Darrell Bevell, an offensive assistant on the Green Bay Packers' coaching staff the past three years, has been promoted to quarterbacks coach, GM-Head Coach Mike Sherman announced Tuesday.
The promotion is the second in as many years for Bevell, an original member of the Sherman staff hired as an offensive assistant/quality control in 2000. Described as an "excellent teacher" by Sherman, he had been advanced to offensive assistant April 27, 2002, when assigned more hands-on duty in coaching the quarterbacks.
"Darrell has developed into an excellent quarterbacks coach," Sherman said in making the announcement. "My original plan three years ago was to elevate him to this position if I felt confident in his abilities, and I do. He has done an outstanding job working with our offense and the quarterbacks since he's been here. I'm confident that will continue."
Sherman also announced that Brad Miller, defensive assistant/quality control, has been promoted to assistant defensive line coach.
Bevell, now beginning his eighth season in the coaching profession, spent the bulk of his time last season tutoring rookie quarterback Craig Nall, in addition to continuing to assist Offensive Coordinator Tom Rossley with offensive strategy and game planning. He also continued to compile scouting reports, breaking down opponent game video and setting up the Packers' extensive collection of teaching tools, including the Pinnacle digital video system.
The son of a high school football, coach, the 33-year-old Bevell originally joined the Packers' coaching staff on March 7, 2000, following four years of developing his coaching skills in the collegiate ranks, including two seasons (1998-99) at the University of Connecticut as wide receivers coach. Under his direction during the 1998 campaign, Connecticut senior wideout Carl Bond posted a school-record 11 touchdown receptions and teamed with sophomore receiver John Fitzsimmons to jointly post 1,000-yard seasons – the first such tandem in school history.
Bevell is best known to football fans in Wisconsin as the quarterback who led the Badgers to victory in the 1994 Rose Bowl, an accomplishment which climaxed the UW's storybook 1993 regular season, one that saw Wisconsin finish 10-1-1 and claim a share of the Big Ten Conference championship – the school's first league title since 1962. A four-year starter, Bevell closed out his career in Madison as Wisconsin's all-time leading passer with 18 school records and two Big Ten marks.
Following graduation in 1995, he launched his coaching career, becoming an assistant at Westmar University in Lamar, Iowa (the college since has closed). He served as Westmar's passing game coordinator in 1998, and also tutored the school's quarterbacks, running backs, tight ends and wide receivers. Bevell moved on to Iowa State in 1997 as a graduate assistant, coaching the wide receivers.
The Arizona native, born in Yuma Jan. 6, 1970, played football for his father, James, at Chaparral High School in Scottsdale, Ariz., laying the groundwork for his interest in later joining the coaching profession. He began his collegiate playing career at Northern Arizona in 1989, spending the year as a redshirt before leaving school for a two-year Mormon mission in Cleveland (1990-91). He then transferred to Wisconsin in the spring of 1992.
Bevell resides in De Pere, Wis., with his wife, Tammy, and their two daughters, Kylie (born 10/2/96) and Morgan (born 4/1/99).
BEVELL COACHING BACKGROUND:
1996 - Westmar University, Passing Game Coordinator/Quarterbacks, Running Backs, Tight Ends, Wide Receivers
1997 - Iowa State, Graduate Assistant
1998-99 - Univ. of Connecticut, Wide Receivers
2000-01 - Green Bay Packers, Offensive Assistant/Quality Control
2002 - Green Bay Packers, Offensive Assistant
2003 - Green Bay Packers, Quarterbacks
Miller, a 17-year coaching veteran, joined the Packers staff Feb. 22, 2001, as defensive assistant/quality control – a role in which he also has assisted Defensive Line Coach Jethro Franklin, in addition to carrying out extensive duties studying opponent tendencies and integrating the club's Pinnacle digital video system with PowerPoint to further enhance the team's teaching of its players.
"Brad has a wealth of experience and knowledge, both on the field with the players and off the field with the video and computers," Sherman said of Miller. "He will continue to facilitate the teaching of our coaches to the players with PowerPoint and video in an effort to keep us ahead in this area. By adding the title of assistant defensive line coach, his on-the-field duties will expand as he assists Jethro Franklin with the defensive line and John Bonamego with special teams."
Before entering the NFL, the 39-year-old Pasadena, Calif., native was a member of the Edmonton Eskimos' coaching staff for five seasons (1996-2000), serving in the 2000 season as the team's assistant head coach/defensive coordinator/linebackers coach after coaching the defensive line (1996, 1998-1999) and serving as defensive coordinator/secondary coach (1997). Miller's 1996 defensive line contributed to the Eskimos posting the top-ranked defense in the Canadian Football League on the way to an appearance in the Grey Cup.
Miller had made his pro coaching debut in 1995 with the CFL's Birmingham Barracudas as linebackers coach.
Before entering the professional ranks, Miller coached at the collegiate level for nine years, eight of them at California's Riverside Community College.
Brad and his wife, Lisa, have a son, Anselmo Robert (born 1/10/00), and reside in Green Bay.
MILLER COACHING BACKGROUND:
1986-89 - Riverside (Calif.) C.C., Defensive Secondary
1990-93 - Riverside (Calif.) C.C., Receivers
1994 - Portland State, Linebackers
1995 - Birmingham Barracudas (CFL), Linebackers
1996 - Edmonton Eskimos (CFL), Defensive Line
1997 - Edmonton Eskimos (CFL), Defensive Coordinator/Secondary
1998-99 - Edmonton Eskimos (CFL), Defensive Line
2000 - Edmonton Eskimos (CFL), Asst. Head Coach/Defensive Coordinator/Linebackers
2001-02 - Green Bay Packers, Defensive Assistant/Quality Control
2003 - Green Bay Packers, Asst. Defensive Line
