The New Orleans Saints have announced two coaching staff moves Saturday. Bret Ingalls is now the offensive line coach after directing the team's running backs since 2009 and Dan Roushar has been hired as running backs coach.
A coaching veteran of 31 years, Ingalls spent the last four years coaching the Saints running backs, with the running game achieving a top ten ranking in two of those campaigns. Prior to coming to New Orleans, Ingalls spent 26 years coaching in the college ranks, with extensive experience along the offensive line. Before his Saints stint, he served on the staff at Northwestern from 2006-08, where he was running game coordinator/offensive line coach his final season.
In 2008, Ingalls' Northwestern offensive line started five new players for the majority of the season without extensive experience, but paved the way for the Wildcats to average 141.8 rushing yards per contest and allowed the second-fewest sacks in the Big Ten. Their play helped the Wildcats win nine games for only the fifth time in school history. In 2007, Ingalls' offensive line blocked for the Big Ten's top-rated passing attack.
Prior to joining the Northwestern coaching staff, Ingalls coached tight ends and tackles at Miami University in 2005. Ingalls has also had stints at Indiana State (2004), the University of Idaho (2000-02) as offensive coordinator, and was at Louisville from 1995-96 in the same role.
Saints Head Coach Sean Payton and Ingalls worked together on the coaching staff at San Diego State in 1989, where Ingalls served as running backs coach and tutored All-American Marshall Faulk. Ingalls showed his versatility during his years with the Aztecs, spending time as offensive coordinator (1992-93), offensive line coach (1990-92) and running backs coach (1989, 1993).
Roushar is a 28-year coaching veteran in the college ranks, coming to New Orleans following a six-year stint at Michigan State, his last two as offensive coordinator/tight ends coach. His stint with the Spartans marked the fifth time he served as an offensive coordinator, also having done so at Illinois (2004), Northern Illinois (1998-2002), Ball State (1994) and Butler (1989-92).
In 2012, Michigan State's running game enjoyed a particularly productive campaign as junior RB La'Veon Bell won the Big Ten rushing title with 1,793 yards, the second-highest single-season total in MSU history, as he was selected first-team All-Big Ten and a first-team All-American by CollegeFootballNews.com. The passing offense ranked fourth in the Big Ten. In Roushar's first season as coordinator in 2011, the Spartans averaged 31.0 points per game, ranked third in the conference, while setting school records for most points (434) and passing yards (3,535) and finishing second in net yards per game (5,466). Prior to his promotion, Roushar served four seasons as offensive line coach.
A two-year letterman as a quarterback at Northern Illinois, Roushar began his coaching career as a student assistant at his alma mater in 1984 and also spent time as an assistant at Butler (1986-92), Rhode Island (1993), Ball State (1994) and Illinois (1995-96), where he served on the same staff as Payton his final year. He then spent six years as offensive line coach at Northern Illinois, before returning to Champaign for a two-year stint in 2003. Roushar arrived in East Lansing after serving as offensive line coach at Cincinnati for two seasons (2005-06).
