MORGANTOWN —
Steve Dunlap has become the latest victim of the purge of the West Virginia defensive coaching staff following a season in which the Mountaineers allowed more points and more yards than ever in history.
The WVU sports information office confirmed Saturday night that Dunlap has joined Daron Roberts, the cornerback coach, as former defensive coaches.
Head coach Dana Holgorsen previously had removed Joe DeForest as defensive coordinator and promoted to co-defensive coordinator Keith Patterson to the top spot.
Patterson ran the defense during the Pinstripe Bowl but there was little improvement seen in the 38-14 loss to Syracuse. The Orange rushed for 369 yards in that game and finished with 511 total yards.
The shakeup of the defensive staff is expected to continue next week after Holgorsen returns from the national coaching convention.
Dunlap coached the outside linebackers this season but has a long and honorable history with the Mountaineers.
A graduate of the school in 1976, Dunlap spent 26 of his 35 years as a coach working with West Virginia.
Dunlap was a record-setting linebacker from 1976 to 1978. He set records for total tackles in a season with 190 and in a single game with 28.
He still ranks No. 10 on the school’s career tackle list.
Dunlap’s career saw him serve from 1978 to 2000 at WVU before moving to Syracuse when Rich Rodriguez replaced Don Nehlen. He coached at Syracuse from 2001 to 2005, serving two of those years as assistant head coach.
He moved on to N.C. State for two years as defensive coordinator and spent a year at Marshall as defensive coordinator before return to WVU in 2008 to join Bill Stewart.
Among Dunlap’s honors were becoming a finalist for the Frank Broyles Award, given the nation’s top assistant coach, in 1996 when his defense was tops in total defense and No. 2 in rushing defense and in 2010 his defense was No. 3 in the nation in scoring and total defense and No. 11 in pass defense.
A search is underway for a replacement as Holgorsen reshapes the defensive staff.
Email Bob Hertzel at bhertzel@hotmail.com. Follow on Twitter@bhertzel.
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