Bowling Green State University Athletics
Clawson Announces Coaching Staff Additions
January 27, 2009 | Football
Jan. 27, 2009
BOWLING GREEN, Ohio - New Bowling Green State University head football coach Dave Clawson has announced the hiring of eight members to his coaching staff. Clawson retained two coaches from the 2008 season, while adding six new faces to the BGSU program.
New additions to the coaching staff include Clint Dowdle (director of football operations), John McDonell (offensive line), Shannon Morrison (co-defensive coordinator/secondary), Sean Spencer (special teams/defensive tackles), Joe Trainer (assistant head coach/co-defensive coordinator/linebackers) and Warren Ruggiero (offensive coordinator/quarterbacks).
John Hunter (running backs) and Doug Phillips (defensive ends/recruiting coordinator), who coached at Bowling Green in 2008, will remain with the Falcons under Clawson.
"When assembling a coaching staff I wanted to hire coaches that had extensive Midwest/Ohio recruiting ties, experience coaching and recruiting at the FBS and BCS level and coaches that I had a previous working relationship with," said BGSU head coach Dave Clawson.
Clawson also said that his final two coaching position would be filled after signing day (Feb. 4).
Below is a list of all coaching bios:
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Director of Football Operations
Clint Dowdle will begin his first season as the director of football operations at Bowling Green State University.
Dowdle spent the past three seasons as Assistant to former Tennessee head coach Phillip Fulmer and assistant director of football operations. During his time at Tennessee Dowdle worked with the daily football operations en route to an SEC East Division title and a Capital One Bowl victory in 2007. He was also a part of the Vols 2006 Capital One Bowl appearance.
The Memphis native earned his business management degree in 2005 from Christian Brothers University, where he was a four-year basketball starter and three year captain. He led the team in minutes, assists and steals all four years and twice was named Academic All-Gulf South Conference. Dowdle earned his master's in sport management from UT in 2007.
Dowdle captured high school All-State honors in both basketball and football at Evangelical Christian School, quarterbacking ECS to a pair of football state titles while earning Tennessee's Mr. Football award. In addition, the Memphis Commercial Appeal twice selected Dowdle to its Best of Preps list in both basketball and football and named him 2000-01 Male Athlete of the Year.
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Running Backs
John Hunter, will begin his fourth year on the Falcon coaching staff, serving as the team's running back coach.
This past season, despite constant injuries in the backfield, Hunter helped coach a quartet of tailbacks to average 4.93 yards per carry in 2008, finishing the season with 1,192 yards and nine touchdowns.
In 2007 Hunter's running backs recorded 1,607 yards on the ground, led by former quarterback Anthony Turner (519). True freshman Willie Getter chipped in with 432 yards and Chris Bullock had 281.
In 2006 he saw the Falcons lead the MAC averaging 176.6 yards per game and oversaw the development of Freshman All-American Chris Bullock.
From 2000 to 2006, Hunter served as the head football and boy's track and field coach at Pershing. On the gridiron, his teams were 40-28 and made four state playoff appearances in the last six years after the school had made just one state playoff appearances in its history prior to his arrival. He led Pershing to two district titles, two regional championship games and one Detroit P.S.L. playoff nod.
Hunter, who graduated from the institution in 1988, was a four-year starter at linebacker and twice was named first-team All-MAC (1986 and 1987). For his career, he had 336 tackles, including 44 for a loss and was a member of a 1985 MAC Championship team. Following his senior year, he signed a free agent contract with the San Francisco 49ers. Prior to his stint at Pershing High School, Hunter was an assistant coach at St. Martin DePorres in 1989 and from 1994-99. He was the defensive backs coach for a team which won the state championship in 1989 and was defensive coordinator from 1994-99, also winning state titles in 1995 and 1996. As a player, he also played on state title teams at DePorres in 1981 and 1982.
A native of Detroit, he and his wife, Amara, have a son, John (10) and a daughter, Justiss (6).
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Offensive Line
John McDonell begins his first year with the Bowling Green State University football team, coaching the offensive line.
McDonell brings a wealth of knowledge to the Falcons, which includes coaching stints at Purdue, Notre Dame, Washington State and Stanford. He also brings six years of coordinator experience to the Falcons after serving as the WSU offensive coordinator from 1994-2000, including a 1998 Rose Bowl appearance. While at Notre Dame and Purdue, McDonell's recruiting responsibility was Ohio.
He has also coached several NFL draft picks including Brady Quinn, Dustin Keller, Jeff Faine and Ryan Leaf, all first round draft picks in the NFL He was also responsible for the recruitment of Drew Bledsoe to Washington State. All-in-all McDonell was responsible for eight NFL draft picks between 2002-07.
Prior to his time at BGSU, McDonell spent three seasons as the tight ends coach at Purdue. He also coached the offensive tackles in 2006 and 2007.
McDonell came to the Boilermakers from Stanford, where he coached the offensive tackles and tight ends during the 2005 season. He previously served on the Cardinal staff in 2001, coaching the centers and guards. That year, Stanford ranked 23rd nationally in rushing offense - averaging 201 yards per game - and one of McDonell's pupils, guard Eric Heitmann, was named first team All-American. Heitmann and center Zack Quaccia were selected in the NFL draft.
