University of Northern Iowa Athletics
UNI Football Staff Adds Three Assistants
3/20/2013 1:00:00 AM | Football
University of Northern Iowa head football coach Mark Farley has announced the hiring of three assistant football coaches Bryce Paup (defensive line), Todd Blythe (wide receivers) and Brandon Lynch (defensive backs).
Paup played linebacker at UNI from 1986-89 and earned second-team All-America honors in 1989. Paup went on to have an 11-year career in the National Football League that was highlighted by him earning defensive MVP honors in the league in 1995 for the Buffalo Bills. Paup played 1990-94 for the Green Bay Packers and moved on to Buffalo to play for the Bills from 1995-97. Paup played two seasons in Jacksonville for the Jaguars before capping his NFL career with the Minnesota Vikings in 2000. He played 148 games in the NFL and drew 113 starting assignments. Paup was a four-time Pro Bowl selection and tallied 75 career sacks. Paup recently served as the head coach at Southwest High School in Green Bay, Wis., from 2007-2012. Paup posted a 43-21 record as a high school head coach and had 41 players earn all-conference honors.
Blythe, who served as a volunteer assistant coach in 2012 for the Panthers, will move into a full-time role in 2013 as the wide receivers coach. Blythe coached the running backs, punt returns and the front line on the Panthers' kickoff team in 2012. Both Carlos Anderson and David Johnson earned all-Missouri Valley Football Conference honors last season under Blythe's tutelage. Anderson earned All-America honors as a return specialist. Blythe also assisted in the recruitment of in-state prospects in eastern Iowa this past season. Prior to working at UNI, Blythe served as an assistant football coach at Simpson College (Indianola, Iowa) in the 2010 and 2011 seasons. Blythe had five Storm wide receivers and returners earned all-conference honors in those two seasons. Blythe was a four-time Big 12 honoree while playing wide receiver for the Iowa State Cyclones from 2003-07. Blythe holds the career records at Iowa State in receiving yards (3,096), receptions (176), touchdown receptions (31). Blythe was a member of the New Orleans Saints in the National Football League from April 2008 to September 2008. Blythe played for the Iowa Barnstormers in the Arena Football League from 2009-2011.
Lynch will coach the defensive backs for the UNI Panthers in the 2013 season. Lynch served as an assistant football coach at Lenoir-Rhyne University as the defensive backs coach and passing game coordinator in 2011 and 2012. Lynch was one of 12 coaches selected to take part in the NCAA and NFL Coaching Academy in Dallas in 2012. Lynch played college football at Middle Tennessee State. Lynch served as team captain for MTSU in 2002 and 2003. He was a member of Middle Tennessee's first Sun Belt Conference championship team in 2001. Lynch went on to play in the National Football League for both the Tennessee Titans and the Indianapolis Colts. He was a member of the Super Bowl championship Colts squad in 2006. Lynch was coached by Jeff Fisher and Tony Dungy in the NFL.
