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Mike Cassity Position: Defensive Coordinator Experience: 4th Season at UofL

Cassity will return for his fourth season with the Cardinals, serving three years as defensive coordinator and one as co-defensive coordinator. Since Cassity has taken over the defense in 2004, Louisville has finished in the top 40 defensively after each season.

Cassity's attacking and disciplined style of defense has helped U of L become one of the better defenses in the country.

During the Cardinals' 2006 Orange Bowl winning season, the Cardinals finished second in the nation in sacks with 17 different players recording sacks and ranked 17th in the country in scoring defense.

Louisville's defense had two first team All-BIG EAST selections in defensive tackle Amobi Okoye and cornerback William Gay. Louisville held six opponents to 13 or fewer points including a shutout at Temple.

In 2005, the Cardinals finished 21st in the country in rushing defense and 23rd in scoring defense. U of L held four opponents to less than 20 points in a game. Behind Elvis Dumervil's school and BIG EAST record 20 sacks, the Cardinals tied for second in the nation with Rutgers with 44 sacks.

Off the field in 2005, Cassity was recognized by Rivals.com as one of the nation's top 25 recruiters. Inheriting a defense which ranked 93rd in the nation in total defense and 72nd in scoring defense in 2003, the Cardinals improved to 15th in total defense and 24th in scoring defense in 2004.

Cassity oversaw a defense that pitched a pair of shutouts over Kentucky and North Carolina in 2004, and limited 10th-ranked Boise State, which had one of the better-ranked offenses in the nation, to 286 yards of total offense.

In 2004, Cassity built a defense that was based on speed and an ability to get to the football that was evident by the team's 17 interceptions -- the most since the 2001 season. Safety Kerry Rhodes, middle linebacker Robert "The Hammer" McCune and defensive end Marcus Jones served as leaders of a defense known for giving quarterbacks hard-hitting trouble.

A native of Fort Campbell, Ky., Cassity has 30 years of coaching experience on the defensive side of the ball -- most of which has been in the Commonwealth. He is also proud to have sent over 30 defensive backs to the NFL.

He came to Louisville after serving three seasons as defensive coordinator with the Fighting Illini, the 2001 Big Ten Champions who played in the 2002 Sugar Bowl. With an experienced defensive mind, Cassity's aggressive style really took shape at Oklahoma State in 1999 co-coordinating with now Oakland Raiders coach Rob Ryan, son of the legendary defensive mind Buddy Ryan.

Prior to his two-year stint at OSU, Cassity served 1997-98 as the assistant head coach and defensive coordinator at Baylor. At Baylor and OSU, Cassity coached against U of L head coach Steve Kragthorpe then at Texas A&M.

Cassity coached secondary at Wisconsin in 1995-96. He has been a defensive coordinator at Cincinnati (1994), Georgia Tech (1992-93), East Carolina (1990-91), Northeast Louisiana (1989) and Western Kentucky (1983-88). Again with the secondary, he coached at Morehead State (1982), Kentucky (1979-81), Paducah Tilghman High School in Paducah, Ky., (1976-78) and as a student coach at Kentucky (1975).

As a two-sport athlete at Kentucky, Cassity lettered three times. In football, he played safety, winning the prestigious Kiwanis 110% Award, and he was a teammate of current Louisville assistant coach Greg Nord. As member of the Wildcat wrestling team, he was the SEC second runner-up at 190 pounds. He graduated in 1976 with a degree in physical education.

A Fort Campbell High School graduate, Cassity is married to the former Colleen Hartman. The family has four children: Brooke, Hunter, Skyler and Braden.