On Friday, Coach Petrino announced Chris Klenakis "Coach K" (former offensive coordinator/offensive line coach for Nevada) as a new hire for assistant coach of the offensive line for the University of Arkansas. Klenakis is set to replace former offensive line coach Mike Summers who went back to his hometown of Lexington, Kentucky to be an assistant there after Kentucky hired a new head coach. Summers and Petrino were together for seven years prior to his departure.
Coach K has 19 years of Division I experience and comes to Arkansas from Nevada where he was the head of the Wolf Pack"Pistol" offense that had a powerful running game led by the offensive line for the last six seasons. In 2008, the Wolf Pack offense steamrolled over opposing defenses to capture a number of school records including total offense, most rushing yards and rushing touchdowns. In 2009, Klenakis and the offense eclipsed all those marks and the Wolf Pack had the number one ranked rushing offense in the nation, averaging 344.9 yards per game. Nevada also became the first team in NCAA history to have three players rush for more than 1,000 yards in a single season. In addition, the Wolf Pack ranked second nationally in total offense (505.6) and sixth in scoring (38.2).
As offensive coordinator and offensive line coach, Klenakis has tutored 12 All-WAC selections, and fourteen offensive linemen coached by Klenakis have gone on to the NFL.
Prior to his most recent stint at Nevada as offensive coordinator, Klenakis held the responsibility for three years at Southern Mississippi (2000-02) and one at Central Missouri (2003). His experience at Southern MIss and Central Missouri gives him a great familiarity with recruiting in the region, and his time in Nevada gives Arkansas a new recruiting market in the Western U.S.
Petrino on Coach K:
"I've been able to follow his impressive career since the beginning and Chris has an innovative offensive mind. There are elements of the Pistol offense he ran at Nevada that are intriguing and blend well with our philosophy of being aggressive and attacking defenses in a number of ways. He was raised in the profession by Chris Ault, who is one of just a few active head coaches in the College Football Hall of Fame. Chris Klenakis brings great energy and I know our offensive line will enjoy playing for him."
CHRIS KLENAKIS PERSONAL INFORMATION
BORN:
April 21, 1964
HOMETOWN:
Fallon, Nev.
EDUCATION:
Bachelor's, Physical Education and History, Carroll College 1986; Master's Exercise Physiology, Nevada, 1992
COLLEGE FOOTBALL:
Four-year letterwinner as an outside linebacker at Carroll College
COACHING CAREER:
Gabbs High School 1986, Churchill County High School 1987-89; Nevada 1990-99; Southern Mississippi 2000-02; Central Missouri 2003; Nevada 2004-2009
BOWL GAME COACHING HISTORY:
1992 Las Vegas, 1995 Las Vegas Bowl, 1996 Las Vegas Bowl, 2000 Mobile Alabama, 2002 Houston, 2005 Hawaii, 2006 MPC Computers, 2007 New Mexico, 2008 Humanitarian, 2009 Hawaii
No comments:
Post a Comment