FIU football Head Coach Ron Turner has announced the hiring of Kevin Wolthausen as the Panthers' new Special Teams Coach.

"We are excited to have Kevin Wolthausen join our football coaching staff," said Turner. "I've known Kevin for a long time and know his background coaching at the highest levels of professional and college football will be a tremendous asset for our football program.

In 29 seasons coaching at the collegiate level, and 34 seasons overall, Wolthausen has been a part of 17 postseason bowl teams, including four Rose Bowls. He most recently served as the defensive line coach at Purdue in 2012. Prior to, he spent three seasons in the United Football League with the two-time UFL champion Las Vegas Locomotives.

"I'm looking forward to working with Coach (Ron) Turner, his staff and our student-athletes," said Wolthausen. "There is endless opportunity for FIU football and cannot wait to get started working with them in the spring."

Just before he went to Las Vegas, Wolthausen was the associate head coach and linebackers coach at Eastern Michigan in 2009, where he first served as an outside linebackers coach in 2002.

From 2003-06, Wolthausen was on former Cardinals coach Bobby Petrino's Louisville staff. He first began as a linebackers coach in 2003, then defensive line from 2004-05, and finally a co-defensive coordinator in 2006. Wolthausen then joined Petrino on his Atlanta Falcons staff in 2007.

While at Louisville, Wolthausen mentored defensive end Elvis Dumervil, who would go on to earn All-America honors in 2005 followed by an NFL draft selection by the Denver Broncos in 2006. Dumervil came on strong in 2004 as a junior, recording 10 sacks. In his senior 2005 season, he was arguably one of the top defensive ends in school and NCAA history, when he broke the then-single-game sack record with six versus school-rival Kentucky and broke the NCAA record for forced fumbles. Dumervil won several awards for the 2005 season, including the Bronko Nagurski Trophy, the Ted Hendricks Award, and Big East player of the year, and was recognized as a unanimous first-team All-American.

Wolthausen began his coaching career in 1980 as student assistant at Cal State Northridge before returning to his alma mater, Humbolt State, as a part-time defensive assistant from 1980-82.

He joined the University of Arizona as a graduate assistant for a pair of seasons (1983-84) before becoming full-time with the Wildcats as the outside linebackers coach in 1985 and defensive line coach in 1986.

In 1987, Wolthausen followed head coach Larry Smith from Tucson to the University of Southern California where he helped guide the Trojans to three Rose Bowl appearances in six seasons (1987-92).

After spending two winning seasons as the defensive line coach at Oklahoma in 1993 and 1994, Wolthausen moved on to Arizona State where he would work with same defensive unit. With Wolthausen on staff, the 1996 Sun Devils came up just shy of winning at least a share of the school's first national title after falling to Ohio State 20-17 in the final seconds of the 1997 Rose Bowl. ASU finished the year ranked fourth nationally with an 11-1 record.

Wolthausen graduated in June 1981 with a Bachelor of Arts in Physical Education from Humboldt State in Arcata, Calif., where he was a linebacker from 1978-79. He was the team's top tackler in 1979 and received all-league honors.

WOLTHAUSEN'S COACHING CAREER

2013- FIU (special teams coach)

2012 Purdue (defensive line)

2009-2011 Las Vegas Locomotives (defensive line)

2009 Eastern Michigan (associate head coach/linebackers)

2007 Atlanta Falcons (defensive line)

2006 Louisville (co-defensive coordinator/defensive line)

2004-2005 Louisville (defensive line)

2003 Louisville (linebackers)

2002 Eastern Michigan (outside linebackers)

2002 Arizona Rattlers (fullbacks/linebackers)

1995-2000 Arizona State (defensive line)

1993-1994 Oklahoma (defensive line)

1987-1992 Southern California (defensive line)

1986 Arizona (defensive line)

1985 Arizona (outside linebackers)

1983-1984 Arizona (graduate assistant)

1980-1982 Humboldt State (defensive assistant)

1980 Cal-State Northridge (student assistant)