Purdue hires Kevin Wolthausen to coach defensive line

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WLFI) - Purdue head football coach Danny Hope announced that Kevin Wolthausen has been hired to coach the defensive line. Wolthausen’s addition is the third and final hire for the Boilermakers this off-season.

“We are very happy to welcome Coach Wolthausen to our staff,” Hope said. “His background and expertise will be a real asset to the Boilermaker program. He has coached at the highest levels of both professional and collegiate football and has honed his craft along the way.”

During Wolthausen's coaching career, he has helped lead 17 teams to postseason bowl games, including four Rose Bowls.

Prior to spending the 2009 season as the associate head coach and linebackers coach at Eastern Michigan, and the 2007 season with the Atlanta Falcons, he spent four seasons at Louisville. Starting with the Cardinals as the linebacker coach, he moved on to defensive line and eventually became co-defensive coordinator in 2006.

In 2005, Wolthausen mentored defensive end Elvis Dumervil to consensus All-America honors. Dumervil, who broke the NCAA record with six sacks against Kentucky, was named the 2005 Big East Player of the Year, while also winning the Bronko Nagurski and Ted Hendricks awards. Dumervil was selected in the fourth round by the Denver Broncos in the 2006 NFL Draft.

Wolthausen began his coaching career in 1980 as student assistant at Cal State Northridge before returning to his alma mater, Humbolt State, as a part-time defensive assistant from 1980 to 1982.

Wolthausen joins the Boilermakers from the Las Vegas Locomotives in the United Football League where he served as the defensive line coach. The Locomotives won UFL titles in 2009 and 2010 and lost in the championship game in 2011.