Dino Babers - Football Coach - Syracuse University Athletics

Dino Babers

Title:
Head Coach
Phone:
4791

Named the 30th head football coach at Syracuse University on Dec. 5, 2015, Dino Babers manned the sidelines for eight seasons at Syracuse until the University changed leadership of the program on Nov. 19, 2023. Babers concluded his 40th season as a a collegiate coach by seeing the Orange reach back-to-back bowl games for the first time in a decade. He ended his time at SU with a 78-70 (.527) career record and led Syracuse into the top-25 in three of his final six seasons at 'Cuse.

Known for record-setting production on the ground and through the air during his tenure, his time leading the Orange has featured the best individual rushing season in program history, a multitude of passing and receiving records, a 10-win season, three bowl appearances as well as multiple All-Americans and NFL Draft selections.

Babers’ teams also improved on the defensive side of the field in his tenure. The team finished in the top-25 nationally of total defense in two of his final three seasons at the helm.

GROWING THE ORANGE
Babers planted the seeds of Syracuse’s revival during his first season in 2016. The Orange knocked off a ranked opponent for the first time in four years, toppling ACC Coastal champion Virginia Tech at home, 31-17. Additionally, he commanded an offense that set or tied more than 40 school records, including new season standards for completions (332) and passing yards (3,855).

Babers’ second campaign also featured a signature win, as Syracuse handed 2017 College Football Playoff (CFP) semifinalist Clemson its only defeat of the regular season. The Orange edged the second-ranked Tigers, 27-24. The triumph was on par with the Orange’s historic upset of No. 1 Nebraska more than 30 years prior and captured the attention of the nation.

Those flashes of success proved to be harbingers of what was to come in 2018, as Babers guided the Orange to the seventh double-digit win season in program history. The Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Team of the Year, Syracuse went from four wins to 10 and and posted a 6-2 conference record to finish second to national champion Clemson in the ACC Atlantic Division. The six-win increase matched the 1987 squad for the second-largest improvement from one year to the next in team history, and equaled Florida and Baylor for the best turnaround by a Power-Five team from 2017 to 2018.

The Orange opened the season with four straight wins and ended it with triumphs in six of their last seven games. Their 6-1 closing stretch included a 34-18 victory over West Virginia in the Camping World Bowl, the Orange’s first postseason appearance since 2013. Along the way, Syracuse protected its home field by going 6-0 in the Dome, returned to the national polls for the first time in 17 years, and made its debut in the CFP rankings.

Syracuse rose to as high as No. 12 in all three polls during the week of Nov. 11, the program’s highest ranking since 1998, and closed the season at No. 15 in the final Associated Press and Amway Coaches polls.

For his efforts, Babers was named the American Football Coaches Association Region 1 Coach of the Year, the third time he was voted the top coach in the region by his peers in the AFCA. A finalist for three 2018 national coach of the year awards, Babers received co-ACC Coach of the Year honors from the AP and was selected as the East Coast Athletic Conference Coach of the Year.

Babers’ vision for all three phases working together fueled the breakthrough. The Orange featured an electrifying offense, a tenacious defense and superb special teams. Offensively, the Orange ranked 11th nationally in scoring (40.2 ppg) and set the school records for most plays (1,063) and most points scored (523). They tied the all-time program mark with 62 total touchdowns, including a record 38 rushing scores. In 13 games, Syracuse scored 50+ points, a school-record, five times and topped 40 points on eight occasions.

Syracuse’s opportunistic defense served as the perfect complement to the team’s high-flying offense. The Orange ranked in the top 10 nationally in five defensive categories: turnovers gained (3rd - 31), interceptions (5th - 18), fumbles recovered (5th - 13), sacks (6th - 3.31 per game) and third-down defense (7th - .286). They also totaled a school-record 43 sacks.

A special teams unit led by All-ACC punter Sterling Hofrichter and Lou Groza Award-winning kicker Andre Szmyt completed the trifecta.

In 2019, Syracuse went 5-7, but finished the season strong, winning two of its last three. The Orange scored 30+ points five times and averaged 40.7 points per contest over the final three games of the year. Syracuse was among the best at taking care of the football in the passing game, finishing second in the ACC for the fewest interceptions thrown (7). Defensively, the Orange ranked fifth nationally in passes defended per game (5.67) and recorded the program’s first true-road shutout since 1991 with a 24-0, season-opening victory at Liberty.

The 2020 season, as unique of a college football season as ever, thrust many young members of the Orange roster into early playing time, providing valuable experience for future seasons. Defensive backs Garrett Williams and Ja’Had Carter, as well as linebacker Stefon Thompson were all named Freshman All-Americans by various publications.

