John Papuchis
Encyclopedia
John Papuchis is the Defensive Line Coach, Special
Teams Coordinator, and Recruiting Coordinator for the University of Nebraska
Cornhuskers
football team.
, Maryland
. He graduated from Quince Orchard High School
in 1996, where he was a three-sport athlete, including three years on the Varsity baseball team where he earned All-Montgomery County honors as a junior and senior. He also was the starting quarterback his senior year on the QO football team.
Papuchis received a Business Management Bachelor's degree
from Virginia Tech
in 2001, followed by a Sports Administration Master's degree
from the University of Kansas
in 2003.
as a Graduate Assistant, working with the Kansas Jayhawks
defensive unit, while continuing his studies towards his Master's degree. In his final year at Kansas, he helped the Jayhawks reach the 2003 Tangerine Bowl
, which ended Kansas' seven-year drought of bowl appearances.
In 2004, Papuchis accepted a similar position at Louisiana State University
, as a Defensive Intern and Graduate Assistant under Head Coach Nick Saban
, with additional duties coaching the punters. The following year, with Les Miles
taking over for the departed Nick Saban, Bo Pelini
joined LSU as Defensive Coordinator
. Papuchis remained on the LSU staff under Pelini, and the LSU defense helped the Tigers to a final #6 ranking in both major polls. 2006 saw further improvement, as the LSU defensive unit finished in the top ten nationally in four major defensive categories, and a final #3 ranking on both polls. 2007 was a pinnacle year for LSU as the defense helped the Tigers to win the 2008 BCS National Championship Game
. In all, the Pelini years at LSU resulted in the Tigers defense being ranked third nationally from 2005-2007.
Just prior to LSU's 2007 season national championship, Pelini was hired as the new Head Coach for the University of Nebraska Cornhuskers football team. Pelini stayed on at LSU through the championship game with the permission of Nebraska's Athletic Director
, Tom Osborne, and then took several of his defensive staff members with him to Nebraska, including Papuchis.
The 2008 season saw a dramatic turnaround in Nebraska's fortunes, particularly on the defensive side of the ball, as Nebraska climbed from the bottom ten defensive teams nationally and a dismal 5-7 record, to a resurgence of the Nebraska Blackshirt
tradition as a surprisingly stingy Nebraska defense helped the Cornhuskers to a 9-4 2008 season, a tie for the Big 12 Conference
northern division championship, and a post-January 1 bowl victory against Clemson
at the 2009 Gator Bowl
.
He is in his third season on the Nebraska coaching staff in 2010. Papuchis tutors the Nebraska defensive ends and also serves as special teams coordinator while working with all of the Huskers' special teams units.
In 2009, his defensive ends combined for 127 tackles, including 33 tackles for loss and 12 sacks. With 16 tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks, senior Barry Turner was an honorable-mention All-Big 12 selection in 2009, while junior Pierre Allen racked up five sacks and 12 tackles for loss.
Nebraska also owned one of the nation's top special teams units in 2009. The Huskers' kickoff and punt return units both ranked in the top 30 nationally, while All-Big 12 punter and place-kicker Alex Henery had an NU record 24 field goals, while also placing a Big 12-leading 30 punts inside the opponent 20-yard line. The Huskers also ranked in the top 15 nationally in kickoff return defense and third in touchbacks. Henery enters his senior season in 2010 in a position to challenge NU's career records for scoring, field goals and field-goal accuracy.
Along with Henery, Papuchis had another weapon to utilize on special teams in Adi Kunalic. One of the nation's elite kickoff specialists the past three years, Kunalic has ranked among the national leaders in touchbacks for each season, posting 86 career touchbacks including 29 in 2009. Kunalic's performance last year helped Nebraska rank 15th nationally in kickoff return defense, the top average in the Big 12.
In his first year in Lincoln, Papuchis saw starting defensive ends Zach Potter and Allen combine for 26 tackles for loss and 10.5 sacks in 2008, with Potter earning honorable-mention All-Big 12 accolades. The defensive ends helped a Nebraska defense that finished second in the Big 12 in total defense.
The special teams unit had a banner year under Papuchis in 2008, headlined by Henery's school-record 57-yard game-winning field goal against Colorado. Henery finished the year 18-of-21 on field goals and missed just one extra point. Henery was a second-team All-Big 12 pick. The Huskers also ranked in the top 25 nationally in punt returns, and returned both a kickoff and punt for a touchdown in the same season for the first time since 1998.
