One of the country's most veteran defensive line coaches, Don Dunn serves as WKU's defensive tackles coaches as well as the recruiting coordinator.
Last season, Dunn's interior defensive front featured arguably his deepest position group since his arrival on The Hill as he returned his three primary tackles in Bryan Shorter, Ge'Monee Brown and Devante Terrell while adding transfer Jontavious Morris and junior college prospect Omarius Bryant.
Morris and Bryant were immediate difference makers, as the UAB transfer, Morris, started 13 games for the Hilltoppers at nose tackle, giving WKU a true run stopper in the middle. Dunn's group showed immediate improvement, allowing 60 fewer rushing yards per game and finished as the No. 5 rushing defense in the league. Bryant's develop under Dunn was evident as he dominated the Miami Beach Bowl inside, finishing with four total tackles but grading out as the game's top player according to Pro Football Focus.
In 2014, Brown led the team in tackles for loss while Shorter's 5.5 sacks tied for the team-high, an accomplishment that's rare for a pair of interior defensive linemen.
In his first regular season, Dunn took over a unit that had lost every starter and was tasked with converting position players into defensive run stoppers. As the season progressed, Dunn's experience as a high level coach was apparent as his run defense closed out the year allowing just 105 yards per game to the final four Sun Belt opponents.
With over 40 years of coaching experience at the collegiate level, Dunn came to WKU after spending three seasons as the director of high school relations at Texas Tech on Tommy Tuberville's staff, after spending 10 seasons on staff with Tuberville at Auburn as the defensive line coach.
Aside from his coaching stops at Texas Tech and Auburn, Dunn has also put time in as an assistant coach at Ole Miss, Nevada, Pacific, Montana State, Tennessee and Lees-McRae Junior College, while also coaching five years at the high school level.
During his time coaching the defensive line at Auburn, Dunn helped the Tigers rank sixth in the nation in scoring defense in 2005 and seventh in 2006, while leading the nation in scoring defense in 2004. Dunn also helped lead Auburn to a berth in the Sugar Bowl in 2005, which is one of 14 bowl games that Dunn has been associated with during his collegiate coaching career.
Dunn also has defensive coordinator experience at the college ranks, serving as the co-defensive coordinator/defensive line coach for one season at the University of Nevada following a three-year stint at Pacific, where he was the special teams and defensive line coach along with spending two seasons as the program's co-defensive coordinator and assistant head coach.
Dunn was the defensive line coach, recruiting coordinator and special teams coach while at Montana State from 1985-1990 after initially making his way into the coaching ranks as a graduate assistant at the University of Tennessee from 1983-1985 and at Lees-McRae Junior College in Banner Elk, N.C., where he spent three seasons (1980-83) serving as an assistant coach overseeing the offensive and defensive line, special teams and taking on recruiting coordinator duties.
Dunn began his career at the high school level from 1976-1980 at Holston High School (Knoxville, Tenn.) and David Crockett High School (Jonesboro, Tenn.) where he was a health and physical education teacher and served as the strength coach from 1977-1980.
Dunn earned an associate's degree from Lees-McRae Junior College in 1973. He graduated with a bachelor's degree in physical education from East Tennessee State in 1976 before graduating with a master's degree in secondary education from Union College in 1980.
Don and his wife, Dona, have a son, Jonathan.
PLAYING EXPERIENCE
Lees-McRae Junior College (N.C.) (1971-73), East Tennessee State (1973-74)
COACHING EXPERIENCE
1976: David Crockett High School, Jonesboro, Tenn. (Assistant)
1977-79: Holston High School, Knoxville, Tenn. (Assistant)
1980-82: Lees-McRae Junior College (Assistant)
1983-84: Tennessee (Graduate Assistant- Defensive Line)
1985-89: Montana State (Defensive Line, Recruiting Coordinator)
1990-93: Pacific (Defensive Line (1990-91)/Assistant Head Coach, Co-Defensive Coordinator (1992-93)
1994: Nevada-Reno (Co-Defensive Coordinator, Defensive Line)
1995-98: Mississippi (Defensive Tackles)
1999-2008: Auburn (Defensive Tackles)
2009-12: Texas Tech (Director of High School Relations)
2013-Present: WKU (Defensive Tackles/Recruiting Coordinator)
