Tim Beckman Names Four Assistant Coaches to Toledo Football Staff
12/12/2008 5:00:00 AM | Football
TOLEDO - University of Toledo head coach Tim Beckman announced the appointment of four assistant coaches to the University of Toledo football staff. All four coaches have worked with Beckman in the past.
Joining the Rockets' staff will be former Bowling Green assistant Mike Ward, who will join Nichols as the assistant head coach/co-defensive coordinator; former Bowling Green assistant Matt Campbell, who will serve as co-offensive coordinator in charge of the running game; Alex Golesh, a former assistant at Oklahoma State who will coach the tight ends; and former Marshall assistant Paul Nichols, who will serve as the co-defensive coordinator.
"I have previously coached and worked with all four of these men in programs that won championships," said Beckman, a former Oklahoma State defensive coordinator who was named UT's 25th head coach on Dec. 4. "They know what it takes to win a championship."
Beckman said the remainder of his staff will be named as the individuals' commitments with their current teams are finished.
The following is look at each of the four assistant coaches:
Mike Ward - Assistant Head Coach/Co-Defensive Coordinator
Mike Ward will serve as the Rockets' assistant head coach and co-defensive coordinator. He comes to UT with 17 years of experience at Bowling Green. He began as the program's strength coach from 1992-99 before coaching the defensive linemen from 2000-06. Ward spent his last two seasons at BGSU as the defensive coordinator. Since the 2000 season, Ward has coached one All-American, one Academic All-American and nine All-MAC performers.
"Mike Ward is a great football coach and a great people-person who will bring so much to the Toledo community," said Beckman. "He has been in Northwest Ohio for many years and he brings a great attitude and knowledge of this region. He will be a tremendous asset to our program."
Prior to becoming a Falcon, Ward was an assistant football coach and strength coach at his alma mater, Georgetown College, for two years. Ward earned a degree in health and physical education from Georgetown College in 1984. He also earned a graduate degree in secondary education from Georgetown.
After completing his education at Georgetown, Ward became an assistant football coach at the University of Findlay for six years. He served as the defensive line coach and the strength and conditioning coordinator for the Oilers before leaving to join BGSU in 1992.
A Mansfield, OH native, Ward attended Mansfield Lexington High School. At Findlay, he earned second-team NAIA Division I All-America football honors as an offensive guard in 1983. He is certified by the National Strength and Conditioning Association as a Strength and Conditioning Specialist. He was twice named as the NSCA Professional of the Year by his colleagues in the MAC.
Ward and his wife, Jody, have two children, Michaela and Addison.
Mike Ward's Coaching History
2009 Toledo Co-Defensive Coordinator
2007-08 Bowling Green Defensive Coordinator
2000-06 Bowling Green Defensive Line
1992-99 Bowling Green Strength and Conditioning Coach
1986-91 Findlay Defensive Line/Strength and Conditioning
1984-85 Georgetown Assistant Coach/Strength and Conditioning Coach
Matt Campbell - Co-Offensive Coordinator
Matt Campbell will be the Rockets' co-offensive coordinator. He will primarily be responsible for the running game.
Campbell served as an assistant coach at Bowling Green for the past three seasons, two as the offensive line coach (2006-07) and last year as the offensive line coach/running game coordinator. The Falcons participated in the GMAC Bowl in the 2007 season.
"Matt Campbell is a coach's son who has grown up around football all his life," said Beckman. "In my opinion, he's the best recruiter in the Mid-American Conference. But his knowledge of the offensive schemes we want to run here was the first reason I offered him the position."
Before joining the Falcon staff, Campbell spent two years as the offensive coordinator/offensive line coach at Mount Union. Campbell began his career as the offensive graduate assistant for Bowling Green in 2003 and 2004, earning his master's degree in education administration at BGSU. He worked with the tight ends for two nationally ranked teams that won the 2003 Motor City Bowl and 2004 GMAC Bowl.
