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Sunday, February 15, 2009

Lolley, Thigpen round out coaching staff

Auburn's coaching staff is complete. Gene Chizik finalized his staff Sunday, announcing that Phillip Lolley and Tommy Thigpen will split duties in the secondary.

Lolley, 55, has been at Auburn since 1999, when he began as the strength and conditioning coach. He coached the Tigers' secondary in 2002-03, back when Chizik was defensive coordinator. He's been the team's Director of of NFL Relations the last five years.

He spent 22 years prior to that as a high school football coach in Alabama, serving three schools -- Warrior Academy in Eutaw, Stevenson High and North Jackson High.

“I coached side-by-side with Phillip when I was defensive coordinator at Auburn and it was very evident that he’s a great coach,” Chizik said in a release from the school. “He’s been successful at every level and he will also be a valuable asset because of his strong relationships with high school programs and coaches in the state of Alabama.”

Thigpen, 38, has spent the last four seasons with North Carolina, where he coached linebackers. He was named one of the nation's top 25 recruiters by Rivals.com in 2007.

He's had coaching stints at Tennessee State (2000), Bowling Green (2001-02) and Illinois (2003-04).

“Tommy has had a tremendous amount of success at every stop he’s made as an assistant coach,” Chizik said. “I’ve been well aware of him since his days as a standout player at North Carolina and have followed his professional career very closely. I’m extremely pleased to be adding someone with his professionalism and coaching expertise to this staff.”

A three-time all-ACC linebacker at North Carolina from 1989-92, Thigpen played professionally for the New York Giants in 1993-94 and the Barcelona Dragons in 1995-96. He began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at North Carolina in 1998.

Also, Auburn announced defensive coordinator Ted Roof will coach linebackers.

1 comment:

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