Sean Kugler
 Kugler in 2014 | |
| Sport(s) | Football |
|---|---|
| Current position | |
| Title | Head coach |
| Team | UTEP |
| Conference | C-USA |
| Record | 18–31 |
| Biographical details | |
| Born |
August 9, 1966 Lockport, New York |
| Alma mater | UTEP |
| Playing career | |
| 1984–1988 | UTEP |
| 1991 | Sacramento Surge |
| Position(s) | Offensive lineman |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1990–1991 | Tampa Bay (FL) Tech HS (OL/DL) |
| 1992 | Gaither (FL) HS (OL) |
| 1993 | UTEP (GA) |
| 1994 | UTEP (TE) |
| 1995–2000 | UTEP (OL) |
| 2001–2003 | Detroit Lions (TE) |
| 2004–2005 | Detroit Lions (OL/TE) |
| 2006 | Boise State (AHC/OL) |
| 2007 | Buffalo Bills (AOL) |
| 2008–2009 | Buffalo Bills (OL) |
| 2010–2012 | Pittsburgh Steelers (OL) |
| 2013–present | UTEP |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 18–31 |
| Bowls | 0–1 |
Sean Kugler (born August 9, 1966) is an American football coach and former player. He is currently the head coach of the UTEP Miners college football team, a position he has held since the 2013 season. Kugler previously served as an assistant coach at the high school, collegiate and professional levels for 23 years, including eleven seasons in the National Football League (NFL).
Early years
Kugler was born and raised in Lockport, New York[1] where his father, Robert, was the assistant fire chief. He has two brothers and two sisters.[2]
Playing career
Kugler attended the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) from 1984 to 1988, earning letterman honors in football for all four years. The 1988 team played in the Independence Bowl.[3] His position coach at UTEP was Andy Reid, who would later become head coach of the NFL's Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs.[4]
Kugler signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers as an undrafted free agent in 1989,[2] but after sustaining a concussion in training camp, he was released.[5] In 1991 he was drafted by the Sacramento Surge of the World League of American Football (WLAF).[6] He started at guard for one season with the Surge.[2]
Coaching career
Kugler began his coaching career as a graduate assistant coach for Florida high schools Tampa Bay Vo-Tech and Gaither HS while completing his degree in education at the University of South Florida (USF). After three years in Florida, he spent the next eight seasons (1993–2000) at UTEP, working his way from graduate assistant (1993), to tight ends coach in (1994), and finally to offensive line coach (1995–2000).[7]
Kugler got his first professional experience in 2001 as a tight end coach with the Detroit Lions of the NFL. He later worked his way into a role as offensive line coach.[7]
There's absolutely no question that he's the best football coach I've ever been around.
— Boise State head coach Chris Petersen on Kugler[8]
In 2006, Kugler moved to Boise State, assuming a role as assistant head coach and offensive line coach. The 2006 Boise State Broncos football team was the only undefeated team in college football that year, winning the WAC title and beating Oklahoma in the 2007 Fiesta Bowl. They boasted the sixth-ranked rushing performance in the nation behind Kugler's offensive line led by sophomore Ryan Clady and junior Jeff Cavender, who earned All-WAC honors.