Teams Coordinator, and Recruiting Coordinator for the University of Nebraska
University of Nebraska–Lincoln
The University of Nebraska–Lincoln is a public research university located in the city of Lincoln in the U.S. state of Nebraska...
Cornhuskers
Nebraska Cornhuskers football
The Nebraska Cornhuskers represent the University of Nebraska–Lincoln in college football. The program has established itself as a traditional powerhouse, and has the fourth-most all-time victories of any NCAA Division I-A team. Nebraska is one of only six football programs in NCAA Division I-A...
football team.
Early life and Education
John Papuchis was born in GaithersburgGaithersburg, Maryland
Gaithersburg is a city in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. The city had a population of 59,933 at the 2010 census, making it the fourth largest incorporated city in the state, behind Baltimore, Frederick, and Rockville...
, Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
. He graduated from Quince Orchard High School
Quince Orchard High School
Quince Orchard High School is a secondary school located on Quince Orchard Road in an unincorporated area of Gaithersburg in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. Quince Orchard's incoming freshmen come from Lakelands Park and Ridgeview Middle School as well as Roberto Clemente Middle School...
in 1996, where he was a three-sport athlete, including three years on the Varsity baseball team where he earned All-Montgomery County honors as a junior and senior. He also was the starting quarterback his senior year on the QO football team.
Papuchis received a Business Management Bachelor's degree
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
from Virginia Tech
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, popularly known as Virginia Tech , is a public land-grant university with the main campus in Blacksburg, Virginia with other research and educational centers throughout the Commonwealth of Virginia, United States, and internationally.Founded in...
in 2001, followed by a Sports Administration Master's degree
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
from the University of Kansas
University of Kansas
The University of Kansas is a public research university and the largest university in the state of Kansas. KU campuses are located in Lawrence, Wichita, Overland Park, and Kansas City, Kansas with the main campus being located in Lawrence on Mount Oread, the highest point in Lawrence. The...
in 2003.
Coaching career
Following his graduation from Virginia Tech in 2001, Papuchis began his coaching career at the University of Kansas under Head Coach Terry AllenTerry Allen (football coach)
Terry Allen is the head football coach at Missouri State. He was the head coach at the University of Kansas from 1997 to 2001, where he compiled a 20–33 record. He also served as the head coach of the University of Northern Iowa, where his 75–26 record made him the winningest coach in...
as a Graduate Assistant, working with the Kansas Jayhawks
Kansas Jayhawks football
The Kansas Jayhawks football program is the intercollegiate football program of the University of Kansas Jayhawks. The program is classified in the NCAA's Division I, and the team competes in the Big 12 Conference....
defensive unit, while continuing his studies towards his Master's degree. In his final year at Kansas, he helped the Jayhawks reach the 2003 Tangerine Bowl
2003 Tangerine Bowl
The 2003 Tangerine Bowl was the 14th edition of the college football bowl game and was played on December 22, 2003, featuring the , and the .NC State started the scoring with a 45 yard touchdown pass from Philip Rivers to Richard Washington, to give NC State a 7-0 lead. Bill Whittemore threw a 23...
, which ended Kansas' seven-year drought of bowl appearances.
In 2004, Papuchis accepted a similar position at Louisiana State University
Louisiana State University
Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, most often referred to as Louisiana State University, or LSU, is a public coeducational university located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The University was founded in 1853 in what is now known as Pineville, Louisiana, under the name...
, as a Defensive Intern and Graduate Assistant under Head Coach Nick Saban
Nick Saban
Nicholas Lou "Nick" Saban is the head coach of the University of Alabama's Crimson Tide football team. Saban has previously served as head coach of the National Football League's Miami Dolphins and three other NCAA universities: LSU, Michigan State and Toledo...
, with additional duties coaching the punters. The following year, with Les Miles
Les Miles
Leslie Edwin "Les" Miles, nicknamed "The Mad Hatter", is an American college football coach and the current head coach of the Louisiana State University football team. Prior to holding that position, he was head coach at Oklahoma State...
taking over for the departed Nick Saban, Bo Pelini
Bo Pelini
Mark "Bo" Pelini is the head football coach at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. He had previously been defensive coordinator for the LSU Tigers, Oklahoma Sooners, and the Nebraska Cornhuskers...
joined LSU as Defensive Coordinator
Defensive coordinator
A defensive coordinator typically refers to a coach on a gridiron football team who is in charge of the defense. Generally, along with his offensive counterpart, he represents the second level of command structure after the head coach...
