March 22, 2005

Cape Girardeau, Mo. - Southeast Missouri State University football coach Tim Billings has announced that Craig Wederquist has joined his staff as defensive line coach and Joe Dan Rogers has assumed the duties of defensive secondary coach.

"I'm really excited about having Wederquist join our staff," Billings said. "He is a veteran coach who has been a defensive coordinator and who has been a head coach. Coach Wederquist has nearly 20 years college coaching experience and he knows our defensive system.

"Rogers is a former defensive back at Oklahoma who has coaching experience at Alabama and TCU. He has been with the Atlanta Falcons as a college scout the past two seasons and really brings a wealth of experience that should help our football team."

Wederquist comes to Southeast from Nevada-Las Vegas where he was defensive line coach the past two seasons. He was head coach at Tarleton State in Texas from 1997 to 1999 and served as defensive coordinator at Tarleton in 1996. He was also defensive coordinator at the University of the Pacific and served as an assistant coach at Iowa Wesleyan, Colorado State, Utah State, Central Missouri State and Drake. He is a 1984 graduate of Drake.

Rogers, who played at Oklahoma in 1996 and 1997 and was an Academic All Big XII selection in 1997, served as a college scout for the Atlanta Falcons from 2002 to 2004. He was previously an assistant coach at Alabama, Texas Christian, Brown and Middle Tennessee State.

Wederquist and Rogers replace Matt Webb and Andy McGill who did not return from last year's staff. Billings said he is still seeking an offensive assistant to replace Tony Joe White who also did not return from last year's staff.

Southeast will begin spring football drills on April 2 with the annual spring game scheduled for Saturday, April 30