Ex-Duke coach Ted Roof tabbed as Gophers defensive coordinator

3/3/2008 7:02 PM

By DAVE CAMPBELL
AP Sports Writer

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -Minnesota hired Ted Roof as defensive coordinator on Monday, putting the former Duke coach in charge of a unit that gave up more yards than any other team in major college football.

Roof was fired by the Blue Devils after last season. He was 6-45 over 4 1/2 seasons at Duke. But he has helped improve defenses at Duke and Georgia Tech.

``Not because of me, but I was a very small piece of something that wasn't doing real well statistically at the time that got better,'' Roof said in a phone interview. ``It's a combination of a lot of things. There is no magic dust. You don't come in and sprinkle magic dust and everything all of a sudden gets better. It's a process. We've just got to continue to build and grow.''

He replaces Everett Withers, who served one year under Gophers coach Tim Brewster and moved to the North Carolina after a frustrating fall.

The Gophers finished 1-11 in Brewster's first year.

``You know how you make big steps? You make a bunch of small steps every day,'' Roof said. ``You've got to stay in the now, because that's what you can control.''

The Blue Devils ranked 113th nationally in yards allowed in 2001, but in 2002 led the Atlantic Coast Conference in rushing defense and ranked 58th nationally.

The 44-year-old Roof has been a defensive coordinator at Duke, Massachusetts, Western Carolina and Georgia Tech. He was a first team All-ACC player for the Yellow Jackets in 1985.

In 2000, as Georgia Tech's defensive coordinator, Roof was nominated for the Broyles Award that honors the nation's top assistant coach.