Sean Kugler

Sean Kugler
refer to caption
Kugler in 2014
Denver Broncos
Position: Offensive line coach (Guards/Centers)
Personal information
Born: (1966-08-09) August 9, 1966
Lockport, New York
Career information
College: UTEP
Career history
As coach:

Sean Patrick Kugler (born August 9, 1966) is an American football coach who is currently an offensive line coach for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League (NFL). He is the former head coach of the UTEP Miners college football team, a position he held from 2013-17. Kugler is a 28-year coaching veteran who has 18 seasons of experience coaching the offensive line. This is his 12th year working in the NFL, having previously coached for Detroit (2001-05), Buffalo (2007-09) and Pittsburgh (2010-12).

Early years

Kugler was born and raised in Lockport, New York[1] where his father, Robert, was the assistant fire chief. He has two brothers and two sisters.[2]

Playing career

Kugler attended the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) from 1984 to 1988, earning letterman honors in football for all four years. The 1988 team played in the Independence Bowl.[3] His position coach at UTEP was Andy Reid, who would later become head coach of the NFL's Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs.[4]

Kugler signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers as an undrafted free agent in 1989,[2] but after sustaining a concussion in training camp, he was released.[5] In 1991, he was drafted by the Sacramento Surge of the World League of American Football (WLAF).[6] He started at guard for one season with the Surge.[2]

Coaching career

Early years

Kugler began his coaching career as a graduate assistant coach for Florida high schools Tampa Bay Vo-Tech and Gaither HS while completing his degree in education at the University of South Florida (USF). After three years in Florida, he spent the next eight seasons (1993–2000) at UTEP, working his way from graduate assistant (1993), to tight ends coach in (1994), and finally to offensive line coach (1995–2000).[7]

First NFL stint

Kugler got his first professional coaching experience in 2001 as a tight end coach with the Detroit Lions of the NFL. He later worked his way into a role as offensive line coach in 2004.[7]

There's absolutely no question that he's the best football coach I've ever been around.

— Boise State head coach Chris Petersen on Kugler[8]

Boise State

In 2006, Kugler moved to Boise State, assuming a role as assistant head coach and offensive line coach. The 2006 Boise State Broncos football team was the only undefeated team in college football that year, winning the WAC title and beating Oklahoma in the 2007 Fiesta Bowl. They boasted the sixth-ranked rushing performance in the nation behind Kugler's offensive line led by sophomore Ryan Clady and junior Jeff Cavender, who earned All-WAC honors.

Second NFL stint

Kugler joined the Buffalo Bills in 2007 as assistant offensive line coach.[2] He was promoted to offensive line coach the following year.[9] He quickly improved the Bills' line and mentored tackle Jason Peters to two consecutive Pro Bowl selections. Kugler’s units blocked for three consecutive 1,000-yard rushers: Marshawn Lynch (2007-08) and Fred Jackson (2009).[10] The Bills' offensive line became remarkably consistent and cohesive, surrendering only 26 sacks on the 2007 season and consisting of the same lineup for 15 consecutive games.[9][11]

He joined the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2010 following the dismissal of the previous offensive line coach, Larry Zierlein.[12] He had previously replaced Zierlein as assistant line coach for the Bills in 2007.[2] In his first season as a coach with the Steelers, the team made it to the Super Bowl despite season-ending injuries to both starting offensive tackles and the presence of a rookie starting center.[13] Center Maurkice Pouncey made his first three Pro Bowls under Kugler from 2010-12.

UTEP

On December 10, 2012, UTEP named Kugler as the new head coach, replacing the retired Mike Price.[14][15] In addition to leading the Miners to the New Mexico Bowl in 2014, Kugler’s team achieved a perfect APR academic score of 1,000 and had the highest GPA and graduation rates in school history.[16] Kugler coached two All-Americans—running back Aaron Jones and guard Will Hernandez—while at UTEP.

