Duane Wilson -- Assistant Head Coach/Defensive Coordinator

Wilson was promoted to defensive coordinator in the fall of 1995 and assumed responsibilities of assistant head coach 11 seasons ago. The 2008 campaign represents his 10th as FSU’s linebackers coach.

Wilson, who also serves as the program’s strength and conditioning coordinator, spent his first nine years coaching the defensive line. Under his guidance, the Bulldogs have ranked annually among the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference’s top defensive units while also being recognized on the national level. In the 2003 season, FSU ranked high among the national leaders in both turnover margin and pass efficiency defense.

Wilson has coached a number of standout defensive linemen at FSU, including seven All-Americans. Perhaps the most notable of them is tackle Ed Philion (1993), who’s currently playing in the Canadian Football League (CFL) with the Montreal Alouettes following a four-year NFL career. Under Wilson’s tutelage, the Bulldogs’ four-man front has averaged around 35 sacks a year since 1992.

Wilson played three years of professional football in the now defunct United States Football League (USFL). A lineman, Wilson began his pro career with the Oklahoma Outlaws who later moved to Arizona. He started the last seven games of his rookie season before undergoing back surgery which placed him on injured reserve for two years.

Before competing at the professional level, Wilson turned in a productive collegiate career at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, Mich. While at WMU, Wilson served as the Broncos' team captain and was a first-team All-Mid-American Conference (MAC) performer during his senior year in 1982. As a junior in the 1981 campaign, he was recognized as Western's Most Improved Player. Following his college career, Wilson remained at WMU and served as a graduate assistant coach for two years (1983-84). He coached the offensive tackles for Western’s 1988 MAC Championship team which went on to play in the '88 California Bowl. Wilson was named to WMU's All-Century Top 100 Football Players list in November 2005.

Wilson, who received his bachelor’s degree in physical education/coaching from Western Michigan in 1983, earned a Master’s Degree in athletic administration at WMU in 1990.

Wilson coached varsity football at his alma mater, Burton (Mich.) Bentley High School, for three years and guided the Bulldogs to a 9-1 season in 1987. He was an all-league performer in football, basketball, and baseball at Bentley High.

Wilson, an American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) member, has a daughter, Rachael (15).