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From UT standout to Missouri

From UT standout to Missouri

In Their Words is a weekly feature appearing Sunday's in The Blade's sports section. Blade sports writer Maureen Fulton spoke with Matt Eberflus, a Toledo native who played and coached football at the University of Toledo. He is currently the defensive coordinator at the University of Missouri.

When he was 18 years old, Matt Eberflus decided to play football for the University of Toledo because it was in his hometown. The choice he made has ended up propelling him to some of college football's greatest heights.

Eberflus, 38, has been the defensive coordinator at Missouri for eight years. For the last three seasons he's served as the associate head coach. The Tigers are ranked sixth in this week's Associated Press top 25 poll and spent a week last year ranked No. 1 for the first time in 47 years at the school.

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A graduate of Whitmer High School, Eberflus came to UT in 1988 to play linebacker. He was a three-year starter under three different coaches - Dan Simrell, Nick Saban and Gary Pinkel. He earned first-team All-Mid-American Conference honors his junior and senior years and led UT in tackles both those seasons. As a senior, he won the Nicholson Trophy, which is given to the UT player that contributes most to the success of a team. In 2004 UT inducted him into its athletic Hall of Fame.

After Eberflus completed his playing eligibility, he joined the UT coaching staff as a student assistant in 1992. He earned a degree in education in 1993. After another year as a graduate assistant, he was promoted to outside safeties coach in 1994 when defensive coordinator Dean Pees left for Notre Dame. Eberflus was an assistant coach for seven years under Pinkel at UT, coaching the defensive backs his final two years. In 2000, the Rockets' defense led the nation in turnover margin and ranked 19th in the country in pass defense.

Pinkel took most of his coaching staff at UT to Missouri in 2001. The road in Columbia was bumpy at first, but by 2003 Eberflus had helped the Tigers go to their first bowl game in five seasons. In 2004 the Tigers' pass defense ranked third in the country and the team ranked second in the Big 12 in total defense.

Last season was the best on both sides of the ball for the Tigers. Missouri won the Big 12 North and Eberflus was twice recognized as the national defensive coordinator of the week. William Moore, one of the safeties Eberflus coaches, was named second-team All-American by the Associated Press. The Tigers allowed just seven points in a Cotton Bowl victory over Arkansas. In the spring Rivals.com recognized Eberflus as the nation's eighth-best defensive coach.

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Eberflus and his wife, Kelly, have two daughters, Grace and Giada.

"I GOT RECRUITED by Toledo, Bowling Green and Kent State. I visited all three places and went to Toledo probably because I was a mama's boy and wanted to stay home. At the time the Rockets were the best school to play for. I ended up meeting a lot of good people. It was a pretty good move for me at 18 years old when I didn't know what I was doing.

"OF THE THREE coaches I played for, Coach Simrell was obviously a big influence, I still talk to him today. He's one of the guys I call if I'm making a career decision. Coach Saban has had a great career. It was good to see how Saban approached the game of defense. It's been great to have a mentor in Coach Pinkel. I've been with him since 1991. They're all different in terms of their style. I certainly watched the approach that all three of those guys had at Toledo. I've been with Coach Pinkel the most. I learned my approach through him more than anything.

"HAVING THE STAFF together for so long has been good on many levels. It creates a family atmosphere for our players and the whole program. We've always been around each other. It helps hugely in recruiting. When they came there they see it's a family. Why, because we've been together for so long. You can't replicate that. It's real and genuine. We also play off each others' strengths in recruiting. I know what coach Kul [Craig Kuligowski] wants in a d-lineman and what coach Steck [Dave Steckel] wants in a linebacker.

"THE REASON you coach is because you want to stay close to the game. Winning is a very big part of it, if you want to keep your job you've got to win. The fulfillment of the job comes from seeing the young man come in as a freshman, working closely with him in his position. You work with him to get his degree and have a great college experience. At the end you've helped him achieve his goals of being a great student and great football player. A big win, like against Penn State or the ones we've had at Missouri, that lasts about 24 hours then you have to move onto the next game.

"I DON'T RECRUIT Ohio anymore. I quit doing that probably a couple years into it. After we got Brad Smith, we tried to go back to Ohio a few times. It wasn't as fruitful as we thought it would be. I miss Toledo. I still have family there, my mom Joanne and dad Stan still live in Toledo. It's a great place to be."

Contact Maureen Fulton at:

mfulton@theblade.com

or 419-724-6160.

First Published September 7, 2008, 9:21 a.m.

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