ALABAMA HIRES DABOLL AS O.C. AND QUARTERBACKS COACH

ALABAMA HIRES DABOLL AS O.C. AND QUARTERBACKS COACH

University of Alabama head football coach Nick Saban announced the hiring of Brian Daboll on Monday as the Crimson Tide’s offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach.

“We are certainly happy to add a coach the caliber of Brian Daboll to our staff,” Saban said. “I have known Brian since he worked for us as a GA at Michigan State and he has a fantastic reputation in the coaching profession. He brings a tremendous work ethic to the job and has a wealth of football knowledge. Brian is a great teacher of the game, and someone who can relate well to our players. We are excited to welcome Brian, his wife Beth and their family

to Tuscaloosa.”

Daboll comes to Tuscaloosa after spending 17 years in the NFL and the past three seasons with the New England Patriots, fresh off of a Super Bowl victory. He coached tight ends for two seasons and offensive line for one in his second stint with the Patriots. He spent a total of 10 seasons in New England and helped the team to five Super Bowl titles (XXXVI, XXXVIII, XXXIX, XLIX and LI).

“I am honored to have the chance to return to the college game and work for Coach Saban at Alabama,” Daboll said. “He basically gave me my start in coaching as a graduate assistant at Michigan State in the late 1990s and has always been a very important influence on my coaching career. It is a tremendous opportunity to work at an institution such as Alabama with its rich tradition and history of sustained success, and I’m very excited to get started.”

Daboll coached Rob Gronkowski to unanimous Associated Press first team All-Pro honors following the 2015 season and tutored Martellus Bennett (55 rec., 701 yards, 7 TDs) and Gronkowski (25 rec., 540 yards, 3 TDs) in 2016. He returned to the Patriots for the 2014 season after serving as the offensive coordinator for the Kansas City Chiefs in 2012.

Daboll joined Kansas City after spending the 2011 season as the offensive coordinator with the Miami Dolphins. During his season with the Dolphins, Miami produced a 1,000-yard rusher and a 1,000-yard receiver for the first time in franchise history.

He served as Cleveland’s offensive coordinator during the 2009 and 2010 seasons. The Browns offense saw dramatic improvement in the second half of the 2009 season, scoring 11.1 more points per game, preforming 20.8 percent better in the red zone and averaging 1.9 fewer turnovers per game during that span.

Daboll coached quarterbacks during his two seasons (2007-08) with the New York Jets, helping Brett Favre pick up the Jets offense after coming out of retirement. In his one season under Daboll, Favre captured a Pro Bowl berth for the AFC squad and had the second-highest completion percentage of his career (65.7).

Prior to entering the NFL ranks, Daboll spent one year (1997) as a volunteer assistant at the College of William & Mary before serving two seasons (1998-99) as a graduate assistant for Saban at Michigan State.

A 1997 graduate of the University of Rochester, Daboll was a two-year starter for the YellowJackets at safety. He and his wife Beth have five children, Marky, Christian, Aiden, Haven and Avery.

All such employment contracts are subject to approval by The University of Alabama Board of Trustees.

ALABAMA ANNOUNCES THE HIRING OF JOE PANNUNZIO

Courtesy UA Media Relations

University of Alabama head football coach Nick Saban announced the hiring of Joe Pannunzio on Monday as the Crimson Tide’s special teams coordinator and tight ends coach.

“I am very pleased that we were able to bring Joe back to our staff,” Saban said. “He does an excellent job coaching special teams and tight ends, a role I know he truly enjoys. He is a great fit in our organization and I think our players will respond well to his positive attitude and energy. We are excited to welcome Joe and his wife Rita back to The University of Alabama.”

Pannunzio, who brings over 30 years of coaching experience to Tuscaloosa, returns to the Alabama program after spending the past two seasons as the Philadelphia Eagles director of personnel operations. He served as the Crimson Tide’s director of football operations for four seasons from 2011-14.

“I am excited to have the chance to return to The University of Alabama and once again work for Coach Saban,” Pannunzio said. “I have always loved working with the special teams and tight ends and the chance to do it for the best coach and the best program in college football is a very special opportunity. My family and I love Tuscaloosa, and I can’t wait to get back out on the

field coaching.”

The hiring of Punnunzio to coach the tight ends and specials teams allows co-offensive coordinator Michael Locksley to handle the wide receivers, Burton Burns to turn his focus once again to only the Tide running backs and Brent Key will coach all aspects of the offensive line.

Prior to joining Alabama, Pannunzio was the tight ends coach/special teams coordinator at the University of Miami (Fla.) from 2006-10. During his tenure at UM, Pannunzio tutored players such as Greg Olsen (1st rd, Chicago, 2007), Jimmy Graham (3rd rd, New Orleans, 2010), Dedrick Epps (7th rd, San Diego, 2010) and punter Matt Bosher (6th rd, Atlanta, 2011). Miami made four bowl appearances in his five years in Coral Gables.

Pannunzio spent six years as the head coach at Murray State from 2000-05, leading the Racers to the 2002 Ohio Valley Championship and a berth in the NCAA I-AA playoffs. He joined Mike Gottfried, Frank Beamer and Houston Nutt as one of just four head coaches in school history to win a conference title.

Prior to becoming a head coach, Pannunzio spent five years working for Tommy Tuberville at Mississippi (1995-98) and Auburn (1999) as the tight ends and special teams coach. He also served in the same capacity for four years under Jim Wacker at TCU (1991) and Minnesota (1992-94).

In his second stint with Mesa (Colo.) College from 1987-90, Pannunzio worked as the offensive coordinator. He originally joined Mesa from 1982-84, when he coached the quarterbacks and wide receivers. Between those two stints at Mesa, Pannunzio was the tight ends coach at Kansas (1985-86).

A native of Pueblo, Colo., Pannunzio was a standout quarterback at Southern Colorado, earning honorable mention all-conference and in 1980. He also began his coaching career at his alma mater, working with wide receivers in 1981. He and his wife, Rita, have two daughters, Angela Brown and Nico Segura and a son, Mario. They have one grandson, Michael Jo Brown and son-in-laws Michael Brown and Jason Segura.

All such employment contracts are subject to approval by The University of Alabama Board of Trustees.

Get all the latest information on the team by following @AlabamaFTBL on Twitter and Facebook and AlabamaFBL on Instagram. General athletic news can also be found at UA_Athletics on Twitter and Instagram and AlabamaAthletics on Facebook.

2017 ALABAMA FOOTBALL COACHING STAFF

Nick Saban Head Coach

Brian Daboll Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks

Jeremy Pruitt Defensive Coordinator/Inside Linebackers

Derrick Ansley Defensive Backs

Burton Burns Associate Head Coach/Running Backs

Karl Dunbar Defensive Line

Brent Key Offensive Line

Michael Locksley Co-Offensive Coordinator/Wide Receivers

Tosh Lupoi Co-Defensive Coordinator/Outside Linebackers

Joe Pannunzio Special Teams Coordinator/Tight Ends