Eric Wolford was one of Mike Stoops' initial choices for his coaching staff, coming on board in early December 2003 as offensive line coach.
He brings experience as a player on an emerging program, experience coaching an emerging program and a good background on both sides of the ball.
Wolford's playing days at Kansas State coincided with Stoops first two years on the Wildcat staff as defensive ends coach in 1992 and 1993.
Wolford was offensive line coach at North Texas in 2003, helping the 9-4 Mean Green earn a third consecutive appearance in the New Orleans Bowl under coach Darrell Dickey, with a second straight 7-0 league mark.
Wolford opted to join Arizona's staff immediately and did not make the mid-Decmber bowl game trip for the game against Memphis.
Upon Wolford's hiring by UA, and after Mississippi State lured running backs coach Freddie Kitchens off his staff, Dickey said, "It is a tremendous compliment to this team and this university that some of the premier programs in the nation are taking coaches from our staff."
Two of Wolford's charges, junior center Andy Brewster and senior guard Nick Zuniga, earned first-team All-Sun Belt Conference honors in 2003.
They helped pave the way for a record-setting performance by the SBC Offensive Player of the Year, Mean Green tailback Patrick Cobbs. Despite missing two games, he rushed for a league-record 1,570 yards and led the nation through the regular season at 157 yards per game. He scored 17 rushing touchdowns
Wolford helped an offensive unit average 332 yards per game in total offense, including 182.2 rushing yards, plus his line and the pass protection scheme limited the opposition to a total of only 18 sacks during the season. The offensive unit also posted an 88 percent scoring rate inside the red zone.
He coached against Stoops in the 2003 season opener when the top-ranked Sooners of Oklahoma beat North Texas, 37-7, in Norman on Aug. 30.
Wolford was an assistant at Houston for three years from 2000 to 2002, coaching a variety of positions. In his first year he coached tackles and tight ends, in his second year he coached running backs and special teams and in his final season he worked with the defensive line.
Prior to his Houston sting, he coached the offensive line at South Florida in its new program from 1996 to 1999. The first season was spent establishing the program before Division I-A competition began in 1997. While on that staff, Wolford worked alongside new UA defensive and offensive coordinators, Mark Stoops, the Bulls secondary coach, and Mike Canales, the quarterbacks coach.
After one year of his guidance with the USF line, the Bulls offense averaged 409 yards per game in total offense.
Wolford was the offensive line and strength coach at Emporia State, Kan., University in 1995 and began his career as a graduate assistant coach at Kansas State in 1994.
He was a four-year starting guard on the offensive line at Kansas State from 1990 to 1993. As a member of coach Bill Snyder's first recruiting class, he helped lay the groundwork for the Wildcats' eventual emergence as a national contender. He was a member of KSU's 1993 Copper Bowl team that won the first bowl game in school history, and also played in the 1991 Coac-Cola Bowl in Tokyo and later was a graduate assistant for KSU's appearance in the 1994 Aloha Bowl.
He earned a bachelor's degree in social sciences in 1994, with a focus on monetary policy and banking. He signed a free agent with Buddy Ryan's Arizona Cardinals, then returned to Manhattan to begin his career as a grad assistant under Snyder that year.
Wolford recruits the Houston area for Arizona. He is a native of Youngstown, Ohio, and an Ursuline High School graduate.
Wolford Coaching Chronology
1994 Kansas State, graduate assistant
1995 Emporia State, OL/strength coach
1996 South Florida, offensive line coach
1997 South Florida, offensive line coach
1998 South Florida, offensive line coach
1999 South Florida, offensive line coach
2000 Houston, Tight ends/tackles coach
2001 Houston, Running backs/special teams
2002 Houston, defensive line coach
2003 North Texas, offensive line coach
Wolford and the Bowls
1991 Coca-Cola Bowl, Japaen Kansas State player
1993 Copper Bowl, Tucson Kansas State player
1994 Aloha Bowl, Honolulu Kansas State graduate assistant
2003 New Orleans Bowl North Texas assistant coach
