A 37-year coaching veteran, Bob Ligashesky has been added to the Syracuse football staff as the team’s Special Teams Coordinator.
A Super Bowl champion coach with 37 years of experience at both the college and pro levels has joined our staff!https://t.co/saJ8ehWgMb pic.twitter.com/aPdPXqqQ0W
— Syracuse Football (@CuseFootball) December 9, 2021
“I’m excited to welcome Bob and his family to Syracuse,” said head coach Dino Babers. “He has a long track record of coaching outstanding special teams units in both college football and the NFL, and I look forward to him getting started with our program.”
Ligashesky’s career includes 12 seasons in the National Football League, where he won a Super Bowl as the Pittsburgh Steelers’ Special Teams Coordinator in 2008. He also has a pedigree of developing some of the best kickers in college football. He most recently spent the 2021 season at Bowling Green, where Falcons’ kicker Nate Needham led the nation in field goal percentage (.950).
“I’m thankful and appreciative of this opportunity to work at Syracuse University,” Ligashesky said. “I can’t wait to get to work.”
Prior to his time at BGSU, he spent the 2016-2020 seasons on the Illinois staff as the Special Teams Coordinator for all five seasons and also coached tight ends in 2016-17. While with the Illini, he mentored Blake Hayes to be the 2019 BIG Ten Punter of the Year and Chase McLaughlin to earn the 2018 Bakken-Anderson Big Ten Kicker of the Year award.
In his 12 years in the NFL, he coached the Texans (2013-15/Special Teams Coordinator), Buccaneers (2012/Special Teams Coordinator/Safeties), Raiders (2011/Special Teams Assistant), Broncos (2010/Tight Ends), Steelers (2007-09/Special Teams Coordinator) Rams (2005-06/Special Teams Coordinator) and Jaguars (2004/Assistant Special Teams Coach).
Before coaching in the pro ranks, he spent 19 seasons in the college game. He was the tight ends coach and Special Teams Coordinator at Pittsburgh from 2000-03, where he and Babers overlapped for one season (2003). Prior to joining the Panthers, he spent nine seasons at Bowling Green, serving as the Assistant Head Coach (’99), and coaching linebackers and special teams. For the 1989-90 seasons, he was at Kent State as the Special Teams Coordinator and coached outside linebackers. He also had graduate assistant stops at Arizona State (1986-88) and Wake Forest (1985).
Kyle leads sports coverage and hosts the Concrete Jungle podcast. Have a lead or question? Send it to [email protected].