Greg Nord begins his first season as the running backs coach at WKU where he will also work with the special teams.
Nord, a long-time coach in the Bluegrass State, comes to WKU after his second stop at the University of Kentucky where he had served on coach Joker Phillips' staff in 2011 and 2012 as the special teams coordinator and tight ends coach.
While at UK, Nord helped lead tight end Jordan Aumiller to Freshman All-American honors as well as punter Ryan Tydlacka to All-Southeastern Conference honors in 2011.
Prior to joining the Wildcats' staff, Nord spent a season at Illinois where he crossed paths with Brohm for the second time, their first time together coming on the staff at Louisville where Nord enjoyed a stellar 15-year run.
Nord spent time in various roles on the offensive side of the ball and enjoyed tremendous success guiding the Cardinals' skill positions. In 2006, Nord coached former Hilltopper running backs coach Kolby Smith, the team's leading rusher with 862 yards and freshman Anthony Allen, who led the team with 13 touchdowns. In 2005, Michael Bush led the country in scoring and was a first-team All-BIG EAST performer. Bush was a fourth-round selection by the Oakland Raiders and Smith was drafted in the fifth round by the Kansas City Chiefs.
In 2004, Nord helped lead the Cardinal rushing attack to a school-record 3,005 yards, and a school record-tying 20 rushing touchdowns by Eric Shelton. With Nord at the helm of the running backs, the Cardinals set a school mark for rushing touchdowns with 47.
In his first three seasons as tight ends coach, Nord watched Ibn Green become a two-time All-American while etching his name in the NCAA record books as the NCAA Division I-A all-time leader in receptions by a tight end. Green completed his U of L career as the program's No. 2 all-time receiver with 217 catches.
Nord also tutored two NFL tight ends in 2003 in Ronnie Ghent and Richard Owens. Ghent became the first Conference USA player at any position to earn first-team all-conference honors for all four years.
Before joining the Cardinal staff, Nord spent three years as running backs coach at Georgia Tech (1992-94). During that time, he coached two All-Atlantic Coast Conference selections in Dorsey Levens and William Bell.
Nord began his coaching career at Kentucky as a graduate assistant from 1979-80. A graduate of the University of Kentucky, Nord lettered three seasons for the Wildcats, playing center and tight end. He and his wife Donna have two daughters, Amy and Angie, as well as five grandchildren, Luke, Nolan, Gregory, Elizabeth and Collin. Nord's nephew, Matt Nord, is an offensive lineman for the Hilltoppers.
THE GREG NORD FILE
PERSONAL
Born: April 3, 1956
Hometown: Louisville, Ky.
College: Kentucky, `80
Children: Amy, Angie
Grandchildren: Luke, Nolan, Gregory, Elizabeth and Collin
PLAYING CAREER (Center, Tight End)
College: Kentucky (1975-78)
COACHING CAREER
1979-80: Kentucky (Graduate Assistant)
1981: Kentucky (Assistant Coach)
1982-89: Kentucky (Running Backs)
1990-91: East Carolina (Running Backs)
1992-94: Georgia Tech (Running Backs)
1995-97: Louisville (Running Backs)
1998-2002: Louisville (Tight Ends)
2003-06: Louisville (Assistant Head Coach/Running Backs/Tight Ends)
2007-08: Louisville (Tight Ends)
2009: Louisville (Running Backs)
2010: Illinois (Tight Ends)
2011-12: Kentucky (Tight Ends/Special Teams)
2014: WKU (Running Backs)
