John Cooper Announces Coaching Staff Changes for the 2000 Season – Ohio State Buckeyes
11/29/1999 12:00:00 AM | Football
Nov. 29, 1999
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Ohio State University head football coach John Cooper announced today five changes to his coaching staff: Fred Pagac has been promoted to Assistant Head Coach, Jon Tenuta has been promoted to Defensive Coordinator, Chuck Stobart has been named Offensive Coordinator, and the coaching appointments of Mike Jacobs and Shawn Simms will not be renewed for the 2000 football season.
“I am looking to reward individuals who have done an outstanding job for me as coaches,” Cooper said regarding the promotions for Pagac, Tenuta and Stobart. “Each of these individuals has been very instrumental in the tremendous success the Buckeyes have enjoyed recently winning a Rose Bowl and a Sugar Bowl and ranking No. 2 in the nation two out of the last three years.
“At the same time, I also felt that some personnel changes needed to be made because I wasn’t happy with the play of our football team this past year – offensively, defensively or special teams-wise. It is a very difficult thing to have to let coaches go, but I felt in this case it had to be done in the best interests of the program. Mike Jacobs and Shawn Simms are good people and good coaches. I certainly appreciate everything they have done to help make Ohio State a winner and I wish them all the best.”
Jacobs spent five years as a member of Cooper’s staff. He was Ohio State’s offensive line coach all five years and was named offensive coordinator prior to the 1997 Rose Bowl. Simms just completed his third season as coach of OSU’s defensive ends.
Pagac’s defenses have been among the best in the nation during his four years as Ohio State’s defensive coordinator. Three times they have ranked in the top eight nationally in total defense and they have led the country or ranked second in either rushing, passing, scoring or total defense seven times. He just completed his 18th season on the Ohio State staff. Stobart, the veteran of OSU’s staff with 35 years experience on the collegiate level, just completed his fifth year as wide receivers coach. He has been offensive coordinator at four previous schools and he has been head coach at Toledo (1977-81), Utah (1982-84) and Memphis (1989-93).
Tenuta has been the architect of the Ohio State secondary that has keyed Ohio State’s final NCAA pass efficiency rankings of first, second and second between 1996-98. He recently completed his fourth season as secondary coach on OSU’s staff. He has seven years of defensive coordinator experience, serving in that capacity at Marshall, Kansas State and SMU.
