Syracuse University hires Bowling Green’s Dino Babers as its next football coach

SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Syracuse University has hired Dino Babers of Bowling Green as its new football head coach, replacing Scott Shafer who was fired on Nov. 23 after four seasons at the helm of the Orange.

Babers has logged a 37-16 record in four years of head coaching. He went 18-9 in two seasons at Bowling Green, culminating in last night’s Mid-American Conference (MAC) championship game win over Northern Illinois.

Prior to Bowling Green, Babers posted a 19-7 record in two seasons at Eastern Illinois. While there, he coached Jimmy Garoppolo, currently Tom Brady’s backup quarterback with the New England Patriots. Under Babers’ guidance, Garoppolo won the 2013 Walter Payton Award, the FCS (second level of NCAA football) equivalent of the Heisman Trophy.

Babers is known for his teams’ hurry-up, spread offensive style that has piled up big yards and points.

Bowling Green’s offense averaged 561 yards per game this season and the team scored more than 43 points per contest. The Falcons regularly spread the field very wide with five receivers and then would run or pass against a defense spread thin. They also would not huddle and call plays at the line of scrimmage within 15 to 20 seconds of the last play, giving the defense little time to substitute or rest.

Babers, age 54, becomes the 30th head coach in Syracuse football history. The man who primarily hired him to come to Syracuse was effusive with praise of his new charge.

“We wanted a leader who had a proven track record and a strong commitment to student welfare,” Mark Coyle, Syracuse athletic director, said in a news release. “Dino’s background as a former student-athlete combined with his head coaching experience, and dynamic offensive mind make him a great fit for our program. We are committed to building a winning Syracuse Football program and today reinforces that commitment.”

Syracuse University did not announce the length of the contract or any terms of its deal with Babers, but Sports Illustrated is reporting that he agreed to a six-year contract. At Bowling Green, Babers was paid about $500,000 in total compensation per year, according to the football coaching news site, coacheshotseat.com. The man he replaces at Syracuse, Shafer, was paid $1.5 million.

Babers will be formally introduced as Syracuse’s head football coach at a press conference on Monday morning at the Orange football complex.

“It is a true honor to have been selected to lead Syracuse University football, a program steeped in rich tradition, excellence, and success, both on and off the field,” Babers said in the Syracuse news release. “There were many coaching opportunities out there but none more attractive or exciting than this one. I’ve always admired Syracuse Football’s scrappy demeanor, grit, and winning mentality, but what attracted me to this position even more is the University’s intense focus on preparing its student-athletes for a lifetime of success. This is an incredible opportunity and one I am thrilled to have been offered.”

Before becoming a head coach, Babers held many assistant coach positions during his career, including four seasons at Baylor University under prominent coach Art Briles. While there, Babers helped Briles execute Baylor’s up-tempo, high-scoring spread offense.

Babers’ career also includes stints at UCLA, the University of Pittsburgh, Texas A&M, the University of Arizona, San Diego State, Purdue, Northern Arizona, UNLV, Arizona State, and the University of Hawaii, his alma mater.

Babers earned a master’s degree in education and supervision from Arizona State in 1987 and a bachelor’s degree in education from Hawaii, where he was a four-year starter on the football team, in 1984. He and his wife Susan have four daughters: Breeahnah, Tasha, Jazzmin, and Paris.

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