. Papuchis remained on the LSU staff under Pelini, and the LSU defense helped the Tigers to a final #6 ranking in both major polls. 2006 saw further improvement, as the LSU defensive unit finished in the top ten nationally in four major defensive categories, and a final #3 ranking on both polls. 2007 was a pinnacle year for LSU as the defense helped the Tigers to win the 2008 BCS National Championship Game
2008 BCS National Championship Game
The 2008 Allstate BCS National Championship Game was played at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana, on Monday, January 7, 2008, and featured the #1 and #2 college football teams in the United States as determined by the BCS Poll to decide the BCS National Championship for the 2007...
. In all, the Pelini years at LSU resulted in the Tigers defense being ranked third nationally from 2005-2007.
Just prior to LSU's 2007 season national championship, Pelini was hired as the new Head Coach for the University of Nebraska Cornhuskers football team. Pelini stayed on at LSU through the championship game with the permission of Nebraska's Athletic Director
Athletic director
An athletic director is an administrator at many American colleges and universities, as well as in larger high schools and middle schools, who oversees the work of coaches and related staff involved in intercollegiate or interscholastic athletic programs...
, Tom Osborne, and then took several of his defensive staff members with him to Nebraska, including Papuchis.
The 2008 season saw a dramatic turnaround in Nebraska's fortunes, particularly on the defensive side of the ball, as Nebraska climbed from the bottom ten defensive teams nationally and a dismal 5-7 record, to a resurgence of the Nebraska Blackshirt
Blackshirts (football)
The Blackshirts are the first-string defensive unit players for the Nebraska Cornhuskers football team.-History:The term originally dates back to the early 1960s and refers to the black practice jerseys that Nebraska's first-string defenders began to wear during practice...
tradition as a surprisingly stingy Nebraska defense helped the Cornhuskers to a 9-4 2008 season, a tie for the Big 12 Conference
Big 12 Conference
The Big 12 Conference is a college athletic conference of ten schools located in the Central United States, with its headquarters located in Las Colinas, a community in the Dallas, Texas suburb of Irving...
northern division championship, and a post-January 1 bowl victory against Clemson
2008 Clemson Tigers football team
The 2008 Clemson football team represented Clemson University in the 2008 college football season. The Tigers were led by oft-maligned head coach Tommy Bowden, who resigned six games into his tenth season. The interim head coach was assistant coach Dabo Swinney...
at the 2009 Gator Bowl
2009 Gator Bowl
The 2009 Gator Bowl was played on January 1, 2009 as part of the 2008 College Football season. It featured the Nebraska Cornhuskers, who finished tied for first in the Big 12 Conference's North Division with Missouri, and the Clemson Tigers, who finished fifth in the Atlantic Coast Conference's...
.
He is in his third season on the Nebraska coaching staff in 2010. Papuchis tutors the Nebraska defensive ends and also serves as special teams coordinator while working with all of the Huskers' special teams units.
In 2009, his defensive ends combined for 127 tackles, including 33 tackles for loss and 12 sacks. With 16 tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks, senior Barry Turner was an honorable-mention All-Big 12 selection in 2009, while junior Pierre Allen racked up five sacks and 12 tackles for loss.
Nebraska also owned one of the nation's top special teams units in 2009. The Huskers' kickoff and punt return units both ranked in the top 30 nationally, while All-Big 12 punter and place-kicker Alex Henery had an NU record 24 field goals, while also placing a Big 12-leading 30 punts inside the opponent 20-yard line. The Huskers also ranked in the top 15 nationally in kickoff return defense and third in touchbacks. Henery enters his senior season in 2010 in a position to challenge NU's career records for scoring, field goals and field-goal accuracy.
Along with Henery, Papuchis had another weapon to utilize on special teams in Adi Kunalic. One of the nation's elite kickoff specialists the past three years, Kunalic has ranked among the national leaders in touchbacks for each season, posting 86 career touchbacks including 29 in 2009. Kunalic's performance last year helped Nebraska rank 15th nationally in kickoff return defense, the top average in the Big 12.
In his first year in Lincoln, Papuchis saw starting defensive ends Zach Potter and Allen combine for 26 tackles for loss and 10.5 sacks in 2008, with Potter earning honorable-mention All-Big 12 accolades. The defensive ends helped a Nebraska defense that finished second in the Big 12 in total defense.
The special teams unit had a banner year under Papuchis in 2008, headlined by Henery's school-record 57-yard game-winning field goal against Colorado. Henery finished the year 18-of-21 on field goals and missed just one extra point. Henery was a second-team All-Big 12 pick. The Huskers also ranked in the top 25 nationally in punt returns, and returned both a kickoff and punt for a touchdown in the same season for the first time since 1998.