Coach Strong Announces Complete Coaching Staff

Former Texas defensive back Vance Bedford will reprise his role as Strong’s defensive coordinator while also serving as secondary coach, after having spent the past four seasons with the UT head coach at Louisville and 28 seasons as a college and professional coach.

Prior to his time with the Cardinals where he led the top-ranked defense in the nation in 2013, Bedford served two years (2008-09) as the defensive backs coach at Florida with Strong as defensive coordinator; one season (2007) as secondary coach in one of two stints at Michigan; and two years as defensive coordinator at Oklahoma State (2005-06).

Bedford made his way to the NFL in 1999 as the defensive backs coach for the Chicago Bears (1999-2004). While with Chicago, Bedford coached former Longhorn Pro Bowler Nathan Vasher. Bedford also coached defensive backs at Michigan (1995-1998); Oklahoma State (1993-94); and Colorado State (1987-92). He began his coaching career at Forest Brook High School in Houston, Texas, in 1985. He moved into the collegiate ranks at Navarro (Texas) Junior College in 1986, before accepting the position at Colorado State.

Bedford lettered four years (1977-79, ’81) at Texas and earned a bachelor’s degree in sociology in 1984.

Strong retained UT tight ends coach Bruce Chambers, who begins his 17th season as a Longhorn assistant, the last 12 as tight ends coach. Chambers was previously Texas’ co-recruiting coordinator (2005-12) and was named recruiting coordinator for the 2013 season.

Chambers joined the UT staff from Carter High School in Dallas, where he helped coach one of the state’s most successful football programs for 14 seasons in various positions including athletics director/head coach in 1996-97.

A four-year letterman as a wide receiver and a two-time letterwinner in track & field at North Texas, Chambers earned his bachelor’s degree in journalism in 1982.

Brian Jean-Mary begins his third coaching stint under Strong. A veteran of 13 years of collegiate coaching, he has been named linebackers coach after spending the last four seasons in the same position on Strong’s staff at Louisville.

Prior to his time with the Cardinals, Jean-Mary (ZHAHN-muh-REE) spent six seasons as the linebackers coach at Georgia Tech (2004-09), one season coaching the defensive backs at North Alabama (2003) and two years (2001-02) as a defensive graduate assistant at South Carolina under Strong. He also served as a graduate assistant on the strength and conditioning staff at Louisville for one year (2000).

A native of Apopka, Fla., Jean-Mary played college football at Appalachian State, where he earned a bachelor's degree in 1998.

A veteran offensive assistant coach, Les Koenning has been hired as the wide receivers coach.

A coach with 33 years of experience, Koenning (KENN-ing) spent the last five of those at Mississippi State, elevating the offense to its highest levels in school history in addition to helping the Bulldogs play in four straight bowl games for the first time in school history.

Koenning, who earned his undergraduate and graduate degrees at UT, has also served as an offensive coordinator at Texas A&M (2003-07) and Alabama (2001-02). He has coached quarterbacks and running backs, in addition to wide receivers.

Koenning had his first full-time assistant position at Louisiana-Lafayette in 1985 before moving on to Mississippi State for four years (1986-89) as running backs and wide receivers coach.

After four years on Strong’s staff at the Louisville, Pat Moorer has been hired as head strength and conditioning coach for football.

Prior to his time at Louisville, Moorer was the director of strength and conditioning at South Carolina from 1999-2009. He worked four years alongside Strong, who was defensive coordinator there from 1999-2002.

Before his time at South Carolina, Moorer was the director of strength and conditioning at the University of Illinois for two years (1997-99).

Moorer, a former walk-on, earned a scholarship with the Florida Gators, where he played inside linebacker for four seasons, and was the SEC Freshman of the Year in 1986. He earned his Bachelor of Science degree in health and human performance from Florida in 1992.

Tommie Robinson will handle the running backs coaching duties after spending the 2013 season as the passing game coordinator/RB coach at USC. Robinson brings 22 years of college and professional coaching experience with him to the Forty Acres.

