Feb. 27, 2001

NOTRE DAME, Ind. — Bill Sheridan, linebackers coach the last three years and special teams co-coordinator in 2000 at Michigan State University, has joined the University of Notre Dame football staff to coach the safeties.

Sheridan replaces Lou West, who resigned following two seasons on the Notre Dame staff to become defensive coordinator at Toledo.

Sheridan helped the Spartans lead the Big Ten Conference in total defense in 2000 at 318.3 yards per game — with Michigan State also leading the league in pass defense (164.1 yards) and fewest first downs allowed (177). In ’99 his Spartan linebackers helped Michigan State lead the conference in rushing defense at 76.2 yards per game — and rank second in total defense at 304.7 yards per game.

In 1999, Sheridan coached Julian Peterson, who earned first-team All-America honors from Football News after setting a Spartan single-season record with 30 tackles for losses (140 yards). Peterson was selected by the San Francisco 49ers in the first round of the 2000 National Football League Draft.

Sheridan spent six years at the United States Military Academy (1992-97), the last two seasons coaching Army’s defensive backs. He previously worked with the Black Knights’ outside and inside linebackers. Sheridan helped Army to a combined record of 34-32-1 during his six-year tenure — all under head coach Bob Sutton — including a 10-2 mark in 1996 (and an Independence Bowl appearance) and a top 25 national ranking.

Sheridan went to West Point following three seasons at Cincinnati (1989-91) where he coached the inside linebackers under Tim Murphy. His full-time coaching credits also include a two-year stint at Maine (1987-88) where he worked with the outside linebackers. He also served as a graduate assistant at both Michigan (1985-86) under Bo Schembechler (those two Wolverine teams advanced to the Fiesta and Rose Bowls, respectively) and Eastern Michigan (January to June of ’85).

Sheridan began his coaching career on the high school level as an assistant at Shrine School in Royal Oak, Mich., where he tutored the defensive backs, linebackers, receivers and offensive linemen, from 1981-84.

A 1982 graduate of Grand Valley State University in Allendale, Mich., Sheridan earned four letters as a linebacker for the Lakers. A native of Detroit, Mich., he graduated from Detroit De La Salle High School.

Born Jan. 27, 1959, Sheridan and his wife, Jaycine, have four children — Joseph, Nicholas, Mark and Natalie.

The Bill Sheridan Coaching File