The 2021 campaign saw significant improvement offensively, including the most prolific ground attack in program history. All-American running back Sean Tucker broke the program’s single season rushing record (1,496) that had stood for over 40 years. The top offensive vote getter on the All-ACC team was up for a multitude of national awards. The SU defense also turned in its most stout defensive effort in a decade, finishing 19th nationally in total defense (330.1) and was 16th nationally in sacks per game (3.1).

The 2022 Orange return to bowl eligibility for the second time in his tenure, earning a spot in the Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl. The Orange, despite being predicted to finish last in the conference, took third in the vaunted ACC Atlantic Division and finished the regular season with a 7-5 mark. Tucker followed up his record-breaking campaign with another 1,000-yard season, concluding his career third on the program’s all-time rushing list. Oronde Gadsden II set Syracuse’s sophomore record for receptions and broke both single season record for reception (61) and yards (969). Gadsden (first team), Tucker (second team) and left tackle Matthew Bergeron (second team) headlined the Orange’s all-conference selections on offense. The defense, which finished 21st nationally in total defense, was led by captain Mikel Jones, who was a Butkus Award Semifinalist.

His final season, he coached the first 11 games of the year - a season that saw the program reach the postseason in back-to-back years for the first time as a member of the ACC. Syracuse concluded the season with an appearance in the RoofClaim.com Boca Raton Bowl. LeQuint Allen (RB) and Marlowe Wax (LB) each earned Second Team All-ACC honors, while punter Jack Stonehouse (third team), Allen (HM - all-purpose), guard Chris Bleich (HM), and defensive back Justin Barron (HM) were also recognized by the league. Allen finished the season over the 1,000-yard mark, which marked the fourth time in program history that Syracuse had a 1,000-yard running back in three-straight seasons.

Player development was a hallmark of Babers’ Syracuse tenure. He’s coached seven All-Americans in eight seasons. To put that perspective, Syracuse had one All-American in the four years prior to Babers’ arrival in Central New York. Tucker, who was also a semifinalist for both the Maxwell and Doak Walker awards in 2021, was the most recent player to earn All-America honors under Babers. Szmyt, who led the NCAA in nearly every kicking category in 2018, and safety Andre Cisco, who tied for the national lead in interceptions that season, were the first duo of Orange players to earn All-America honors under Babers in the same year. In 2019, Hofrichter added his name to that list. The Valrico, Florida native garnered seven All-America nods and became Syracuse’s first Ray Guy Award finalist following a campaign in which he ranked No. 3 nationally in net punting average (43.03). Hofrichter’s immediate replacement Nolan Cooney garnered All-America honors from Pro Football Focus in 2020 after setting Syracuse’s single-season record for net punting (44.8 yards per punt), continuing Syracuse’s tradition of success on special teams.

Receivers Amba Etta-Tawo, Steve Ishmael and punt returner Brisly Estime were Babers’ first three Orange All-Americans. Quarterback Eric Dungey and receiver Ervin Philips are additional examples of players who flourished with Babers’ guidance.

In 2016, Etta-Tawo left an indelible stamp on the program. He set 10 school receiving records in his one year with the Orange. He was an All-ACC First Team choice and was named to four All-America teams.

The following season, Ishmael picked up where Etta-Tawo left off. Ishmael ranked second in the FBS in receptions per game (8.8) and total catches (105). He also finished in the top 10 in receiving yards per game (4th - 112.2) and total receiving yardage (7th - 1,347). Like Etta-Tawo, Ishmael was an All-ACC First Team choice and an All-American, earning recognition from nine outlets, including four of the five NCAA consensus selectors.

Philips caught 179 of his school-record 223 passes in the two seasons he played for Babers. In 2017, Philips and Ishmael combined for an ACC-record 194 catches to close their careers ranked No. 1 and No. 2 on the program’s all-time receptions list.

A four-year starter who played three of his collegiate seasons for Babers, Dungey finished his Orange career as the holder of 25 school records. Among the most prominent are the all-time Syracuse marks for passing yards (9,340) and total offense (11,333 yards).

Overall, 49 of Babers’ Syracuse pupils have earned All-ACC honors with nine – Tucker, Gadsden, Jones, Cody Roscoe, Ishmael, Etta-Tawo, Hofrichter, Cisco and Szmyt – being named to the first team.

