January 10, 2013

Austin adds three to Ticats coaching staff

Ticats.ca Staff

HAMILTON — Hamilton Tiger-Cats Vice President of Football Operations, General Manager and Head Coach Kent Austin made three more additions to his coaching staff today by hiring Dennis McPhee as Defensive Line Coach, Allen Rudolph as Offensive Line Coach and John Zamberlin as Linebackers Coach.

McPhee returns to Hamilton for his third tour of duty with the Ticats after formerly serving as a defensive assistant from 1995-2001 and 2004-06.  McPhee’s previous Black and Gold stints saw him oversee the linebackers from 1995-97, the defensive line from 1998-2001 and the defensive front from 2004-06.    

Under McPhee’s watch the Ticats led the CFL in quarterback sacks in 1999, 2000 and 2004 while defensive end Joe Montford was named the CFL’s Most Outstanding Defensive Player three times.

In addition to his pro experience, McPhee’s coaching pedigree also includes stops as head coach at Waterloo and St. Francis Xavier, as well as defensive coordinator at Western and McMaster.
“Dennis was exactly what we were looking for in a defensive line coach.  He will bring a combination of intensity, fairness and caring to his group.  He has a proven track record and will demand commitment, preparation and production from his players,” said Austin.  

Rudolph boasts a wealth of experience as an offensive line coach, most recently at Northwestern State.  He also served as offensive coordinator at Southeastern Louisiana and Samford.  

In Hamilton, Rudolph will be reunited with Ticats offensive coordinator Tommy Condell after previously working with him at Louisiana-Monroe and Southeastern Louisiana.

“Allen is a quality offensive line coach who has guest coached in the CFL and has a strong working relationship with our offensive coordinator Tommy Condell.  He understands all phases of offensive football and is a tremendous individual,” remarked Austin.  

Zamberlin will return for his second season as the Ticats linebackers coach in 2013.  Before joining the Ticats staff last year, Zamberlin served as defensive tackles coach at Weber State in 2011 after spending 14 years as a head coach at Idaho State (2007-10) and Central Washington (1997-2006).  

“We are excited that John will be back coaching our linebackers.  He’s an outstanding, experienced coach who has been a defensive coordinator and head coach in his career, and understands both secondary and front end play.  Additionally, John’s character and personality make him a great fit for our staff,” said Austin.

The Tiger-Cats also announced that the team has not renewed the contract of Director of Player Personnel Joe Womack.