ASSISTANT COACHING STAFF HUNTER HUGHES
DEF. COORDINATOR 5TH SEASON MIDDLE TENN. ST. (‘91)
Hunter Hughes is entering his fifth season as CSU-Pueblo’s
defensive coordinator. One of the most decorated Division II coordinators in the nation, Hughes was the recipient of the FootballScoop.com Division II Coordinator of the Year award, due in large part to the performance of CSU-Pueblo’s punishing defense during its 11-0 regular season. The ThunderWolves allowed a national-best 10.33 points per game and intercepted the ball 26 times, also best in the country. The performance of the 2011 team under Hughes’ leadership was certainly not an anomaly - in the ThunderWolves’ four years of existence as a program, the team finished in the top 25 nationally in points allowed three times (including a finish of 9th in the nation in 2010). Arguably, Hughes’ best single season performance as a coach was in 2008, when the squad allowed the 37th-least point in the nation despite having one of the country’s most anemic offenses during the program’s first season of competition. Hughes rose through the ranks as a coaching assistant with two of the most prestigious Division I football programs in the country - University of Colorado and the University of Tennessee. With the University of Colorado, Hughes was a defensive graduate assistant from 2003-2006, assisting in coaching various defensive positions as well as assisting in recruiting prospective CU students east of the Mississippi River. With the University of Tennessee, Hughes also served as a defensive graduate assistant, focusing chiefly on linebackers and defensive backs. Hughes received his Master’s in physical education and sport management from Middle Tennessee State University in 2001. He and his wife, Stephanie, an assistant coach for the CSU-Pueblo softball team, live in Pueblo.
CSU-PUEBLO DEFENSIVE RANKINGS UNDER HUGHES
RMAC Rankings (Rank/Teams) Nat’l Rankings (Rank/Teams) Year Scoring Defense Total Yds. Turnover Ratio Scoring Defense Total Yds. Turnover Ratio 2008 4th/10 7th/10 1st/10 37th/148 84th/148 25th/148 2009 3rd/10 2nd/10 1st/10 24th/148 34th/148 8th/148 2010 1st/10 3rd/10 1st/10 9th/151 60th/151 4th/151 2011 1st/10 1st/10 1st/10 1st/152 11th/152 3rd/152
CHRIS SYMINGTON
OFF. LINE COORDINATOR 4TH SEASON COLORADO (‘88)
Chris Symington is entering his fourth season as CSU-Pueblo’s offensive line coach and run game coordinator. Under Symington’s direction, CSU-Pueblo’s offensive line has established itself as one of the top units in the country. In 2011, two ThunderWolf offensive linemen (Ryan Jensen and J.T. Haddan) were named All-American while a third (Jonathan Jones) earned All-Super Region honors during the ThunderWolves’ 11-0 RMAC Championship season. Upon his arrival to the program in 2009, he directed the nation’s most improved running game, turning a unit that ranked in the bottom 10 nationally in rushing yards in 2008 into the nation’s 14th-best running attack in 2009. Amazing, the Pack running game accomplished this with two sophomores in the backfield and all true or redshirt freshmen on the offensive line. His unit followed it up with a repeat performance in 2010, ranked 16th in the nation and helping elevate Jesse Lewis as a Harlon Hill Award finalist. In 2011, the ThunderWolves’ line enabled Lewis to get a repeat Harlon Hill Award finalist honor as well as an RMAC Freshman of the Year nod for tailback J.B. Mathews. Symington brought 25 years of experience as a player and coach to the ThunderWolves, much of it at the Division-I level. He had served as the offensive line coach at Eastern Michigan from 20032008, helping the Eagles’ offense to record the most total yards in school history in 2008 and put up some of the most prolific rushing yardage numbers in the history of the program. (Continued on next page)
RUSHING/SACK RANKINGS UNDER SYMINGTON*
Conference Rankings (Rank/Teams) Nat’l Rankings (Rank/Teams) Year Team (Record/Conf.) Rushing Yds. Sacks Allowed Rushing Yds. Sacks Allowed 1999 Western Ky. (6-5 - Ohio Vly. (I-AA)) N/A N/A 7th/122 N/A 2000 Tennessee St. (3-8 - Ohio Vly. (I-AA)) 6th/8 N/A 82nd/122 N/A 2001 Tennessee St. (8-3 - Ohio Vly. (I-AA)) 5th/7 N/A 53rd/123 N/A 2002 Tennessee St. (2-10 - Ohio Vly. (I-AA)) 7th/7 N/A 69th/123 N/A 2003 Eastern Michigan (3-9 MAC) 11th/14 N/A 97th/117 N/A 2004 Eastern Michigan (4-7 MAC) 4th/14 N/A 47th/117 N/A 2005 Eastern Michigan (4-7 MAC) 8th/12 2nd/12 85th/117 25th/117 2006 Eastern Michigan (1-11 MAC) 8th/12 6th/12 98th/119 73rd/119 2007 Eastern Michigan (4-8 MAC) 4th/13 2nd/13 54th/119 24th/119 2008 Eastern Michigan (3-9 MAC) 5th/13 6th/13 57th/119 T40th/119 2009 CSU-Pueblo (7-4 RMAC) 2nd/10 4th/10 14th/148 63rd/148 2010 CSU-Pueblo (9-2 RMAC) 2nd/10 4th/10 16th/151 59th/151 2011 CSU-Pueblo (11-1 RMAC) 2nd/10 4th/10 45th/152 83rd/152 * NCAA statistical rankings only available from 1999 to present. All posts listed above, Symington served as offensive line coach. He was also the offensive line coach at Vanderbilt from 1990 to 1994, offensive coordinator at Northwood (MI) in 1995 and 1996, and Western Kentucky from 1996 to 1999.
2012 CSU-Pueblo Football Media Guide • 11