PITTSBURGH – University of Pittsburgh head football coach Dave Wannstedt today announced five appointments for his new staff.

Offensively, Wannstedt welcomes Paul Dunn, who was a hard-nosed guard for Pitt's impenetrable offensive fronts of the early 1980s, and Aubrey Hill (pronounced AW-bre), who was a standout receiver at Florida from 1991-94 before moving onto the coaching ranks.

On the defensive side, Wannstedt announced that Paul Rhoads, Bob Junko and Curtis Bray will remain with the staff. Junko just completed the eighth season of his second tour at Pittsburgh. (He initially coached at Pitt from 1982-85.) Bray and Rhoads have coached at Pittsburgh for five seasons, having joined the Panthers in 2000.

Wannstedt said he was encouraged by discussions with present staff members Bill Bleil (tight ends/tackles coach in 2004) and Charlie Partridge (defensive ends coach the last two seasons), noting that talks would continue with them about opportunities at Pittsburgh.

Positional assignments will be announced at a later date. Additional staff appointments will be released when finalized.

"The formation of our staff is off to a strong start with the announcement of these appointments," said Wannstedt, who owns two degrees from the University of Pittsburgh. "We have an ideal combination of new blood and consistency that should serve our program well.

"I've known Paul Dunn since his playing days at Pitt and I've followed his coaching career closely. Paul is an outstanding football coach, an excellent recruiter and, most importantly, has a driving passion to reestablish the outstanding offensive line tradition at the University of Pittsburgh.

"I had the opportunity to work with Aubrey when he interned with us at the Dolphins. He is an excellent teacher, great communicator and will add strength to our staff in recruiting the South Florida region."

A 1983 Pitt graduate, Dunn returns to his alma mater with 22 years of experience coaching offensive lines on the collegiate level. He most recently served at Kentucky (2003-04) and Kansas State (1998-2002).

"It is obviously an exciting period for Pitt football with the program coming off a BCS bowl game," Dunn said. "I'm ecstatic to get back to my roots and work with a Pitt guy like Dave Wannstedt. My family and I are excited about the opportunities that are ahead and we're proud to be back in the great Pitt tradition."

Dunn was a three-year letterman on the Panthers' offensive line from 1980-82. Pittsburgh was a combined 31-5 (.861) during those seasons, finishing in the Top 10 each year. Dunn's college roommate, quarterback Dan Marino, flourished behind the air-tight protection provided by those dominant offensive fronts. "There were games when my uniform never got dirty," Marino said. "There were games when I never hit the ground. That's incredible."

At Kentucky the last two years, Dunn served as run-game coordinator and offensive line coach. During the '03 season, Kentucky produced 24 rushing touchdowns, the third-highest total in school history. Dunn keyed the development of first-team All-Southeastern Conference tackle Antonio Hall, who went on to sign with the Indianapolis Colts.

At Kansas State, Dunn's lines provided the foundation for one of college football's most explosive offenses. During his tenure the Wildcats ranked among the nation's top five in scoring four times, including a national-best 48 points per game in 1998. In 2002, Kansas State averaged 44.8 points to rank second in the country.

Serving as the Wildcats' run-game coordinator his final four years in Manhattan, Dunn oversaw record-breaking rushing campaigns in 2001 and 2002. In '01, Josh Scobey broke the KSU single-season record with 1,263 rushing yards. A year later, Darren Sproles set a new mark with 1,465.

Dunn tutored four KSU players who earned All-America citations, including first-team honoree Nick Leckey and third-team picks Ryan Young, Randall Cummings and Andy Eby. The Wildcats went 50-14 from 1998-2002, compiling four 11-victory seasons and four Top 10 finishes.

Dunn's additional coaching stops include Vanderbilt (1996-97), Cincinnati (1994-95), Maine (1990-93) and Rutgers (1989). His first full-time assignment came at Edinboro (Pa.) University, where he coached from 1986-88. Dunn served graduate assistantships at Pittsburgh (1983) and Penn State (1984-85).

Dunn, who owns a bachelor's degree in administration of justice, and his wife Melody have three children: Katlyn (18), Casey (16) and Kelsey (11).

Hill, who played and coached under Steve Spurrier's "Fun 'n Gun" offense at Florida, joins the Panthers after working at NCAA I-AA Elon (N.C.) University as receivers coach last year. He previously was the receivers coach at Duke from 1999-2003 and additionally served in a pair of NFL coaching internships.

"I'm very excited about the wonderful opportunity the University of Pittsburgh and Coach Wannstedt have afforded me," Hill said. "I'm very eager to meet the players, start recruiting and begin my daily responsibilities."

Hill helped Florida to a four-year record of 43-10-1 (.806) and three SEC championships. He compiled 86 receptions and 18 touchdowns for his career and caught a touchdown every 4.78 catches, the third best TD ratio in Gators history. He was a team captain as a senior in 1994.

Following his playing career, Hill served as a Florida graduate assistant from 1996-98. In his first season as an assistant, Florida captured the national championship with a 12-1 mark, capped by a 52-20 victory over Florida State in the Sugar Bowl. During his three years on the Florida staff, the Gators went a combined 32-5 (.865).

Hill earned his first full-time appointment at Duke, where he served as receivers coach from 1999-2003. He was instrumental in the development of Scottie Montgomery, who finished his collegiate career ranked second in career receptions (171) and third in yardage (2,379) in Blue Devil annals.

He supplemented his collegiate experience with a pair of NFL internships, including stints with the Washington Redskins (summer 2001) and Miami Dolphins (summer 2002). Hill was involved with receivers and special teams in both internships, working with such pro wideouts as Chris Chambers and Orande Gadsden at Miami and Darnerien McCants and Derrius Thompson at Washington.

Hill owns two degrees from Florida, including a bachelor's in exercise and sport sciences and a master's in leisure/sports management. He has a 13-year-old daughter, Destini.

Source: Pitt SID Staff