ASSISTANT COACHES Chad O’Brien 2nd Season 5th Season Overall Assoc. Head Coach Offensive Coord. cobrien@adrian.edu 517-265-5161 x. 5003 Adrian College (2004) Chad O’Brien is back for his second straight year (5th overall) with the Adrian College football program. O’Brien has assumed the role of associate head coach and will also be the team’s offensive coordinator in 2013. O’Brien served as the inside linebackers and special teams coach in 2012. The Bulldogs had a pair of standout inside linebackers in Deontae Bridgeman and Hunter Juntunen. Bridgeman was named First Team All-MIAA and Juntunen received Second Team All-MIAA honors. On the special teams side, Adrian led the MIAA in net punting and were 23rd in NCAA Division III (35.02 yards). The kicking game connected on 18-of-19 extra point attempts and five field goals during league action. O’Brien is in his second stint as an assistant coach for the Adrian College football team. O’Brien is a 2004 graduate of Adrian College with a bachelor of arts degree with an emphasis in history and a minor in communication arts. He was a letterwinner for the Bulldog football team and served as defensive captain and team defensive MVP in 2002. O’Brien finished his career with 194 tackles including a teamhigh 94 tackles during the 2001 season. He had two interceptions and six tackles for loss in 2001. O’Brien has vast experience as a football and wrestling coach at the high school level. He most recently was the defensive coordinator at Adrian High School during the 2010 and 2011 seasons. Prior to that, he was the head coach and offensive coordinator at Mariner High School in Cape Coral, Florida from 2007 to August 2010. He also served as a teacher at both schools. He was selected to coach in the Lee County All-Star Game at Mariner from 2006 to 2009 and also helped guide the Maples of Adrian High to a Division III district championship in 2011. O’Brien spent time as the special teams coordinator at Adrian College from 2003 to 2005 and also coached the linebackers and was the junior varsity defensive coordinator during that time. O’Brien resides in Adrian with his wife, Amy (Thompson), and their daughter, Ashlynn.
Keith Uecker 3rd Season Offensive Line kuecker@adrian.edu 517-265-5161 x. 5032 Auburn Univ. (1988)
Keith Uecker will be handling the offensive line again in his third season with the Adrian College football staff. Uecker guided one of the best offensive lines in the MIAA in 2012. The Bulldogs rushed for 141.73 yards per game which ranked third in the league. Adrian’s offense in total gained on average 319.73 yards per game and scored a teambest 38 points against Kalamazoo on Oct. 27 at Performance Stadium. The Bulldogs did all of this with a line that featured two seniors, one sophomore and two freshmen that started for most of the season. In his first season, Uecker saw the rushing attack average 172.2 yards per game finishing second in the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA). Uecker also mentored First Team All-MIAA pick Nick Ross and Second Team All-MIAA picks in Spencer Whittington and Derek Shell. The offensive line ranked 73rd nationally (239 teams) and second in the MIAA in sacks allowed. Uecker was an All-American at Auburn in 1981 and was a four-year starter for the Tigers, earning all-SEC honors. Serving as 1981 team captain, he was twice the winner of the Ken Rice Award as the team’s outstanding offensive lineman. Uecker played in the NFL for 10 seasons, beginning his pro career with the Denver Broncos (1982-84) and then with Green Bay (1984-91). With the Packers, he was a four-year starter and played all five line positions. He was the 1987 recipient of the prestigious Ed Block Courage Award. Uecker has worked with Ohio State University as offensive quality control coach (2009-10) and most recently as offensive line coach with the UFL’s Omaha Nighthawks (2010). He served as the offensive line coach at Wayne State (200405) and Akron (1999-2003) before spending several years in the automotive industry. He also did an internship with the Denver Broncos during their 2008 training camp. He earned his accounting degree from Auburn in 1988. A native of Hollywood, Fla., Uecker has four children: Victoria, Jack, Clayton and Jane.
2013 Football Guide
9