Twenty-five of Babers’ former Orange players have gone on to sign NFL contracts, including draft choices Cisco, Zaire Franklin, Hofrichter, Ifeatu Melifonwu, Chris Slayton and Alton Robinson.

MAKING THE FALCONS FAST
Babers took over the Bowling Green program in 2014 and led the Falcons to an 18-9 record in his two years there, including victories over three Big Ten teams (Indiana - 2014; Maryland, Purdue - 2015). The Falcons went 8-6 in Babers’ first season and captured the MAC East Division championship with a 5-3 league mark. Bowling Green lost the MAC title game to Northern Illinois, but rebounded for a 33-28 win versus South Alabama in the Raycom Media Camellia Bowl, BGSU’s first bowl victory since 2004.

In 2015, Bowling Green was 10-3 under Babers and 7-1 against MAC competition to win the MAC East once again. The Falcons got the better of MAC West champion Northern Illinois in the league title game to win BGSU’s second conference championship in three seasons. Babers presided over one of the most explosive offenses in the country, as the Falcons ranked in the top 10 nationally in first downs (1st - 389), total offense (4th - 546.8 ypg), passing offense (5th - 366.8 ypg), third-down conversion percentage (5th - .502) and scoring (6th - 42.2 ppg).

Babers mentored 17 All-MAC performers at BGSU, including 11 in 2015. Falcons quarterback Matt Johnson was the recipient of the 2015 MAC Vern Smith Leadership Award, presented to the conference’s top football player, and earned MAC Offensive Player of the Year honors. In addition, Johnson finished second nationally in passing yards (4,946), touchdown passes (46) and ranked fifth in passing yards per game (353.3). He set the MAC single-season record for touchdown passes and eclipsed Ben Roethlisberger’s conference record for the most passing yards in a season.

Another of Babers’ charges – Roger Lewis – also had a standout 2015 campaign. Lewis finished second in the FBS in receiving yards (1,544), third in touchdown catches (16) and fifth in receiving yards per game (110.3). He became the first Falcon since 1994 to earn All-America honors from the Associated Press (third team) and he received second-team recognition from the Football Writers Association of America.

EXCELLENCE AT EASTERN ILLINOIS
Babers excelled in his first head coaching position, leading Eastern Illinois to a 19-7 record in two seasons, including a 14-1 mark against Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) foes. His 2012 and 2013 Panther teams won the conference championship and earned FCS playoff berths. For his work, Babers was named the OVC Coach of the Year and the AFCA Region 3 Coach of the Year after both seasons.

In 2013, the Panthers finished 12-2, including an 8-0 conference record, and reached the FCS quarterfinals. The Panthers were ranked as high as No. 2 in the polls and led the nation in total yards (589.5) and points per game (48.2). EIU averaged 372.4 passing yards per contest and 217.1 rushing yards per game on its way to outscoring its opponents, 636-270. The offense was diverse with four different receivers totaling at least 700 yards and eight touchdowns apiece, and two running backs who combined for 2,539 yards rushing.

One of those receivers was 2012 Ohio Valley Conference Player of the Year Erik Lora, who set league single-season records with 136 receptions and 1,664 receiving yards. Lora followed up his stellar season with 123 catches for 1,544 yards and a conference-record 19 touchdowns in 2013.

Upon his arrival at EIU in 2012, Babers took a Panthers team that had finished last in the Ohio Valley Conference in 2011 and led them to a first-place finish with a 6-1 league mark. It was just the fourth time in OVC history that a team went from worst to first in the span of a season.

THE $138 MILLION MAN
The cornerstone of Babers’ Eastern Illinois teams was quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, who won the Walter Payton Award (the FCS equivalent of the Heisman Trophy) after throwing for 5,050 yards and 53 touchdowns as a senior in 2013. Garoppolo, who now plays for the San Francisco 49ers, passed for 8,873 yards and 84 scores in his two seasons with Babers to transform himself into a second-round draft pick. After spending his first three NFL seasons with the New England Patriots, Garoppolo was traded to the 49ers in 2017. He signed a $137.5 million contract with San Francisco in February 2018, making him one of the league’s highest paid players. In 2019, Garoppolo guided the 49ers to the NFC title and an appearance in Super Bowl LIV.

PROFESSIONAL BUILDING BLOCKS
Prior to taking the helm at Eastern Illinois, Babers spent four seasons at Baylor in various capacities. Before that, he worked for four years at UCLA as assistant head coach, running backs coach and wide receivers coach and also had tenures at Texas A&M and Arizona as the offensive coordinator.