Between his stints at Stanford, McDonell coached the centers and guards at Notre Dame from 2002 to 2004. Five of his players were taken in the NFL draft. Center Jeff Faine was a first team All-American and runner-up for the Rimington Award in 2002 and subsequently a first-round pick (21st overall) of the Cleveland Browns. The Fighting Irish played in the 2003 Gator Bowl and 2004 Insight Bowl.
From 1989 to 2000, McDonell worked at Washington State for head coach Mike Price, where Joe Tiller was on the staff in 1989 and 1990 as offensive coordinator. McDonell coached the offensive line and tight ends from 1989 to 1993, and then was offensive coordinator and offensive line coach from 1994 to 2000. The Cougars ranked second nationally in total offense in 1997 - averaging 502.2 yards per game - while setting Pac-10 season records for points (467, 42.5 per game) and total offense (5,524), winning the conference championship and earning their first Rose Bowl berth in 67 years.
Shannon Morrison
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Co-Defensive Coordinator/Secondary
Shannon Morrison begins his first season with Bowling Green and will serve as the team's co-defensive coordinator as well as the secondary coach.
Morrison has served as a defensive coordinator at two different schools, including a stint at Lehigh, where he helped coach the team to a 2004 Patriot League Championship. That season Lehigh led the league in scoring defense as well as fewest yards allowed.
Morrison also spent three seasons at Southeast Missouri State (2001-03) as the team's defensive coordinator. In 2003 the Indians led the Ohio Valley Conference in pass defense and ranked third in total defense. That same season Southeast Missouri State ranked seventh nationally in turnovers forced.
Morrison spent the past four seasons at Marshall where he coached the linebacker (2005-06) and the safety (2007-08) position. The former MU standout tutored junior safety C.J. Spillman in 2007 as he recorded a team-high 131 tackles en route to earning second-team All-Conference USA honors.
Morrison oversaw a Thundering Herd linebacking corps in 2005 that featured two of Conference USA's top tacklers in juniors Dennis Thornton (104) and Matt Couch (97). The linebacker unit also helped the MU defense limit opponents to a C-USA best 340.27 yards per game. During the 2006 season, Morrison coached linebacker Matt Couch to second-team all-conference honors and linebacker Josh Johnson to honorable mention accolades.
Morrison has also coached at Hampden-Sydney and Sam Houston State.
Doug Phillips
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Defensive Ends/Recruiting
Doug Phillips is in his third season with Bowling Green State University coaching the Falcon defensive ends, and is in his second season as the team's recruiting coordinator.
This past season Phillips helped coach senior defensive end Diyral Briggs to his second consecutive first-team All-MAC honor. Briggs finished the year with 9.5 sacks, most in the conference. Briggs also set career-highs in tackles for loss with 13.5.
In two years under Phillips Briggs recorded 14.5 sacks, second-highest in the conference in that span.
Phillips joined the Falcon staff after spending the 2006 season as the defensive quality control coach at Ohio State. He was part of a staff which won the Big Ten championship and played in the BCS title game. The Buckeyes were fifth in the country in scoring defense that season. On the field, he assisted with the Buckeye linebackers which included All-American and Bronko Nagurski Trophy winner James Laurinaitis.
He enters his 22nd year in the coaching profession. He worked for 15 years at the high school level, including nine as a head coach. In addition, he spent two years at Youngstown State with Jim Tressel, while earning his masters degree. He coached tight ends, defensive backs and running backs/kickers during his stay. Under Tressel, Phillips has coached in three national championship games including 2006 at OSU and in 1992 and 1991 at YSU. The Penguins won the Division IAA title in 1991.
A native of New Middletown, Ohio, and a 1991 graduate of Toledo, Phillips led his high school alma mater, Springfield Local, to back-to-back state playoff appearances. His 1999 team won the first of consecutive league championships and made the first of those two playoff appearances, while his 2000 squad went undefeated in the regular season and returned to the postseason, where it to the state quarterfinals. After four years at Springfield Local (1997-2000) Phillips moved onto Salem High School, where he spent five seasons (2001-05) and guided his teams to better records every season, culminating with a league runner-up finish in 2005. In addition, he guided the school to consecutive winning records in 2004 and 2005, a feat that was accomplished for the first time in 30 years at the school.
While an undergraduate student at Toledo, Phillips got his coaching career started at Toledo St. Francis DeSales and Sylvania Northview. After earning a bachelors degree in education from UT in 1991, he received a master's degree in educational administration from Youngstown State in 1995.
Warren Ruggiero
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Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks
Warren Ruggiero will begin his first year as the offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach at Bowling Green State University.
Ruggiero is a former Northwest Ohio native, having served as the running backs coach, quarterbacks coach, offensive coordinator and recruiting coordinator for Defiance College for five season (1989-93).
