Kentucky expected to add Pardue and Minter today

Sometime today, Kentucky is expected to announce the additions of Rick Minter and Steve Pardue to the football coaching staff. Minter is an experienced defensive coach that has tutored the likes of Rex Ryan, Mike Tomlin, and many other successful coaches. He has an extensive background as a position coach and as a defensive coordinator at the highest collegiate levels. He is expected to be named the co-defensive coordinator. Steve Pardue has been an immensely successful coach in the high school ranks down in Georgia. He was previously coaching at LaGrange High School, and has sent some of Kentucky’s most talented players to Lexington from his program. He is expected to take over as the running backs coach for the Wildcats. Here are the bios for each coach from their most recent positions:

Rick MinterIndiana State University – Linebackers coach
1st year
Alma Mater: Henderson State 1977

In his first season with the Indiana State football program as an assistant coach is Rick Minter. Minter is the Sycamores’ linebacker coach under defensive coordinator Shannon Jackson.
In 2009, Minter took over the reigns of the Marshall football program for their bowl game and led the Thundering Herd to a 21-17 victory over Ohio in the Little Caesars Pizza Bowl.
In 2008, the Thundering Herd defense produced nine interceptions and recovered five fumbles after managing only four interceptions and three fumble recoveries in the previous year. The unit also produced first-team all-conference selection Albert McClellan at defensive end.

Minter was the defense coordinator for Notre Dame from 2005-06 and helped the Irish to two BCS Bowls. He coached a 2005 unit that produced 24 turnovers while contributing to Notre Dame’s plus-10 turnover margin. The Irish defense limited opponents to only a 35 percent success rate on third downs while Notre Dame foes scored touchdowns on only 56 percent of red zone opportunities.

Minter made major improvements in the South Carolina defense in 2004 under Lou Holtz. The Gamecocks ranked 20th nationally in total defense and 15th nationally in pass defense. Among his pupils was freshman free safety Ko Simpson, who earned second-team All-America honors and ranked third nationally in interceptions.

During 10 seasons as head coach at Cincinnati, Minter led the Bearcats to four postseason bowl games and was the winningest coach in the program’s history. Minter’s 2002 team was co-champion of Conference USA. His 1997 team finished 8-4 after a Humanitarian Bowl victory over Utah State, marking the first bowl appearance for Cincinnati since 1951. Minter’s Bearcats had three straight seven-win campaigns from 2000-2002 – and all three seasons resulted in postseason bowl invitations.

In 2000, kicker Jonathan Ruffin became the program’s first consensus All-America selection, as Ruffin led the nation in field goals and won the Lou Groza Award as the top kicker in the country. During Minter’s eight seasons in Conference USA, the Bearcats produced 26 first-team all-league selections, including 1 on defense.

It was during his first stint at Notre Dame from 1992-93 that Minter earned a national reputation of being one of the top defensive minds in college football. The 1993 Irish defense held nine of its 12 opponents under 100 yards rushing en route to an 11-1 season and runner-up finish in the national championship race. Notre Dame finished that season with the nation’s fourth-best rushing defense, with three of Minter’s defenders earning first-team All-America honors.

The 1992 Notre Dame defense allowed an average of just 91 yards rushing and 277 total yards over the last nine games of the season, as the Irish posted a 10-1-1 mark, won the Cotton Bowl and were ranked fourth in the final polls. That season also saw the Notre Dame defense finish ninth nationally in rushing defense, with cornerback Tom Carter earning All-America honors. During his first two seasons at Notre Dame, Minter coached 21 defensive players who went on to play professionally in the NFL.

Prior to joining the Notre Dame staff, Minter served as assistant head coach and defensive coordinator at Ball State for seven seasons, annually developing units that were ranked among the national leaders. The 1991 Ball State squad was ranked ninth in the country in scoring defense, 11th in total defense and 16th in passing defense. A year earlier, in 1990, the Cardinals were second in the nation in total defense, third in pass and scoring defense and 10th in rush defense.

Ball State combined for a 28-15-2 mark over his final four seasons in Muncie from 1988-91, including a Mid-American Conference title and Raisin Bowl appearance in 1989 that marked the Cardinals’ first bowl participation in 22 years. During Minter’s seven seasons under head coach Paul Schudel, Ball State produced nine all-Mid-American Conference players on defense, including three-time MAC Defensive Player of the Year (1987-89) Gary Garnica.

Minter also has collegiate coaching experience at New Mexico State, North Carolina State, Louisiana Tech and Arkansas, where he was a graduate assistant under Holtz in 1978.

Born on Oct. 4, 1954 in Nash, Texas, Minter is a graduate of Texas High School in Texarkana, Texas. He was a three-year starter at defensive end at Henderson State, where he earned both his bachelor’s (1977) and master’s degrees (1978) in education. Minter is the father of two sons – Josh, who resides in New York City, and Jesse, who coaches the defensive backs for the Sycamores.

STEVE PARDUEVarsity Head Coach / Assistant Athletic Director / Running Back Coach
• Hometown: Hopkinsville, Kentucky
• Education:
B.S. in Physical Education / Health from Austin Peay State University in
Clarksville, TN
M.Ed. in Physical Education from West Georgia College
• School System Position: Coach Pardue teaches Advanced Physical
Conditioning at LaGrange High School.
• College Sports Experience: 3-year letterman in football at Austin Peay State University
• Coaching Experience:
1985 – Fayette County High School (Fayetteville, GA) – Offensive Line
1986 – Albertville (AL) High School – Offensive and Defensive Lines
1987 – 1990 – Crittenden County High School (Marion, KY) – Head Coach
1991 – Present – LaGrange High School – Outside Linebackers (1991),
Offensive Line (1992), Defensive Coordinator (1993),
Head Coach (1994 -Present)

• Record as Head Coach: Coach Pardue came to LaGrange High School in 1991 as an assistant coach for the State and USA Today National Championship team. He became head coach of the Grangers in 1994, and over the past sixteen years has amassed a record of 156 wins and 39 losses (108-20 in region competition), eight region championships, and three state championships. He and his staff have received the Georgia Athletic Coaches Association (GACA) Region Coach of the Year honors eight times – in 2006, five consecutive times from 2000 through 2004, and for the 1996 and 1997 seasons. Coach Pardue was awarded the 2003 Touchdown Club of Atlanta’s Bazemore Award for All-Classification Coach of the Year. In 2001, 2003, and 2004, he received numerous honors including the Atlanta Journal AAA Coach of the Year, Georgia Sports Writers AAA Coach of the Year, GACA – AAA Coach of the Year, and Touchdown Club of Atlanta AAA Coach of the Year. During the summer of 2000, he was an assistant coach for the victorious Georgia team in
the Georgia / Florida All-Star Game. In addition to his many coaching honors, Coach Pardue is recognized as an outstanding educator and was selected as the 2006 STAR Teacher at LaGrange High School. He also currently serves as the 4th Vice-President on the Board of the Georgia Athletic Coaches Association.
• Family: Coach Pardue’s wife is the former Pamela Bennett of Goodlettsville, TN. Pam is employed at Hollis Hand Elementary as a fifth grade teacher. They have a daughter and a son. Morgan, 21, is a 2007 LHS graduate now studying nursing at LaGrange College. Chas is 14 and plays on the 9th Grade Granger team

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