A native of San Diego, California, Babers has also made assistant coaching stops at Pittsburgh, San Diego State, Purdue, Northern Arizona, UNLV and Eastern Illinois. He began his collegiate coaching career as a graduate assistant at Hawaii in 1984. Babers spent the next two seasons in a similar position at Arizona State before landing his first full-time job at Eastern Illinois in 1987.

In 1998, while serving as the offensive coordinator at Arizona, he directed the Wildcats’ attack that ranked in the top 20 in scoring offense (15th) and total offense (18th). The Wildcats were 12-1 that season and finished fourth in both polls.

Babers has coached or recruited more than 70 NFL players, including 33 draft picks, four All-Pros (Lance Briggs, Matthew Slater, Josh Gordon, Az-Zahir Hakim) and three Pro Bowlers (Briggs, Slater, Gordon).

Fifteen of his protégés have been picked in the first three rounds of the NFL Draft, including six in the first two rounds. Arizona running back Trung Canidate was the first-round choice of the St. Louis Rams in 2000. Along with Jimmy Garoppolo, wide receivers Brian Alford (Purdue), Will Blackwell (San Diego State), Dennis Northcutt (Arizona) and Josh Gordon (Baylor) were selected in the second round.

A 1984 graduate of the University of Hawaii with a bachelor’s degree in education, Babers started at three different positions (outside linebacker, strong safety, running back) for the Warriors during his career, while earning Western Athletic Conference All-Academic honors. As a senior, he served as Hawaii’s special teams captain and was the squad’s leading rusher.

Babers tried out for the BC Lions of the Canadian Football League before an injury in training camp ended his playing career.

Babers, who received his master’s degree in education administration and supervision from Arizona State in 1987, and his wife, Susan, have four daughters – Breeahnah, Tasha, Jazzmin and Paris. Jazzmin was a member of the Texas A&M volleyball team from 2012-16. She is married to former Orange offensive lineman Koda Martin. Breeahnah married Vincent Palmieri in June 2018.

THE BABERS FILE
Experience: 40 seasons/8 at Syracuse
Hometown: San Diego, Calif.
Alma Mater: Hawaii '84
Family: wife, Susan; daughters, Breeahnah, Tasha, Jazzmin and Paris

PLAYING EXPERIENCE
Hawaii (1979-83)
Columbia Lions (CFL - 1984 free-agent signee)

HEAD COACHING RECORD
Year	School	Record	Conf.	Championships/Postseason
2012	Eastern Illinois	7-5	6-1	OVC Champions/FCS Playoffs (First Round)
2013	Eastern Illinois	12-2	8-0	OVC Champions/FCS Playoffs (Quarterfinals)
2014	Bowling Green	8-6	5-3	MAC East Division Champions/Camellia Bowl Champions
2015	Bowling Green	10-3	7-1	MAC Champions/GoDaddy Bowl
2016	Syracuse	4-8	2-6
2017	Syracuse	4-8	2-6
2018	Syracuse	10-3	6-2	Camping World Bowl Champions
2019	Syracuse	5-7	2-6
2020	Syracuse	1-10	1-9
2021	Syracuse	5-7	2-6
2022	Syracuse	7-6	4-4	Pinstripe Bowl
2023	Syracuse	5-6	1-6	Boca Raton Bowl (did not coach)
Totals	12 seasons	78-70 (.527)	46-50 (.479)

COACHING LEDGER
Years	School	Position
1984	Hawaii	Graduate Assistant
1985-86	Arizona State	Graduate Assistant
1987	Eastern Illinois	Running Backs
1988-89	UNLV	Special Teams Coordinator/Running Backs
1990	Northern Arizona	Special Teams Coordinator/Defensive Backs
1991-93	Purdue	Wide Receivers
1994	San Diego State	Wide Receivers
1995-96	Arizona	Wide Receivers
1997	Arizona	Running Backs
1998-2000	Arizona	Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks
2001-02	Texas A&M	Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks
2003	Pittsburgh	Running Backs
2004-05	UCLA	Wide Receivers
2006	UCLA	Running Backs
2007	UCLA	Asst. Head Coach/Running Backs
2008	Baylor	Wide Receivers
2009-11	Baylor	Special Teams Coordinator/Wide Receivers
2012-13	Eastern Illinois	Head Coach
2014-15	Bowling Green	Head Coach
2016-23	Syracuse	Head Coach