Ruggiero spent the past season as the quarterbacks coach at Kansas State where he helped lead the Wildcat signal callers to a combined 59% completion percentage on 3,235 yards and 20 scores. The KSU quarterbacks also threw just 10 interceptions in 425 passes. As good as the KSU quarterbacks were at throwing the ball, they also added 464 yards and 15 scores on the ground, helping the Kansas State offense to an average of 34.9 points and 402.1 yards per game.
Ruggiero spent the past season coaching quarterback Josh Freeman, who declared early for the upcoming NFL draft. Freeman is currently ranked as the third quarterback eligible for the 2009 draft by Mel Kiper, and has a first round draft grade by several services.
It won't be the first time Ruggiero helped coach a player to the NFL. In 2005 he coached future NFL New Orleans Saints wide receiver Marques Colston, who was named to the NFL All-Rookie Team that same season.
Ruggerio brings 21 years of coaching experience to the Falcons, including two as a head coach and 16 years as an offensive coordinator at some of the best offenses in the country. Under his guidance as a coordinator his offenses have finished in the top 10 statistically on 10 different occasions.
Prior to his time at Kansas State, Ruggiero was already an accomplished offensive coach who spent two seasons as the offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach at Elon, where he tutored quarterback Scott Riddle, who was dubbed the 2007 College Sporting News National Freshman of the Year after a monstrous rookie campaign.
Prior to his arrival at Elon, Ruggiero spent the previous six years at Hofstra, serving the first two seasons (2000-01) as the recruiting coordinator/quarterbacks coach and the last four (2002-05) as the offensive coordinator.
Previously, he coached the halfbacks and tight ends at The College of William and Mary during the 1999 campaign.
Prior to coming to William & Mary, Ruggiero was the head coach, offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Glenville State College for two seasons (1997-98); the quarterbacks coach, running backs coach and offensive coordinator at Clarion University of Pennsylvania for three seasons (1994-96) and a graduate assistant at the University of Delaware for the 1988 campaign.
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Sean Spencer (Clarion University, 1995)
Defensive Tackles/Special Team's Coordinator
Sean Spencer will begin his first season at Bowling Green where he will be the defensive tackles coach as well as the special team's coordinator.
Spencer brings eight years of defensive line coaching experience to the Falcons. He was also the special team's coordinator at UMass in 2007 and 2008.
Along with his special team duties, Spencer also coached the defensive line for the past two seasons for the Minutemen.
Spencer spent the 2006 season at Hofstra University where he was the defensive line coach for the Pride. He also served as the team's NFL Liaison in addition to his coaching duties. That summer, Spencer took part in an NFL summer internship with the New York Jets.
Prior to Hofstra, Spencer served as linebackers coach at Villanova University in 2005 where he coached first team all-conference selection Brian Hulea.
Spencer also spent one season at the College of Holy Cross where he served as defensive line coach in 2004. Before his stint at Holy Cross, Spencer served as the defensive line coach at UMass from 2001 through 2003. In his final season in Amherst, the Minutemen finish second in the Atlantic 10 in sacks with 34. Under Spencer's tutelage, three linemen earned all conference honors including Minutemen defensive standout Vladamar Brower, who earned All-America honors and was a Buck Buchanan Award finalist. During his first season, Spencer helped UMass to rank sixth in the league with 26 sacks.
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Assistant Head Coach/Co-Defensive Coordinator/Linebackers
Joe Trainer begins his first season at Bowling Green State University. Trainer will serve as the team's assistant head coach/co-defensive coordinator/linebacker coach for the Falcons.
Trainer spent the 2008 season at Rhode Island where he was the associate head coach/defensive coordinator for the Rams, but brings eight years of experience as a defensive coordinator and another three years as a head coach to BGSU.
Prior to his arrival at Rhode Island, Trainer was a three year head coach at Millersville University and before that he spent five seasons as the defensive coordinator at Villanova, where the Wildcats had the best defense in the A-10 in 2003 and 2004, which ranked 14th nationally each year.
During his first head coaching stint, Trainer hired and directed a staff of four full-time and four part-time assistants, designed a strength & conditioning program for his student-athletes, implemented an academic support program, and help design and complete both a renovation of the locker room and the varsity weight room. In three years at Millersville, Trainer had one third place finish and two fourth place finishes in the PSAC East.
Prior to his appointment at Millersville, Trainer spent eight seasons at CAA-rival Villanova, starting out as linebackers coach before being promoted to assistant coach/defensive coordinator in 2000. During his tenure at Villanova, Trainer helped the Wildcats to two conference championships, two NCAA Playoff appearances - including the national semifinals - two Lambert Cups, two wins over I-A schools (Rutgers and Temple), and five top 20 rankings in the final poll. Additionally, the Wildcats were nationally-ranked for a league-record 35 consecutive weeks and a school-record 12 wins in 1997. While at Hofstra, the Pride led the Atlantic 10 and ranked among the nation's best in passing offense during the 2004 and 2005 seasons. The Pride also led the A-10 in passing with a 250.5 yards per game average in 2003. In 2001 the Hofstra passing attack, behind current CFL quarterback Rocky Butler, ranked fourth in I-AA, averaging 301 yards per game. In 2000 the Pride passing attack ranked 17th in I-AA, averaging 261.8 yards per game.
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