Defensive coordinator Spanos leaves UCLA for Tennessee Titans
By Daily Bruin
Jan. 18, 2014 12:32 p.m.
The newest member of Tennessee Titans coach Ken Whisenhunt’s staff is former UCLA defensive coordinator Lou Spanos, the Titans announced Saturday.
Spanos, who will serve as the linebackers coach for the Titans, has 17 years of past NFL coaching experience on his resume. He spent 15 years as a defensive assistant with the Pittsburgh Steelers and two seasons as the linebackers coach of the Washington Redskins before joining the UCLA football staff in 2012.
“This is a great opportunity to come to a great organization with a great history,” Spanos said in a statement released by the Titans Saturday. “I enjoyed my time at UCLA and working for coach Mora and A.D. Dan Guerrero. We won a lot of games there and went to a Pac-12 championship game.”
During the 2013-2014 football season, Spanos’ UCLA defense allowed 23.2 points per game, the 35th lowest total in the Football Bowl Subdivision.
“He has put together a great body of work during his career. In his extended time in Pittsburgh … he gained a tremendous amount of experience and contributed to some of the best defensive teams in the league,” Whisenhunt said in a statement. “As a defensive coordinator at UCLA, he again showed he is a good teacher and leader and we are lucky to have him working with our linebackers.”
A replacement for Spanos’ now vacant defensive coordinator post at UCLA has not been announced at this time.
Compiled by Andrew Erickson, Bruin Sports senior staff.
