Football Defensive Coaches Hired
January 03, 2000 | Football
Jan. 3, 2000
LUBBOCK, Texas - Texas Tech head football coach Mike Leach has completed his first Red Raider defensive staff by naming Brian Norwood and Ruffin McNeill as assistant coaches. Norwood will coach defensive backs and McNeill will work with the linebackers.
?We are extremely pleased to have Brian and Ruffin as members of our staff,? Leach said. ?Both are excellent young coaches and energetic recruiters. They both know what Coach (Greg) McMackin and I expect from our defense.?
Norwood and McNeill join McMackin and Ron Harris to compose the Texas Tech defensive staff. Harris is slated to coach Red Raider defensive linemen. One position, an inside receivers coach, remains left to fill on Leach?s first Tech staff.
Norwood, 34, comes to Texas Tech from Navy, where he has coached defensive backs for the last five years. Prior to that he coached outside linebackers at Richmond (1992-94) and was a graduate assistant working with the secondary at Arizona (1990-91).
Norwood was a four-year letterman as a defensive back at Hawaii before playing briefly with the Calgary Stampeders of the Canadian Football League. He and his wife, Tiffiney have five children: Gabriel, Jordan, Levi, Brianna and Zaccariah.
Ruffin comes to Lubbock after a one-year stint as defensive line coach at Fresno State. Prior to that he was defensive coordinator at UNLV (1997-98), taking the Rebel defense from last in the nation to 44th in total defense. McNeill also served as defensive coordinator at Appalachian State (1993-97).
Other coaching stops for Ruffin, 41, include East Carolina (1992), North Alabama (1988-89), Austin Peay (1987-88) and an additional stint at Appalachian State (1989-91). A three-year starter at defensive back for East Carolina, Ruffin has coached the defensive front and special teams, as well as inside and outside linebackers.
Ruffin and his wife, Erlene, have two children, Renata and Olivia.