POSTSEASON COACHING EXPERIENCE
1985 Holiday Bowl
1987 Rose Bowl
1997 Insight.com Bowl
1998 Holiday Bowl
2001 Galleryfurniture.com Bowl
2003 Continental Tire Bowl
2004 Las Vegas Bowl
2005 Sun Bowl
2006 Emerald Bowl
2007 Las Vegas Bowl
2010 Texas Bowl
2011 Alamo Bowl
2012 FCS Playoffs (First Round)
2013 FCS Playoffs (Quarterfinals)
2014 Camellia Bowl
2018 Camping World Bowl
2022 Pinstripe Bowl
2023 Boca Raton Bowl (did not coach)

PROMINENT PLAYERS COACHED
Arizona State
Darryl Clack (Dallas Cowboys, Cleveland Browns, Toronto Argonauts - CFL)

Purdue
Brian Alford (New York Giants, Miami Dolphins)
Jermaine Ross (Los Angeles/St. Louis Rams, Jacksonville Jaguars)

San Diego State
Will Blackwell (Pittsburgh Steelers)
Az-Zahir Hakim (St. Louis Rams, Detroit Lions, New Orleans, San Diego Chargers, Miami Dolphins)

Arizona
Lance Briggs (Chicago Bears)
Trung Canidate (St. Louis Rams, Washington Redskins)
Mike Lucky (Dallas Cowboys)
Brandon Manumaleuna (St. Louis Rams, San Diego Chargers, Chicago Bears)
Dennis Northcutt (Cleveland Browns, Jacksonville Jaguars, Detroit Lions)
Andrae Thurman (New York Giants, Houston Texans, Pittsburgh Steelers, Green Bay Packers, Tennessee Titans, Winnipeg Blue Bombers - CFL)
Bobby Wade (Chicago Bears, Tennessee Titans, Minnesota Vikings, Kansas City Chiefs, Washington Redskins)

Pittsburgh
Brandon Miree (Denver Broncos, Green Bay Packers)
Lousaka Polite (Dallas Cowboys, Chicago Bears, Miami Dolphins, New England Patriots, Atlanta Falcons)

UCLA
Kahlil Bell (Minnesota Vikings, Chicago Bears, New York Jets, Green Bay Packers)
Matthew Slater (New England Patriots)

Baylor
David Gettis (Carolina Panthers, Washington Redskins, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Winnipeg Blue Bombers - CFL)
Josh Gordon (Cleveland Browns, New England Patriots, Seattle Seahawks)
Terrance Williams (Dallas Cowboys, St. Louis BattleHawks - XFL)

Eastern Illinois
Jimmy Garoppolo (New England Patriots, San Francisco 49ers)
Kamu Grugier-Hill (New England Patriots, Philadelphia Eagles, Miami Dolphins)
Erik Lora (Minnesota Vikings, Jacksonville Jaguars, Detroit Lions)

Bowling Green
Jude Adjei-Barimah (Tampa Bay Buccaneers, San Diego Fleet - AAF)
Gehrig Dieter (Kansas City Chiefs)
Matt Johnson (Cincinnati Bengals, 2015 MAC Player of the Year)
Roger Lewis (New York Giants, Tennessee Titans, Indianapolis Colts)
D.J. Lynch (New England Patriots)
Gabe Martin (Arizona Cardinals, New Orleans Saints)
Scotty Miller (Tampa Bay Buccaneers)
James Morgan (New York Jets)

Syracuse
Josh Black (New Orleans Saints)
Andre Cisco (Jacksonville Jaguars)
Kendall Coleman (Indianapolis Colts)
Nolan Cooney (New Orleans Saints, Arizona Cardinals)
Eric Dungey (New York Giants, Cleveland Browns, Dallas Renegades - XFL, Cincinnati Bengals)
Amba Etta-Tawo (Jacksonville Jaguars, Kansas City Chiefs, New York Giants, Houston Texans, Birmingham Iron - AAF)
Zaire Franklin (Indianapolis Colts)
Kingsley Jonathan (Buffalo Bills)
Sterling Hofrichter (Atlanta Falcons, Tampa Bay Buccaneers)
Steve Ishmael (Indianapolis Colts)
Trishton Jackson (Los Angeles Rams, Minnesota Vikings)
Koda Martin (Arizona Cardinals)
Ifeatu Melifonwu (Detroit Lions)
Ervin Philips (Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Atlanta Legends - AAF, Ottawa Redblacks - CFL)
Sean Riley (New England Patriots)
Alton Robinson (Seattle Seahawks)
Chris Slayton (New York Giants, Atlanta Falcons, Green Bay Packers)
Sean Tucker (All-American)
McKinley Williams (Indianapolis Colts)
Trill Williams (Miami Dolphins)