In 2001, Huxtable helped guide a defense that finished first in the ACC and 15th in the nation in total defense. In addition, he molded a group of relatively inexperienced linebackers into one of the top units in the ACC. Former walk-on David Thornton, who had recorded just 24 tackles in his career as a special teams player prior to the 2001 season, led the team with 131 stops, was named the team’s defensive MVP and earned second-team All-ACC honors. Linebacker Quincy Monk was second on the team with 125 tackles. Thornton (fourth round) and Monk (seventh round) were selected in the NFL Draft and linebacker Merceda Perry signed an NFL free agent contract. Huxtable also served as Carolina’s special teams coordinator in 2001.

Huxtable came to Carolina after a year as the linebackers coach and special teams coordinator at Oklahoma State. He is a 23-year coaching veteran who has also coached at East Carolina, Georgia Tech, Western Kentucky and Iowa State.

Before coaching the Cowboys, Huxtable spent two years on the ECU coaching staff working with the defensive line in 1999 and inside linebackers in 1998. It was his second coaching stint with the Pirates. He coached linebackers and special teams at ECU in 1990-91 and was on the staff that defeated NC State in the 1991 Peach Bowl.

In 1999, the Pirates’ defense was 10th in the NCAA in pass efficiency defense and 14th in the country in scoring defense. ECU earned a berth in the 1999 Mobile Alabama Bowl.

While serving as linebackers coach at Georgia Tech from 1992-97, he also served three years as special teams coordinator (1992-94) and defensive coordinator (1996-97) for the Yellow Jackets. He was part of the staff that coached Georgia Tech to a 35-30 win over West Virginia in the 1997 Carquest Bowl. He also coached at Western Kentucky from 1985-89 and was the defensive coordinator there in 1989. He began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at Iowa State in 1982 and 1983 and was the defensive coordinator at Independence Community College in 1984.

Huxtable coached first-round draft picks Robert Jones (Dallas Cowboys, 1991) at ECU and Keith Brooking (Atlanta Falcons, 1997) at Georgia Tech.

A 1979 graduate of Eastern Illinois University, Huxtable and his wife, Vicki, have a daughter, Shea, and a son, Jake.

THE HUXTABLE FILE