TUCSON, Ariz. - University of Arizona Head Football Coach Brent Brennan announced today the addition of Dino Babers as Offensive Coordinator.  Babers joins the staff after eight seasons as head coach at Syracuse.  

Babers led six teams to bowl eligibility with three double-digit winning seasons. He guided three teams to double-digit winning seasons with 12 wins at Eastern Illinois (2013), 10 wins at Bowling Green (2015), and 10 wins at Syracuse (2018).  Babers concluded his 40th season as a collegiate coach by seeing Syracuse reach back-to-back bowl games for the first time in a decade.  

From 1995-2000, Babers served the Arizona Wildcats under legendary Head Coach Dick Tomey as wide receivers coach (1995-96), running backs coach (1997), and offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach from 1998-00.  

Babers has coached or recruited over 70 NFL players, including 33 draft picks, four All-Pros (Lance Briggs, Matthew Slater, Josh Gordon, Az-Zahir Hakim), and three Pro Bowlers (Briggs, Slater, Gordon). 
 
Fifteen of his protégés have been picked in the first three rounds of the NFL Draft, including six in the first two rounds. Arizona running back Trung Canidate was the first-round choice of the St. Louis Rams in 2000. Along with Jimmy Garoppolo (Eastern Illinois), wide receivers Brian Alford (Purdue), Will Blackwell (San Diego State), Dennis Northcutt (Arizona) and Josh Gordon (Baylor) were selected in the second round. 

Over his impressive coaching career, Babers has coached Arizona players that made it to the NFL including Trung Canidate (St. Louis, Washington), Lance Briggs (Chicago), Mike Lucky (Dallas), Brandon Manumaleuna (St. Louis, San Diego, Chicago), Dennis Northcutt (Cleveland, Jacksonville, Detroit),  Andrae Thurman (New York Giants, Houston, Pittsburgh, Green Bay, Tennessee), and Bobby Wade (Chicago, Tennessee, Minnesota, Kansas City, Washington). 

He ended his time at Syracuse with a 78-70 (.527) career record and led Syracuse into the top-25 in three of his final six seasons with the program.  Babers' teams also improved on the defensive side of the field in his tenure. The team finished in the top-25 nationally in total defense in two of his final three seasons at the helm.  

Babers led teams to 18 postseason appearances including 16 bowl games from 1985 to 2023. He planted the seeds of Syracuse's revival during his first season in 2016. The Orange knocked off a ranked opponent for the first time in four years, toppling ACC Coastal champion Virginia Tech at home, 31-17. Additionally, he commanded an offense that set or tied more than 40 school records, including new season standards for completions (332) and passing yards (3,855). 

Babers took over the Bowling Green program in 2014 and led the Falcons to an 18-9 record in his two years there, including victories over three Big Ten teams (Indiana - 2014; Maryland, Purdue - 2015). The Falcons went 8-6 in Babers' first season and captured the MAC East Division championship with a 5-3 league mark. Bowling Green lost the MAC title game to Northern Illinois but rebounded for a 33-28 win versus South Alabama in the Raycom Media Camellia Bowl,  BGSU's first bowl victory since 2004. 

He excelled in his first head coaching position, leading Eastern Illinois to a 19-7 record in two seasons, including a 14-1 mark against Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) foes. His 2012 and 2013 Panther teams won the conference championship and earned FCS playoff berths. For his work,  Babers was named the OVC Coach of the Year and the AFCA Region 3 Coach of the Year after both seasons. The cornerstone of Babers' Eastern Illinois teams was quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, who won the Walter Payton Award (the FCS equivalent of the Heisman Trophy) after throwing for 5,050 yards and 53 touchdowns as a senior in 2013. 
 
A 1984 graduate of the University of Hawaii with a bachelor's degree in education,  Babers started at three different positions (outside linebacker, strong safety, running back) for the Warriors during his career, while earning Western Athletic Conference All-Academic honors. As a senior, he served as Hawaii's special teams captain and was the squad's leading rusher. 
  
Babers, who received his master's degree in education administration and supervision from Arizona State in 1987, and his wife, Susan, have four daughters – Breeahnah, Tasha, Jazzmin, and Paris.