STARKVILLE — Mississippi State football coach Dan Mullen is adding some NFL playing and coaching experience to his staff.
On Tuesday, Mullen announced the hiring of 19-year NFL coaching veteran Brian Baker as the Bulldogs’ defensive line coach and former NFL kicker Chris Boniol as a special teams quality control coach.
“Brian brings an outstanding resume to Mississippi State,” Mullen said in a statement released by MSU. “In his 30 years of coaching, he has developed and worked with All-Pros to All-Americans. He shared with me his passion for getting back to the collegiate level and making an impact on young lives. We are thrilled to have him in Starkville.”
Baker takes over for David Turner, who left MSU last week for Texas A&M after being promoted to assistant head coach by Mullen in the offseason. A former linebacker at Maryland, Baker coached at Army and Georgia Tech before becoming a coach in the NFL in 1996. He coached the San Diego Chargers, Detroit Lions, Minnesota Vikings, St. Louis Rams, Carolina Panthers, Dallas Cowboys, Cleveland Browns, and Washington Redskins. The Redskins didn’t retain him after the 2014 season. Baker coached at Covenant Christian Academy in Colleyville, Texas, last season.
“I am so excited to be back coaching the college game and making an impact on young men on and off the field,” Baker said in the same statement. “Mississippi State has established a winning tradition under coach Mullen’s leadership. I have always admired what his teams have accomplished watching from afar. The effort and intensity the Bulldogs have played with really jumps off the TV while watching at home. It’s a privilege to be a Bulldog and go to work every day here.”
Boniol, who started work Monday, played three seasons with the Dallas Cowboys and helped them win Super Bowl XXX as an undrafted free agent rookie in 1994. He became the first Cowboy to have three-straight 100-point seasons. He made a team-record 26-straight field goals in 1995 and broke the record again in 1996 with 27. Dan Bailey broke the record in 2014.
Boniol also played two seasons with the NFL’s Philadelphia Eagles and one with the Chicago Bears.
The former Louisiana Tech kicker was an assistant special teams coach for the Dallas Cowboys form 2010-13 and for the Oakland Raiders in 2014. He spent last season with Division III Louisiana College.
Baker and Boniol aren’t the only two coaches with NFL experience added to the staff in the offseason. Former Tennessee Titans linebacker Peter Sirmon was hired as defensive coordinator and linebackers coach. Fourteen-year NFL veteran Terrell Buckley was hired as cornerbacks coach and recruiting coordinator.
Follow Dispatch sports writer Ben Wait on Twitter @bcwait
Ben Wait reports on Mississippi State University sports for The Dispatch.
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