| March
6, 2007
AC
Football staff adds two National Champions
LSU and U of M grads to help mentor Bulldogs
ADRIAN,
Mich.—On
Tuesday, March 6, two newcomers officially joined
the Adrian College Football coaching staff.
Both
new Bulldog coaches won national championships
during their high-profile collegiate careers and
later earned valuable experience on the coaching
circuit.
Brandon
Nowlin, a member of the 2003 Louisiana State University
national championship team, will take over the
coaching duties for the Bulldog tight ends and
fullbacks. The Baton Rouge, Louisiana native played
both positions for the Tigers from 2000 to 2003
and was tutored by then LSU head coach Nick Saban
and current Florida State University offensive
coordinator Jimbo Fisher.
Nowlin
made four bowl appearances and won two SEC Championships
with the Tigers, including the 2003 Sugar Bowl
victory over the University of Oklahoma that earned
LSU their first national title in 48 years.
After
concluding his playing career, Nowlin coached
at Catholic High School, his alma mater, in Baton
Rouge, spending time mentoring the offensive line,
tight ends, and running backs. He helped the squad
to two play-off appearances in his two years at
the school.
Nowlin
spent the spring of 2006 as the defensive line
coach at Iona College before returning to LSU
this past fall to finish his master’s degree
in sports management.
He
earned a degree in business management from LSU
in 2004.
Nowlin
was an academic all-state performer at Catholic
High School before matriculating to LSU.
J.R.
Ford, a graduate of the University of Michigan
and a member of the 1997 national championship
football team, will take over as the wide receivers
and running backs coach at AC.
Ford
played for the Wolverines and head coach Lloyd
Carr during the 1995-1997 seasons, before transferring
to Western Illinois University for the 1998 and
1999 seasons.
At
WIU, Ford led the Leathernecks in kick-returns
as a senior, averaging 22.8 per return. His 71-yard
touchdown against Mississippi Valley State in
1999 still ranks as the 10th longest run in WIU
history. He was named the team’s 1999 Special
Teams Player of the Year.
Ford
returned to Michigan at the conclusion of his
playing days at WIU and earned his degree in communications
with minors in sociology and African American
studies in 2000.
Entering
the coaching field, Ford served as a running backs
and wide receivers coach at Bishop Watterson High
School in Columbus, Ohio, in 2003.
In
2005 and 2006, Ford coached at Brookhaven High
School, also in Columbus. At Brookhaven he tutored
the running backs and return specialists. He helped
develop two second-team all-city halfbacks, while
the 2005 team had seven kicks and punts returned
for touchdowns. Brookhaven qualified for the 2005
state playoffs with Ford’s assistance.
Ford
was an All-American running back and cornerback
at Independence High School (Columbus) before
attending the University of Michigan.
Ford
is a member of the American Football Coaches Association,
the Black Coaches Association, the Fellowship
of Christian Athletes, and has served as an academic
and athletic mentor at Ann Arbor Huron High School.
The
Adrian College Bulldogs open their 2007 season
at Defiance College on September 1 at 1:30 p.m.
J.R. Ford at a glance
Coaching Experience
2005-06 RB/WR/Ret. Coach at Brookhaven High School
(Ohio)
2003 RB/WR Coach at Bishop Watterson High School
(Ohio)
Playing Experience
1998-99 RB/WR/Ret. at Western Illinois University
1995-98 RB/WR at the University of Michigan
1991-95 All-American RB at Independence High School
(Ohio)
Education
2000 B.A. in Communications, minors in Sociology/African-American
Studies
The University of Michigan
Brandon
Nowlin at a glance
Coaching Experience
2006 DL Assistant Coach Iona College (New York)
2004-05 OL/TE/RB Coach Catholic High School (Baton
Rouge, La.)
Sp. 2006 DL Coach Iona College (N.Y.)
Playing Experience
2000-03 TE/FB at Louisiana State University
1996-00 OL at Catholic High School (Baton Rogue,
La.)
Education
2006 M.S. in Sports Management
Louisiana State University
2004 B.S. in Business Administration
Louisiana State University
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