Kugler joined the Buffalo Bills in 2007 as assistant offensive line coach.[2] He was promoted to offensive line coach the following year.[9] He quickly improved the Bills' line and mentored tackle Jason Peters to two consecutive Pro Bowl selections. The Bills' offensive line became remarkably consistent and cohesive, surrendering only 26 sacks on the 2007 season and consisting of the same lineup for 15 consecutive games.[9][10]
He joined the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2010 following the dismissal of the previous offensive line coach, Larry Zierlein.[11] He had previously replaced Zierlein as assistant line coach for the Bills in 2007.[2] In his first season as a coach with the Steelers, the team made it to the Super Bowl despite season-ending injuries to both starting offensive tackles and the presence of a rookie starting center.[12]
On December 10, 2012, UTEP named Kugler as the new head coach, replacing the retired Mike Price.[13][14]
Personal
Kugler and his wife Patsy have three children: sons Robert and Patrick and daughter Kali.[7] Robert and Patrick played on high school football teams that won state championships two straight seasons — in 2009 in New York and 2010 in Pennsylvania. Robert was named the Class AAAA co-Player of the Year by the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association and is a center for the Purdue University Boilermakers.[3][12][15] His younger son, Patrick, is a freshman offensive lineman for the University of Michigan Wolverines.[16]
Coaching tree
| Head Coach | Team | Capacity | Year(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marty Mornhinweg | Detroit Lions | offensive line, tight ends assistant | 2001–2002 |
| Steve Mariucci | Detroit Lions | offensive line, tight ends assistant | 2003–2005 |
| Chris Petersen | Boise State | offensive line, assistant head coach | 2006 |
| Dick Jauron | Buffalo Bills | offensive line, tight ends coach | 2007–2009 |
| Mike Tomlin | Pittsburgh Steelers | offensive line | 2010–2012 |
Head coaching record
| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UTEP Miners (Conference USA) (2013–present) | |||||||||
| 2013 | UTEP | 2–10 | 1–7 | 7th (West) | |||||
| 2014 | UTEP | 7–6 | 5–3 | T–2nd (West) | L New Mexico | ||||
| 2015 | UTEP | 5–7 | 3–5 | T–4th (West) | |||||
| 2016 | UTEP | 4–8 | 2–6 | T–5th (West) | |||||
| UTEP: | 18–31 | 11–21 | |||||||
| Total: | 18–31 | ||||||||
References
- ↑ "Pittsburgh Steelers Assistant Coaches". NFL. Retrieved May 21, 2011.
- 1 2 3 4 5 D'Onofrio, John (February 6, 2007). "Kugler Comes Home to Join Bills Staff". Niagara Gazette. Retrieved May 25, 2011.
- 1 2 Knight, Bill (January 15, 2011). "Former UTEP Miner Sean Kugler coaching Steelers". El Paso Times. Retrieved May 26, 2011.
- ↑ McLane, Jeff (February 3, 2011). "Steelers coach: Reid's job on the line". Birds' Eye View: The Inquirer's Eagles Blog. The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved May 26, 2011.
- ↑ Prisuta, Mike (August 30, 1989). "Steelers tell Keith Gary to Start Packing". The Beaver County Times. Retrieved May 25, 2011.
- ↑ Van Vliet, Jim (February 15, 1991). "Surge Picks Big Man in WLAF Draft". Lodi News-Sentinel. McClatchy News Service. p. 19. Retrieved May 25, 2011.
- 1 2 3 "Sean Kugler bio". Steelers.com (official website). Pittsburgh Steelers. Retrieved May 22, 2011.
- ↑ Graham, Tim (January 13, 2010). "Steelers hire Bills O-line coach Kugler". ESPN.com. Retrieved May 25, 2011.
- 1 2 "Sean Kugler bio". BuffaloBills.com (official website). Buffalo Bills. Retrieved May 22, 2011.
- ↑ "Bills 2007 Season". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved May 26, 2011.
- ↑ "Steelers Announce Coaching Changes". Steelers.com (team's website). January 7, 2010. Retrieved January 14, 2010.
- 1 2 Wilson, Allen (February 2, 2011). "Kugler landed on his feet with the Steelers". The Buffalo News. Retrieved May 26, 2011.
- ↑ "UTEP hires Sean Kugler as coach". ESPN.com. Associated Press. December 10, 2012. Retrieved October 25, 2015.
- ↑ Bloomquist, Bret (December 8, 2012). "Pittsburgh Steelers coach, Sean Kugler, will take over as UTEP's head football coach". El Paso Times. Retrieved December 8, 2012.
- ↑ "Robert Kugler Bio". Purdue University.
- ↑ "Patrick Kugler Bio". University of Michigan.
External links
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