. During his tenure with the Indians, he coached both tight ends and receivers. A 1995 graduate of Ohio State, Rothenbuhler was a graduate assistant for the Buckeyes in 1995 and 1996 where he worked with the quarterbacks and tight ends. From 1992-94, he was a student assistant who assisted with the team's wide receivers. During his time with the Buckeyes, he worked with teams that appeared in one Rose Bowl, three Citrus Bowls and one Holiday Bowl. He is a 1989 graduate of Oregon Clay High School. Born April 10, 1971, in Oregon, Ohio, he and his wife, Amy, a Campbell native, are the parents of one daughter, Madison (3).
DENNIS SPRINGER, RUNNING BACKS
Springer joins the Falcons after spending 10 seasons with the Ball State program, including the last eight as a full-time assistant. He was the defensive backs coach for the Cardinals last year. Springer began his coaching career as a student coach at BU before becoming a graduate assistant at Ball State for the 1993 and 1994 seasons. He spent two seasons as a graduate assistant working with the Cardinals' defense before he began his full-time coaching career working with the Cardinals' wide receivers from 1995-98. In 1999 and 2000, Springer tutored the team's outside linebackers. He moved to the secondary in 2001 and coached that spot for two seasons. Ball State's defense ranked 34th in the nation in pass defense, allowing only 199.6 passing yards per game. As a BSU assistant coach, Springer helped the Cardinals to a share of the Mid-American Conference West Division Championship in 2001 and assisted on a squad. that won the MAC Championship and earned a berth to the Las Vegas Bowl. As a graduate assistant, he helped the Cardinals to the 1993 MAC Championship and a berth in the Las Vegas Bowl. As a collegiate student athlete Springer was a three-year starter for Butler and was co-captain as a senior. An all-league second team choice in his final season and a 1993 graduate of Butler, Springer was a member of three league championship teams. A native of Fort Wayne, Indiana, he was born October 5, 1969.
STEVEN WILKS, DEFENSIVE BACKS
Wilks comes to BGSU after spending the 2002 season as co-defensive coordinator at East Tennessee State University. Three members of the Buccaneers secondary earned All-Southern Conference honors this past season, including two who earned first team honors. Under his direction, ETSU led the league in turnover margin and second in pass efficiency defense. Wilks has head coaching experience having served as head coach at Savannah State University in Georgia in 1999. He also has coordinated defenses at Savannah State and Johnson C. Smith University. At Johnson C. Smith, his defense finished No. 1 in the nation in Division II and he was honored as the Division II AFCA Defensive Coordinator of the Year. That year, he saw four players earn All-SIAC honors, including the league's player of the year. In addition, he has served on staffs at Appalachian State and Illinois State. A former standout and a 1992 graduate of Appalachian State, Wilks also played for the Charlotte Rage Arena Football League team and was invited to training camp with the Seattle Seahawks in 1992. At Appalachian State, he recorded 103 career tackles, with four interceptions and four blocked kicks. A Charlotte, N.C. native who holds a bachelor's degree in communications with a minor in marketing, he and his wife Marcia have a daughter, Marissa.
