Irish tab Hiestand as new O-Line coach

January 25, 2012|by Pete Byrne (pmbyrne@wsbt.com)

Notre Dame football coach Brian Kelly hired veteran Harry Hiestand to his staff, as the offensive line coach and run game coordinator on Wednesday.

“Harry is one of the best offensive line coaches in college football, and we are fortunate to have him on our staff,” Irish head coach Brian Kelly said. “When I was searching to fill this position, I asked some of the most respected offensive line coaches in football whom they would recommend and Harry’s name was routinely mentioned as one of the best. His history of developing NFL-caliber offensive linemen speaks for itself, and I know our linemen will learn a lot from him.”

Hiestand coached at Tennessee the last two years (2010-11) after working with the offensive line of the NFL Chicago Bears from 2005-09. He coached the offensive line at Illinois from 1997-2004 and at Missouri from 1994-96.

"I’ve spent most of my coaching career in the Midwest and I’m happy to be back in the area,” Hiestand said. “I’ve always had great respect for Notre Dame and what it stands for. As you look at the college football landscape, Notre Dame is truly a unique place and I’m happy to be part of it. I’m excited about working with Coach Kelly and our offensive linemen this year.”

Tennessee was one of only seven schools in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision that did not start a senior on the offensive line in any game in 2011. The Volunteers allowed only 18 sacks in the talented SEC--and only Alabama among conference schools allowed fewer sacks in 2011 than Tennessee.

Freshman Marcus Jackson started the last five games of the 2011 season and was named to Phil Steele’s Freshman All-America first team. The rest of Hiestand’s offensive line consisted of three sophomores who started 12 games, one sophomore who opened seven games and a junior who started 12 games.

Prior to his arrival in Knoxville, Hiestand spent five seasons coaching the offensive line of the Chicago Bears. The Bears were division champions in 2005 and 2006, advancing to Super Bowl XLI following the 2006 season.

Two of Hiestand’s players made the Pro Bowl while in Chicago. Center Olin Kreutz was selected in 2005 and 2006--and guard Ruben Brown earned the honor following the 2006 campaign. Kreutz was named first-team All-Pro in 2006 and became the first Bears offensive lineman to receive that honor in 17 years. In 2008, the Bears offense allowed only 29 sacks in 557 pass attempts, and Hiestand’s group permitted only 25 sacks in 539 pass attempts in 2006. The 2006 total was the fewest allowed by a Bears team in five seasons.

Hiestand worked with the offensive line at Illinois from 1997-2004 and held the title of assistant head coach for the final five seasons in Champaign. During his tenure at Illinois, Hiestand tutored 12 all-Big Ten selections on the offensive line, and every senior starting offensive lineman in his first seven years with the Illini signed with an NFL team. Hiestand had six offensive linemen drafted during his eight seasons at Illinois.

COACHING CAREER

1982 East Stroudsburg (Pa.) Student Assistant

1983 East Stroudsburg (Pa.) Assistant Offensive Line

1984-85 East Stroudsburg (Pa.) Offensive Line

1986 Pennsylvania Tight Ends

1987 USC Graduate Assistant

1988 Toledo Tight Ends

1989-91 Cincinnati Offensive Line

1992 Cincinnati Offensive Line/Run Game Coordinator