EIU Hires New Football Coach

Eastern Illinois University has hired Louisiana Tech defensive coordinator Kim Dameron as its new head football coach.

EIU says Friday that Dameron will take over for Dino Babers, who became head coach at Bowling Green after leading the Panthers to the Football Championship Subdivision quarterfinals. 

Dameron has never been a head coach. He spent last season at Louisiana Tech after working as Cornell's defensive coordinator in 2012.

He's also been a coordinator or secondary coach at schools such as Ole Miss since 1986. He was EIU's defensive coordinator in 2000 after spending 1999 coaching at Toronto in the CFL.

Louisiana Tech's defense was ranked 69th in the country last season and gave up 408.3 yards and 26.3 points a game.

Dameron takes over a team that went 12-2 last season.