Arizona State has hired longtime NFL center Kevin Mawae as an offensive analyst, the program announced Monday.
“Kevin Mawae is one of the most respected voices in football,” head coach Herm Edwards said in a statement. “He will add a tremendous amount of credibility and knowledge to our coaching staff. I am thrilled that I get the opportunity to reunite with one of my favorite players to coach.”
Mawae played college ball at LSU from 1989-93, where he was a two-time All-SEC honoree. A second-round pick in the 1994 NFL draft, Mawae built an accomplished career as a pro, earning seven All-Pro honors and eight Pro Bowl trips over a 16-year career as a Seattle Seahawk, a New York Jet (where he played for Edwards) and a Tennessee Titan. He also deposited a stint as the president of the NFL Players Association.
Mawae played his last season in 2009, and spent 2016 as the assistant offensive line coach for the Chicago Bears.
The release does not specify what Mawae’s assignment will be. His daughter, Abigail, is a scholarship athlete for the Sun Devils’ swim team, and Mawae’s quote implies today’s news spanned from that connection.
“I have a lot of respect for Coach Edwards, whom I played for for five years,” he said. “His character and integrity are second to none. I knew that when my playing career was finished and I wanted to enter the coaching profession that he was the type of person that I wanted to work for. My daughter, Abigail, has signed a letter of intent to swim for Coach Bob Bowman and the Sun Devil swimming program. Both she and I fell in love with the University then.”