Third and Shorts

Head Coaches - Tulane awarded head coach Chris Scelfo a contract extension through 2009. Scelfo has guided the Green Wave for six seasons... Greg Robinson was hired as head coach at Syracuse... Aurora tabbed Rich Duncan as head coach... Arne Ferguson was named as interim head coach at Western Oregon to succeed Duke Iverson, who will continue as an assistant with the program at least through the end of the academic year... Coastal Carolina awarded David Bennett with a contract extension through 2010. Bennett guided the Chanticleers to a 10-1 mark and the Big South Conference championship in the 2004 season... Melvin Spears was promoted to head coach at Grambling... Eastern Washington awarded head coach Paul Wulff a five-year contract. Wulff, who has been with the program since 1993, was the 2001 and 2004 Big Sky Conference Coach of the Year... Frank Haege was named as head coach at Augsburg. Haege, formerly offensive coordinator at the school from 1996 to1998, most recently was head coach of the Arena Football League’s Las Vegas Gladiators... Southeastern Louisiana hired Dennis Roland as head coach. Roland, who replaces Hal Mumme, has been head coach and director of athletics at North Gwinnett (Georgia) High School... Pete Adrian was chosen as head coach at Norfolk State to succeed Willie Gillus.

Assistants - Jeff Choate was selected as special teams coordinator at Eastern Illinois. Choate has spent the past two years as special teams coach at Utah State... Kevin Weston was appointed as running backs coach and strength and conditioning coordinator and Don Dover was named as offensive line coach and running game coordinator at Tusculum. The school also elevated assistant head coach David Elsenrath to offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. Elsenrath, who replaces Dieter Brock, has been offensive line coach for the past five years... Illinois tabbed Mike Locksley as offensive coordinator... Utah State named Mike Santiago as offensive coordinator. Santiago formerly worked as head coach at Stephen F. Austin... Jerry Oravitz was tabbed as director of football operations at Delaware... Brigham Young added Brandon Doman as quarterbacks coach... West Virginia added Butch Jones as an assistant coach for wide receivers... Gene Chizik was hired as defensive coordinator and assistant head coach at Texas. The Longhorns also hired Oscar Giles as defensive ends coach... Southern Arkansas chose Jeff Byrd as defensive coordinator... Jay Hopson was tabbed as defensive coordinator and Jay Johnson was promoted to offensive coordinator at Southern Mississippi... Gary Crowton, former head coach at BYU, was appointed as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Oregon... Clemson selected Vic Koenning as defensive coordinator at Clemson... Tom Knotts resigned after one season as quarterbacks coach at Duke... San Diego State announced Dennis McKnight as tight ends coach... At West Alabama, head coach Sam McCorkle has made the following changes to his staff: Sam Graham was named defensive coordinator and linebackers coach; Jason Graham was chosen as offensive line coach; Craig Hall has been named running backs coach; David Thornton and Doug Green are now the defensive secondary coaches and Lee Johnson is the new wide receivers coach. s
(Courtesy: NCAA News) Please send all coaching transactions to AFM’s Managing Editor Rex Lardner: rlardner@lcclark.com

(Courtesy: NCAA News) Please send all coaching transactions to AFM’s Managing Editor Rex Lardner: rlardner@lcclark.com
Steve Hatchell Named New NFF President

With National Football Foundation President Bob Casciola retiring this winter, Steve Hatchell has been named his successor as the next president of the NFF. The commissioner of the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association, Hatchell has a long and distinguished track record in intercollegiate athletics: he is a former commissioner of both the Southwest Conference and the Big 12 Conference and served as Executive Director of the Federal Express Orange Bowl. The Colorado graduate also worked as Commissioner of the Metro Conference.

Casciola will be handing over the presidency of an organization that includes more than 13,000 members and 119 chapters. Under Casciola’s leadership, the foundation launched the building of the current $15 million College Hall of Fame in South Bend, Ind., the securing of funding for the PLAY IT SMART program, and both the development and implementation of the NFL/NFF Coaching Academy, which annually helps instruct over 10,000 youth coaches.

Hallenbeck Joins USA Football

Scott Hallenbeck has joined USA Football in the newly-created position of Assistant Executive Director. In his new role, Hallenbeck will work and report directly to Dave Ogrean, USA Football's Executive Director.

Hallenbeck joins USA Football from Links Marketing LLC, a company he started to develop cause-related marketing programs for non-profit and for-profit clients. In his new position, he will be responsible for the day-to-day operations of USA Football, help manage and execute the organization's strategic and business plans, and focus on attracting corporate and external support.

Hallenbeck began his career in sports at the U.S. Olympic Committee in 1991 as International Games Coordinator. He joined Reebok as Manager, Global Sports Marketing in 1994. A year later he became Vice President for Turner Broadcsting's Goodwill Games and in 1999 joined the Boys & Girls Clubs of America as Vice President, national KidsDay, a national youth development promotion.