Release Date: 8/10/04

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:  DAVE LIKINS JOINS THE MOUNTAINEER FOOTBALL STAFF AS LINEBACKERS COACH

Mansfield- Dave Likins has joined the Mansfield University football staff as an assistant coach, head coach Jim Shiffer announced today.

Likins will serve as the linebackers coach for the Mountaineers.

Likins comes to Mansfield from the Hamburg Blue Devils of the German Football League where he served as defensive coordinator for the past three years. Under his tenure as defensive coordinator, the Blue Devils put together three straight national championships.

Prior to coaching the Blue Devils, Likins was an assistant coach for the Braunschweig Lions who were national champions in 1998 and 1999.

After graduating from Centre College of Kentucky in 1980, Likins served as inside linebackers coach for Georgetown College before landing the position of outside linebacker coach at the University of Kentucky. While at Kentucky, he made consecutive trips to the Hall Of Fame Bowl in 1983 and were the champions of the 1984 Bowl.

After ten years at Kentucky, Likins had a short coaching stint with the University of North Carolina, serving as a volunteer assistant from 1991-1992.  In 1991, North Carolina won the Peach Bowl.

Mansfield is coming off a school record 8-3 season and opens the 2004 campaign at California University of PA on August 28.