Before his time with the Trojans, Robinson had coaching stops as a running backs coach at Miami (2007-09) and Memphis (2006); receivers and tight ends coach at Georgia Tech (2002-05); running backs coach at Oklahoma State (2001) and UNLV (1998); wide receivers coach/offensive assistant with the Dallas Cowboys (1998-2000); wide receivers coach at TCU (1994-1997) and running backs coach at Utah State (1992-1993). He also served as a graduate assistant at Arkansas in 1991. Prior to Arkansas, he spent the first five years of his coaching career at the high school level.

Robinson was a three-year starter at strong safety and team captain as a senior at Troy State, where he was a member of the 1984 NCAA Division II national championship team. He graduated with a criminal justice degree from Troy State in 1985.

Chris Rumph will serve as the assistant head coach for defense and defensive line coach after spending the past three seasons working with that position at Alabama where he helped the Crimson Tide win consecutive National Championships in 2011 and 2012.

Rumph joined Alabama's staff in January of 2011 after five years at Clemson (2006-10), the first three as defensive line coach and the last two as defensive ends coach. Rumph’s 12 years of college coaching experience includes coaching the outside linebackers at Memphis (2003-05) and the defensive backs at South Carolina State in 2002. He also served a five-year stint as head coach at Calhoun County (S.C.) High School.

Rumph played linebacker at South Carolina from 1991-94, earning his bachelor’s degree in 1994.

Chris Vaughn will bring his 15 years of collegiate coaching experience to head up the defensive backs after spending the previous two seasons as the cornerbacks coach at the University of Memphis.

Prior to joining the Memphis staff, Vaughn spent the previous four seasons (2008-11) at Ole Miss where he directed the defensive backs and served as the program's recruiting coordinator.

Vaughn coached two positions on defense (linebackers and safeties) during a nine-year stint at Arkansas (1999-2007), including four as recruiting coordinator. He spent the 2006 season as the Razorbacks director of on-campus recruiting.

Vaughn began his Arkansas career as a graduate assistant in 1999 after earning four letters as a linebacker at Murray State, where he graduated in 1998 with a bachelor's degree in advertising and a minor in art.

Shawn Watson is another former assistant from Strong’s Louisville staff who will be the assistant head coach for offense and quarterbacks coach. At Louisville, Watson spent the past three seasons as offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach and brings 29 years of collegiate coaching experience to Texas.

Watson was previously the offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach at Nebraska from 2007-10. Prior to his time as OC with the Huskers, Watson was the tight ends coach there in 2006; spent seven seasons (1999-2005) at Colorado as either the quarterbacks coach or QB coach/offensive coordinator; was quarterbacks coach at Northwestern (1997-98); head coach at Southern Illinois (1994-96); tight ends or quarterbacks coach/OC at Miami of Ohio (1987-93); and two years at Illinois (1985-86) as a tight ends coach, offensive tackles coach or wide receivers coach.  Watson was also a grad assistant at Illinois for two years (1983-84) and began his coaching career as a grad assistant in 1982 at Southern Illinois.

He began his collegiate playing career at Illinois in 1978, but transferred to Southern Illinois at Carbondale in 1979, where he played two seasons at safety. He graduated from Southern Illinois with a health education degree in 1982.

Joe Wickline will serve as offensive coordinator/offensive line coach after spending nine years at Oklahoma State as the offensive line coach and 32 years in collegiate coaching. Wickline and Strong were members of the same Florida staff for two seasons together in 2003-04.

Before his long tenure at Oklahoma State, Wickline was the offensive line/running game coordinator at Florida (2002-04); offensive line/running game/recruiting coordinator at Tennessee State (1999-2001); offensive line coach at Baylor (1997-98); head coach at SW Mississippi College (1996); offensive line coach at Pearl River CC (1995); offensive line coach at Ole Miss (1988-94); offensive line coach/offensive coordinator at Delta State (1984-87); and a graduate assistant at Tennessee (1984) and Florida (1982-83).

Wickline played at Florida, where he was a three-year letterman and also lettered one season in wrestling. He earned his bachelor's degree in health, physical education and recreation from Florida in 1983.

(Via Texas Athletics)