UNI Football Camps - University of Northern Iowa, Cedar Falls, Iowa

UNI Football Camps

Coaching Staff

Chris Klieman
Defensive Coordinator/Secondary

Defensive coordinator Chris Klieman is entering his eighth year on the sideline as a Panther assistant coach. Klieman is in his second stint as a Panther coach having previously served at UNI as the secondary coach from 1991-1993.

Under Klieman's direction as defensive coordinator in 2009, UNI led the Missouri Valley Football Conference in total defense and scoring defense. UNI ranked No. 4 in the nation in scoring defense and No. 9 in total defense.

In 2008, the Panthers ranked No. 4 in the nation in turnover margin and No. 9 in the nation in scoring defense. The Panthers forced 40 turnovers in 2008, which included 24 interceptions and 16 fumble recoveries. UNI gave up 17.67 points per game in 2008. The Panthers secured back-to-back shutouts for the first time since 1971 with wins over Missouri State (42-0) and Indiana State (28-0). Safety Darrell Lloyd earned first-team All-MVFC honors in 2008, while cornerback Terrell McMoore tallied second-team status.

In 2007, the Panthers had 11 different players intercept passes. The 11 players tallied a total of 21 interceptions. Three members of the secondary earned All-League honors as safety Clifford Waters tallied first-team status, while cornerback Darrell Lloyd garnered second-team honors and cornerback Adam Roberts was named to the honorable-mention squad.

Klieman's first year of his return to coaching the Panthers' secondary in 2006, was marked by senior Dre Dokes leading the nation with seven interceptions. Junior Chris Parsons tallied six interceptions to finish in a tie for second in the nation.

Chris Klieman was a three-time All-Conference defensive back for the Panthers and a four-year letterwinner from 1986-1990.

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Rick Nelson
Offensive Line

Offensive line coach Rick Nelson will enter his 20th year as an offensive line coach in the Missouri Valley Football Conference this fall.

In 2009, Nelson had to put together an offensive line that was replacing a pair of National Football League draft picks in Chad Rinehart (3rd round-Washington Redskins) and Brandon Keith (7th round-Arizona Cardinals); the group he put together did not disappoint. All five starters were seniors in 2009, and their experience helped guide the Panthers to yet another top-25 finish in the nation. UNI's offense ranked No. 1 in the MVFC in total offense and No. 2 in scoring offense. UNI's scoring offense ranked No. 12 in the nation and the Panther total offense ranked No. 13 in the nation.

Under Nelson's guidance in 2007, the Panther offensive line cleared the running lanes for Corey Lewis, who set a school record with 1,513 rushing yards, while also picking up blockers and creating throwing lanes for Eric Sanders, who finished second in the balloting for the Walter Payton Award.

Nelson is one of four former Panther players on this year's staff and he was re-hired by UNI in February 2000, after spending 11 years at Missouri State in Springfield, Mo.

Nelson was a two-year letterwinner for UNI as an offensive lineman when he played from 1980-1983. He received his bachelor's degree in 1984, and served as the Panthers' strength and conditioning coach and graduate assistant for two years before gaining experience in Kansas and Missouri at the high school and collegiate levels.

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Bill Salmon
Assoc. Head Coach/Off. Coord./WR

Highly regarded as one of UNI's best quarterbacks ever, associate head coach and co-offensive coordinator Bill Salmon has served as an assistant coach in all 32 Panther FCS playoff games in the program's history. The 2010 season will be Salmon's 24th season as a Panther assistant coach.

In 2009, UNI led the Missouri Valley Football Conference in total offense and ranked No. 2 in the league in scoring offense. UNI ranked No. 12 in the nation in scoring offense and No. 13 in the nation in total offense.

In 2008, the Panther offense set a school record with 661 rushing attempts while earning a No. 3 seed for the FCS playoffs and racking up a school-record tying 12 victories. He tutored a pair of freshmen (Jarred Herring and Josh Collins) to the Missouri Valley Football Conference's All-Newcomer team in 2008. Collins led the Panthers with 502 receiving yards and 32 catches, while Herring led the team with four touchdown receptions.

Salmon (SAHL-mun) rejoined the Panther staff in 2001 as associate head coach, offensive coordinator, and assistant in charge of the wide receivers. Prior to his return to UNI, Salmon served as the offensive coordinator at the University of Kansas from 1997-2000. Salmon was also the running backs coach for the Jayhawks in 1999 and 2000.

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Mario Verduzco
Co-Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks

When UNI head coach Mark Farley went looking for a quarterbacks coach, he could not have landed a better technician than Mario Verduzco. Since his arrival at UNI in 2001, Verduzco has spun his magic with the Panther signal callers. In 2001, UNI true freshman quarterback Tom Petrie was named the league's Freshman of the Year. Petrie was also named to the league's All-Newcomer team. The Panthers also benefited from the play of backup quarterback Griff Juergens during the '01 season. Jurgens led the Panthers to a 5-1 record as the starter, including a pair of playoff victories over Eastern Illinois and Maine.

After Petrie sustained a season-ending injury in the team's fourth game of the year in 2004, redshirt freshman Eric Sanders took over the role and was named the league's Freshman of the Year for the season. Sanders completed 95 of 150 passes for 1,307 yards--setting a school freshman record--and seven touchdowns.

