Exactly three weeks after Mike Price decided to retire from the coaching game, UTEP has found a replacement.
At a press conference Monday, UTEP introduced Sean Kugler as the Miners new head football coach. Kugler heads to El Paso after coaching the Pittsburgh Steelers offensive line the past three seasons.
“We’re so pleased to get Sean back at UTEP,” athletics director Bob Stull said. “I’ve known him since he was a player here, including as a member of our 10-win team in 1988. He has gone on to become a terrific coach, from working with our WAC championship squad in 2000 to being a part of the Boise State team that was undefeated in 2006 and coaching in the Super Bowl with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He brings a lot of enthusiasm and experience and, most importantly, has a great love for UTEP and the city of El Paso.”
Kugler has spent 11 of the past 12 seasons at the NFL level, with stops in Detroit and Buffalo along the way. He last coached at the collegiate level at Boise State in 2006.
Kugler’s hiring also marks a homecoming as the 46-year-old spent four seasons at the school as a player and eight seasons as an assistant (1993-2000), beginning as a grad assistant before moving on to tight ends and ultimately the line.
“I am extremely excited to have the opportunity to be the next head coach at UTEP,” Kugler said. “I’m very grateful to Dr. Natalicio and coach Stull. I’m hoping to build on the tremendous job that was done by coach [Mike] Price and his staff. I have been the Miners’ biggest supporter from afar, and the job coach Price and his staff did was outstanding. I can’t wait to work with the players in the near future. I spent 13 years as a player and coach at UTEP and loved every minute of it. I’m excited about starting a new chapter in my coaching career at a place that has so many fond memories.”
