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Jim Haslett joins Penn State football staff

By Audrey Snyder/Pittsburgh Post-Gazette 8 years ago

Former NFL head coach and Pittsburgh native Jim Haslett found a new home and this time it’s not in the National Football League.

Haslett, who brings 26 years of coaching experience to the job, joined the Penn State football staff as a team consultant, James Franklin announced Wednesday.  

“Jim has an outstanding football mind and invaluable experience that will be a tremendous resource,” Franklin said in a statement. “He has great knowledge of the game at the next level and we plan to put that to good use. He will work with our offensive, special teams and defensive coaches and will be a fantastic sounding board for our staff.”

Haslett was spotted in State College earlier this week and with fall camp a little more than a month away specifics of his new role remain to be seen. 

"I am thrilled to join the Penn State football family," Haslett said in a statement. "James is one of the great, young head coaches in the collegiate game today and he is leading this Penn State program in the right direction. The future is very bright for Penn State football and I am excited to be a part of it."

Haslett, who played his college ball at Indiana (Pa.) and was a linebacker for the Buffalo Bills, spent three years as an assistant coach at Buffalo (1988-1990) before moving on to the NFL. It was his only stint in the college ranks.

Haslett climbed through the NFL ranks as a linebackers coach for the Raiders and Saints before being promoted to defensive coordinator for the Saints in 1996. From 1997-1999 he was the Steelers’ defensive coordinator before heading back to New Orleans and taking his first head coaching job in 2000.

Haslett’s time as head coach in New Orleans was remembered for a 10-6 campaign in his first year where the Saints won their first playoff game in franchise history and Haslett was named the NFL’s Coach of the Year. His stint with the Saints ended in 2005 following a 3-13 season that was most remembered by the franchise’s temporary relocations due to Hurricane Katrina’s impact. 

Haslett served as the Rams’ defensive coordinator and interim head coach in the following seasons and was the Redskins’ defensive coordinator from 2010-2014.  

How Haslett’s skills will be put to use at Penn State on a daily basis remain to be seen. Having someone to help oversee the big picture of the program will likely be part of his duties as he works with the staff. 

Penn State retained defensive coordinator Bob Shoop in the offseason and given the defense’s success last season and Shoop’s rapport with the players how much or how little input Haslett has — especially given the NCAA’s parameters of a consulting, not coaching position — with the defense remains to be seen. 

Audrey Snyder: asnyder@post-gazette.com and Twitter: @audsnyder4