Campbell, a 2002 graduate of Mount Union, was a member of five national championship teams as a coach and player for the Purple Raiders. He was a two-time first-team All-American and was voted as the Ohio Athletic Conference's Best Defensive Lineman in 2001 and 2002. He was a vital member of three MUC teams which won national titles (2000, 2001 and 2002). During his career at Mount Union, he had 207 tackles, 49 for a loss and 22 sacks. Campbell also excelled in the classroom, earning CoSIDA Academic All-America honors. In his final two years of his stay at Mount Union, Campbell coached the offensive line of a team that won back-to-back national titles.
Matt Campbell's Coaching History
2009 Toledo Co-Offensive Coordinator
2008 Bowling Green Offensive Line/Running Game Coordinator
2006-07 Bowling Green Offensive Line
2004-05 Mount Union Offensive Coordinator/Offensive Line
2003-04 Bowling Green Graduate Assistant
Alex Golesh - Tight Ends
Alex Golesh will be the Rockets' tight ends coach. He spent the past three seasons as a graduate assistant, 2006-07 at Northern Illinois and 2008 at Oklahoma State. Golesh worked with the outside linebackers at Oklahoma State, helping the Cowboys to a 9-3 record and a berth in the Holiday Bowl. At NIU, Golesh worked for one season assisting with defensive video preparation and one season working with the offensive line.
Golesh got his start in the coaching business as a student assistant coach while attending Ohio State as an undergraduate. He spent two-and-a-half years aiding the Buckeyes' defensive coaches, with responsibilities that included working with the defensive line and helping to break down film. During his time at Ohio State, the Buckeyes claimed the 2005 Big Ten Championship and went on to earn a victory in the Fiesta Bowl over Notre Dame, and posted a win in the 2004 Alamo Bowl over Oklahoma State.
Golesh also spent one year as a defensive line coach in a first-year football program at newly opened Westerville Central High School while at Ohio State.
"I've been around Alex a long time, first at Ohio State and then at Oklahoma State. He's the type of aggressive coach I want in this program," said Beckman. "He enjoys teaching and coaching young men. I think he's a great fit."
A three-year letterwinner in football at Dublin Scioto High School, Golesh helped his team to a 10-2 record and postseason berth as a senior.
Golesh was born in Moscow, Russia, but grew up in Dublin, OH. He earned a bachelor's degree in education from Ohio State in 2006, and is currently working on his master's degree.
Alex Golesh's Coaching History
2009 Toledo Tight Ends
2008 Oklahoma State Graduate Assistant
2006-07 Northern Illinois Graduate Assistant
2005 Westerville Central High School Defensive Line
Paul Nichols - Co-Defensive Coordinator
Paul Nichols will serve as the Rockets' co-defensive coordinator along with Mike Ward. Nichols was an assistant at Marshall for the past three seasons, the last two as the cornerbacks coach. Nichols also served as a graduate assistant at Ohio State in 2005.
"Paul Nichols is a young, ambitious coach with tremendous knowledge of the types of defensive schemes we will be using here," said Beckman. "He has a great background with experience with winning programs. He will be a great addition to our staff."
At Marshall, Nichols coached All-Conference USA selection Curtis Keyes at safety (2006) and all-freshman selection Zearrick Matthews at cornerback (2006).
Nichols completed one season as a defensive graduate assistant coach at Ohio State in 2005 where he assisted with the defensive line and defensive backs. He held such responsibilities as organizing and coaching the offensive scout team, analyzing opponent game film, creating weekly scouting reports and managing defensive signals on game day from the sideline.
A native of Dunwoody, GA, Nichols graduated from Davidson with a B.A. in Political Science and a B.A. in History in 2003. While at Davidson, Nichols set school records for career passing yards (5,822), completions (465) and touchdown passes (51) and compiled a 22-6 record as a starting quarterback, which stands as the best mark in Wildcat history. As a sophomore, he led the Wildcat squad to a perfect 10-0 record in 2000, marking the school's first undefeated season in history.
Nichols was first-team All-Pioneer League and first-team Pioneer League All-Academic as a senior, and was named honorable mention All-American by Don Hansen's Football Gazette. In his senior season, he ranked among the top 25 in the nation in both passing efficiency rating (136.49) and yards passing per game (218.9).
Paul Nichols' Coaching History
2009 Toledo Co-Defensive Coordinator
2007-08 Marshall Cornerbacks
2006 Marshall Secondary
2005 Ohio State Graduate Assistant
