Mills To Head Up UI Defense As Tormey Realigns Staff

Wed., Dec. 31, 1997

University of Idaho secondary coach Jeff Mills has been elevated to defensive coordinator as football coach Chris Tormey realigns his staff to replace Nick Holt, who left for the University of Louisville earlier this month.

In addition to promoting Mills, Tormey moved tight ends/special teams coach Rick Courtright to linebackers/recruiting coordinator and defensive graduate assistant Randy Hall to tight ends coach.

“This allows us to keep continuity with what we were doing defensively and it rewards coaches who have been in the program,” said Tormey, who still is seeking a replacement for cornerbacks coach Greg Burns, who also left for Louisville.

Mills, previously a secondary coach at Montana State University, has been at Idaho three years. He was a graduate assistant at University of Washington in 1990 and 1991, when Tormey served on Don James’ staff.

“You can look at the improvement in our secondary since Jeff came here,” Tormey said.

During the 1997 season, Idaho ranked second in the Big West Conference in interceptions with 13 and led the league in allowing opponents to complete only 51 percent of their passes.

Courtright, who came to Idaho from Idaho State two seasons ago, returns to the defensive side of the ball where he spent most of his coaching career. Prior to joining the Idaho State staff, Courtright had been a defensive ends coach at Ohio University and defensive line coach at Minnesota-Morris. Like Tormey and Mills, he also spent time at the University of Washington, where he was an assistant offensive line coach and special teams coach.

Hall became a graduate assistant last fall after spending a number of years in private business. He was a teammate of Tormey at Idaho during the mid-1970s and played five seasons professionally for the Baltimore Colts and Oakland Raiders.

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Mills To Head Up UI Defense As Tormey Realigns Staff

Jesse Tinsley

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