Veteran coach and Northeast Ohio native Mike Woodford is in his first season on Terry Bowden's staff at UA, but in his second stint as a member of the Zips football staff. This time around, he will oversee the safeties.

Woodford joins the Akron staff after spending the 2011 season at New Mexico following a three-year stint at Illinois (2007-09). He coached the Lobos secondary, and was the Illini's special teams coordinator and worked closely with the defensive backs.

After one year (2001) with the NFL's New Orleans Saints as a defensive assistant, he served as defensive backs and special teams coach at Florida (2002-03) and oversaw the defensive backs at Middle Tennessee from 1999-2000.

Woodford, a native of Niles, Ohio, was the defensive ends coach at Akron from 1986-90 with coach Gerry Faust (Terry Bowden was on the UA staff in '86) and was defensive coordinator at nearby Walsh University from 1994-98.

He has an undergraduate degree from Arizona and played safety for the Wildcats from 1978-81. Woodford has two daughters.