Looking for somebody to sack the quarterback,
then find a player coached by Birmingham defensive line coach
Don Wnek, who directed the Canadian Football Leagues team
sack champions in Memphis in 1995 and Montreal in 2000.
Wnek comes to the Thunderbolts from Montreal of the CFL, where
he also served as defensive line coach. He helped guide the
Alouettes to an Eastern Division title and a trip to the Grey
Cup game this past season.
A veteran of the CFL coaching ranks, Wnek got his professional
start in 1991 as defensive line and linebackers coach for
the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. For nine of the last 10 seasons he
has coached on the defensive side of the ball for a CFL franchise.
In 1999 he was defensive coordinator for the British Columbia
Lions. Prior to that Wnek took a turn as offensive line coach
(1997) and defensive line coach (1996) in Montreal. Other
CFL stops include defensive line and linebackers coach for
the Memphis Mad Dogs (1995) and the Tiger-Cats (1991-94).
Wnek was also defensive line coach for the San Antonio Riders
of NFL Europe in the spring of 1991 and 1992 and was defensive
coordinator at the University of Nevada from 1982-88. His
Nevada defense helped capture three Big Sky conference titles,
including an undefeated season in 1986.
Wnek, 49, makes his home in Westmont, Quebec, Canada. His
son, Eli, is a senior defensive end at the University of Arizona
and was second team All-Academic Pac 10 Conference selection
last season.
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