Denver Broncos

Kugler was hired by the Denver Broncos on January 2, 2018 to be the offensive line (guards/centers) coach.[17]

Personal life

Kugler and his wife Patsy have three children: sons Robert and Patrick and daughter Kali.[7] Robert and Patrick played on high school football teams that won state championships two straight seasons — in 2009 in New York and 2010 in Pennsylvania. Robert was named the Class AAAA co-Player of the Year by the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association, and played college football for the Purdue University Boilermakers from 2011 to 2014, including two seasons as their starting center.[3][13][18] His younger son, Patrick, is an offensive lineman for the University of Michigan Wolverines.[19]

Coaching tree

Notable head coaches under whom Sean Kugler has served:
Head Coach Team Capacity Year(s)
Marty Mornhinweg Detroit Lions offensive line, tight ends assistant 2001–2002
Steve Mariucci Detroit Lions offensive line, tight ends assistant 2003–2005
Chris Petersen Boise State offensive line, assistant head coach 2006
Dick Jauron Buffalo Bills offensive line, tight ends coach 2007–2009
Mike Tomlin Pittsburgh Steelers offensive line 2010–2012

Head coaching record

Year Team Overall ConferenceStanding Bowl/playoffs
UTEP Miners (Conference USA) (2013–present)
2013 UTEP 2–101–77th (West)
2014 UTEP 7–65–3T–2nd (West)L New Mexico
2015 UTEP 5–73–5T–4th (West)
2016 UTEP 4–82–6T–5th (West)
2017 UTEP 0–50–1(West)
UTEP: 18–3611–22
Total:18–36

References

  1. ↑ "Pittsburgh Steelers Assistant Coaches". NFL. Retrieved May 21, 2011.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 D'Onofrio, John (February 6, 2007). "Kugler Comes Home to Join Bills Staff". Niagara Gazette. Retrieved May 25, 2011.
  3. 1 2 Knight, Bill (January 15, 2011). "Former UTEP Miner Sean Kugler coaching Steelers". El Paso Times. Retrieved May 26, 2011.
  4. ↑ McLane, Jeff (February 3, 2011). "Steelers coach: Reid's job on the line". Birds' Eye View: The Inquirer's Eagles Blog. The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved May 26, 2011.
  5. ↑ Prisuta, Mike (August 30, 1989). "Steelers tell Keith Gary to Start Packing". The Beaver County Times. Retrieved May 25, 2011.
  6. ↑ Van Vliet, Jim (February 15, 1991). "Surge Picks Big Man in WLAF Draft". Lodi News-Sentinel. McClatchy News Service. p. 19. Retrieved May 25, 2011.
  7. 1 2 3 "Sean Kugler bio". Steelers.com (official website). Pittsburgh Steelers. Retrieved May 22, 2011.
  8. ↑ Graham, Tim (January 13, 2010). "Steelers hire Bills O-line coach Kugler". ESPN.com. Retrieved May 25, 2011.
  9. 1 2 "Sean Kugler bio". BuffaloBills.com (official website). Buffalo Bills. Retrieved May 22, 2011.
  10. ↑ Schubert, Erich. "Broncos Media Guide" (PDF). denverbroncos.com.
  11. ↑ "Bills 2007 Season". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved May 26, 2011.
  12. ↑ "Steelers Announce Coaching Changes". Steelers.com (team's website). January 7, 2010. Archived from the original on July 21, 2012. Retrieved January 14, 2010.
  13. 1 2 Wilson, Allen (February 2, 2011). "Kugler landed on his feet with the Steelers". The Buffalo News. Retrieved May 26, 2011.
  14. ↑ "UTEP hires Sean Kugler as coach". ESPN.com. Associated Press. December 10, 2012. Retrieved October 25, 2015.
  15. ↑ Bloomquist, Bret (December 8, 2012). "Pittsburgh Steelers coach, Sean Kugler, will take over as UTEP's head football coach". El Paso Times. Archived from the original on January 22, 2013. Retrieved December 8, 2012.
  16. ↑ Schubert, Erich. "Broncos Media Guide" (PDF). denverbroncos.com.
  17. ↑ Crabtree, Curtis (4 January 2018). "Reports: Broncos hire Sean Kugler as offensive line coach". ProFootballTalk.
  18. ↑ "Robert Kugler Bio". Purdue University.
  19. ↑ "Patrick Kugler Bio". University of Michigan.
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