Jan. 29, 2002

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Samford football has added Rick Herzog, Eric Skipwith and Rory Segrest to the Bulldogs' football coaching staff, Samford Head Coach Bill Gray announced Tuesday.

Herzog, 52, is a 29-year veteran of collegiate and high school coaching who becomes the linebackers coach for the Bulldogs. He comes to Samford from Griffin (Ga.) High School, where he served as defensive coordinator in 2001. Previously, Herzog was the defensive coordinator at Northeast Mississippi Junior College in 2000 and has served as defensive back coach, linebacker coach and defensive coordinator at schools such as Jacksonville State, Middle Tennessee State, Arkansas State and Mississippi College. The Mobile native earned his B.S. in education in 1973 from Mississippi College, where he lettered four years at wide receiver (1969-72) and earned Kodak All-American honors in 1972.

"Rick Herzog is a man who has a wealth of experience coaching defense," said Gray. "He has been around a lot of programs and that experience, along with his connections in the Southeast, will certainly help us in recruiting."

Eric Skipwith, 30, returns to the Samford staff after a year's hiatus to coach the Bulldog wide receivers, a position he held during the 1999 and 2000 seasons. A 1995 Samford graduate, he earned four letters as a free safety from 1989 to 1992 under former head coach Terry Bowden, helping the team to the NCAA I-AA Playoffs in 1991 and 1992. Skipwith, a Birmingham native, entered the coaching profession at Mountain Brook (Ala.) High School, coaching defensive backs and special teams in 1993, 1994 and 1998.

"I am very excited to have a Samford graduate on our staff," Gray continued. "Eric was part of a successful tradition at Samford, and his experience here as a player and a coach is very valuable to our team and our staff. We are fortunate to have Eric back on our staff."

Segrest, 28, comes to Samford as defensive line coach from Southeast Missouri State University, where he held several positions including defensive line coach, recruiting coordinator and tackles and tight ends coach from 1999 to 2001. He is a 1996 graduate of the University of Alabama, where he was a member of the Crimson Tide's 1992 National Championship team and the winner of the team's 1995 senior co-leadership award. Segrest began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at Alabama in 1996 and at Auburn from 1997 to 1999, and participated in six collegiate bowl games as a player or coach from 1991 to 1997.

"Rory Segrest is a guy who brings a lot of excitement to his position and our staff," Gray added. "He is a very good technician and he possesses an Alabama background which will help us with our in-state recruiting. Plus, he brings invaluable knowledge of our future conference, the Ohio Valley Conference."

In one other coaching change, graduate assistant coach Fred Bishop moves from offense to defense to help coach outside linebackers. Bishop, a four-year letterman at linebacker for the Bulldogs, was a two-time NCAA Division I-AA All-Independent selection in 1998 and 1999 and a I-AA All-American in 1999.

Samford finished the 2001 season 5-5, including a 4-1 mark in its last five games with Gray as interim head coach. The Bulldogs compete as a I-AA independent for the last time in 2002, as Samford moves all of its 17 intercollegiate teams into the Ohio Valley Conference beginning in 2003.