Under the assistance of Verduzco, Sanders developed into one of the nation's best FCS quarterbacks. Sanders finished his Panther career ranked No. 1 all-time among FCS quarterbacks with a 69.59 percent completion percentage. Sanders completed his Panthers' career as the school's all-tme leader in pass completions (714) and total offense yards (9,579). Sanders finished second in the 2007 Walter Payton Award balloting.

Verduzco's teaching extended to a new quarterback in 2008, as Pat Grace took over the reins from Sanders. Grace put together a fine season through the air and on the ground. Grace passed for a team-high 2,041 yards and 14 touchdowns, while rushing for a team-high 11 scores that earned him second team All-Conference honors in his first year as the starting quarterback. Grace put together a tremendous senior season in 2009, a year in which he was named a first-team All-Missouri Valley Football Conference quarterback.

Not to be forgotten about in 2008, was the play of backup quarterback Zach Davis, who earned league All-Newcomer status despite only starting three games. Davis did the unthinkable as he led the Panthers to a perfect 3-0 record in three conference road starts.

With Verduzco at the controls of the UNI passing game, the Panthers have ranked either No. 1 or No. 2 in the MVFC in passing efficiency every year from 2003-2009. The Panthers have also ranked in the top 20 in passing efficiency in the nation from 2003-2009.

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Atif Austin
Running Backs/Special Teams Coordinator

Atif (ah-TEEF) Austin will be entering his sixth season as the Panthers' running back coach in 2010. Austin took over as Special Teams Coordinator in 2009.

Not only was Corey Lewis rewriting the UNI record book in 2008, Derrick Law was also contributing as he nearly eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark as Lewis' backup. The Panthers' 32 rushing touchdowns in 2008 tied for the second-most in school history.

The Panthers' running attack reached new levels in 2007, as the squad rushed for a school record 2,956 yards and 39 touchdowns. Leading the way was Lewis as he rushed for a school record 1,513 yards, including 220 in UNI's 38-35 win over New Hampshire in the NCAA FCS playoffs. Lewis averaged 116.38 yards per game to rank No. 2 in the conference and No. 19 in the nation. Austin was instrumental in helping running back Darian Williams attain Missouri Valley Football Conference Newcomer of the Year honors in 2006. Williams ranked eighth in the league in rushing yards per game (59.4) and ranked second on the team with 653 rushing yards and five rushing touchdowns. The Panthers' other feature back in '06 was Corey Lewis, who rushed for a team-high 894 yards and 10 rushing touchdowns. Lewis ranked No. 27 in the nation and No. 5 in the MVFC in rushing yards/game (99.3).

In 2005, Austin helped running back David Horne set the UNI single-season rushing touchdown record with 17. Horne rushed for 1,141 yards to lead the Panthers into the program's first-ever appearance in the NCAA FCS national title game. Along with Horne's accomplishments, the Panthers were able to mix in fellow senior Terrance Freeney into the UNI running game. Freeney rushed 172 times for 656 yards and nine touchdowns in 2005. Prior to the 2007 season, Austin was selected to attend the 2007 NCAA Football Coaching Academy in Indianapolis, IN. The academy, targeted for minority coaches, is a preparatory class for becoming a head coach, with participants selected by a committee from the NCAA.

Austin served as a graduate assistant at Southwest Minnesota State University (2003-2004), the first season working with the secondary and the second season aiding with the inside linebackers. Additional duties included helping with athlete strength and conditioning during the season, video coordination, breaking down of game film, and recruiting.

A native of Tarpon Springs, FL, Austin was a four-year starter as a defensive back at Iowa State University from 1998-2002. He received honorable mention All-Big 12 honors by The Associated Press in 2001, and was presented the 2002 Reuben J. Miller Award, given to the player whose conduct on and off the field brought honor to ISU. He redshirted in 1998, then compiled 173 career tackles, including 146 solos and 27 assisted stops. He also was credited with 33 pass deflections and two interceptions.

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Erik Chinander
Recruiting Coordinator/Tight Ends

Erik Chinander is entering his seventh year as an assistant coach for the Panthers. Chinander oversees the tight end slot position for the Panthers. He has also assisted with the defensive and special teams scout units.

In 2009, Chinander's tight end unit saw a pair of his tight ends earn All-Missouri Valley Football Conference honors. Ryan Mahaffey and Schuylar Oordt each earned second-team All-MVFC status in 2009.

Under Chinander's direction, the Panther tight ends made significant contributions to the team's run toward the FCS semifinals and the 14th Missouri Valley Football Conference title in 2008. Ryan Mahaffey earned second-team All-MVFC honors after making 11 catches for 129 yards and three touchdowns. Schuylar Oordt was also a weapon as he tallied 12 catches for 233 yards and three touchdowns.

The Panther tight ends made big strides in 2007, as Oordt ranked No. 4 on the team in receiving yards (233) and No. 5 in receptions (12). In 2006, Panther tight end Ross Hannam ranked second on the team with 22 receptions for 198 yards and a touchdown.

Under Chinander's direction in 2005, tight end Brian Cutright caught 23 passes for 328 yards and three touchdowns. Cutright was invited to a free-agent workout by the Cleveland Browns in May 2006. With the help of Chinander's tutelage, UNI tight end Andy Thorn, an honorable mention All-Conference choice, signed a free agent contract with the Philadelphia Eagles in April 2006, before inking a deal with the Dallas Cowboys midway through the 2006 season.