Air Force adds two to coaching staff
2/22/2017 12:00:00 AM | Football
Bart Miller and Taylor Stubblefield have been added to the Air Force football coach staff, according to head coach Troy Calhoun. Miller will coach tight ends while Stubblefield will coach receivers. Assistant coach Steed Lobotzke has moved over to coach the offensive line. The moves were made to replace Clay Hendrix, who left to become the head coach at Furman, and Jake Moreland, who has joined the staff at Western Michigan.
Miller comes to the Academy from Minnesota, where he was the offensive line coach in 2015. Prior to that, he spent two years as offensive line coach at Florida Atlantic. Miller, who is from Omaha, Neb., has also served as an offensive line coach at New Mexico State and Wisconsin.
Miller's offensive line at Florida Atlantic allowed only 26 sacks in 887 opportunities in 2015 and just 21 sacks from 869 tries in 2014. In the four seasons before Miller arrived, the Owls had allowed an average of 31 sacks per season.
Under Miller, the Florida Atlantic offensive line blocked for 10 different ball carriers who amassed 1,962 yards, which was just shy of the program record. Miller took over an offensive line that returned just one traditional starter for the Owls. Miller's opening day left tackle Reggie Bain, a true freshman, earned freshman All-America honors during his first year on the job. Bain was joined by Mikingson Marsaille and Kelly Parfitt as all-conference selections during Miller's tenure.
At New Mexico State, Miller helped create a new offensive system for the Aggies which yielded 34 points per game and an average of 300 yards per game while rushing for 180 yards per game through the squad's last five games. He took over a line that had allowed 45 sacks and improved that protection by more than half to just 20 in more than 400 opportunities.
As the offensive line coach at Wisconsin, Miller took over a unit in September that ranked 103rd nationally in rushing averaging only 101 yards per game. That group improved to finish 12th in the nation, averaging 237.8 yards per game and 5.2 yards per rush.
Miller coached NFL draft picks and 2012 all-Big Ten honorees Ricky Wagner, Ryan Groy and Travis Frederick, while helping to re-establish a physical Wisconsin running game.
In 2011, as a graduate assistant at Wisconsin, Miller worked directly with the offensive line and tight ends, helping lead an offense that averaged 44.1 points. He coached and worked with NFL first- and second-round picks, All-Big Ten honorees and All-Americans Kevin Zeitler and Peter Konz, Heisman Finalist Montee Ball and NFL quarterback Russell Wilson. Miller helped guide all five starting offensive linemen to receive either All-American or All-Conference honors.
Miller began his coaching career at New Mexico State where he worked primarily with the offensive line as a graduate assistant.
Miller holds a bachelor's degree from New Mexico and obtained a master's degree from New Mexico State.
As a player at New Mexico, Miller was a starter and two-year letterman on the offensive line. He earned Academic All-Mountain West Conference honors as a junior and senior. Miller played right guard in 2007 and the Lobos had a 1,000-yard rusher, two 1,000-yard receivers and a 3,000-yard passer.
Stubblefield comes to the Academy after coaching receivers for the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League in 2016.
Stubblefield, a consensus All-America wide receiver during his playing days at Purdue, has coached receivers at the college level from 2007-15 before coaching in the CFL last season. The Yakima, Wash., native has made coaching stops on the East and West coasts, the Midwest and the Mountain West region.
Prior to coaching at Utah from 2014-15, he spent seven seasons at Central Washington (2007), Eastern Michigan (as a graduate assistant in 2008), Illinois State (2009-10), Central Michigan (2011), New Mexico (2012) and Wake Forest (2013).
While at Wake Forest, his leading receiver, Michael Campanaro, was named second-team all-Atlantic Coast Conference. While at Central Michigan, Stubblefield coached three third-team all-Mid-American Conference receivers in Titus Davis, Courtney Williams and Cody Wilson. Davis was a Phil Steele Freshman All-American.
In his two years at Illinois State, Stubblefield mentored three all-Missouri Valley Football Conference honorees, including first-team wide-out Eyad Salem. Salem set a school record for receptions in a season with 92. Stubblefield also had two receivers named to the MVFC all-Newcomer team during his time at Illinois State.
As a player at Purdue, Stubblefield was a consensus All-American and a 2004 finalist for the Biletnikoff Award, presented to the most outstanding receiver in college football. He finished his career (2001-04) with an NCAA record 316 receptions and ranks second in Big Ten history with 3,629 receiving yards.
Stubblefield's performance against Washington State in the 2001 Sun Bowl (nine receptions, Sun Bowl-record 196 yards, two touchdowns, Sun Bowl-record 244 all-purpose yards) earned him a spot on the Sun Bowl's 75th anniversary team. His 16 receiving touchdowns in 2004 are a Purdue single-season record.
After graduating from Purdue in 2005, Stubblefield had professional stints with the NFL's Carolina Panthers and St. Louis Rams as well as the Canadian Football League's Hamilton Tiger-Cats.
