Nick Tabacca Named Assistant Football Coach At Butler

Nick Tabacca, who served the past three seasons on the football staff at Defiance College, has been named an assistant football coach at Butler University.  He’ll take over as offensive line coach for the Pioneer Football League champion Bulldogs, filling the spot of departed line coach and offensive coordinator Frank Smith.

Tabacca was the offensive line coach for all three of his seasons at Defiance, and he spent the past two campaigns as offensive coordinator for the Yellow Jackets.  He directed an offensive unit that led the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference in fewest turnovers for two straight years.  During his three seasons at the Ohio school, Defiance had seven All-Conference offensive linemen.

“Nick joins us as a very highly-recommended assistant.  We believe he is the perfect fit for our program,” said Butler head coach Jeff Voris.  “He has a real understanding of the Butler Way.  He is a tremendous worker on and off the field and especially as it relates to recruiting.  He has great knowledge of offensive line play and understands how we want to teach our scheme.  His addition will allow us to continue our strong and steady improvements on the offensive side of the ball.”

Tabacca was a four-year letterwinner and three-year starter as an offensive lineman at Ball State.  He was a two-time Mid-American Conference All-Academic selection and a team captain as a senior.  He began his coaching career as a graduate assistant coach at Ball State in 2005, before accepting the position at Defiance in 2007.

The new Butler coach received a B.S. degree from Ball State in 2004 and earned his masters degree in business administration from Ball State in 2006.

Smith, who was a member of Butler’s coaching staff for four seasons, accepted a coaching assistant position with the New Orleans Saints.  He will assist the team’s offensive staff in all aspects of game preparation, including film breakdown, player and unit scouting reports, playbook creation and practice duties.

“Everyone is very excited and happy for Coach Smith,” noted Voris.  “An opportunity to work in the League had been a goal of his from the start, but over the last four years he gave everything he had to help establish Butler football.  We appreciate everything he did for our program, and we would not have had the success we have had without his efforts.  We wish him nothing but the best.”

The Bulldogs are coming off a school-record 11-1 season, a co-championship in the Pioneer Football League and a victory in the 2009 Gridiron Classic, Butler’s first postseason football win.  The team was unbeaten at home and set a school-record with seven victories in the Butler Bowl.  Butler tied the PFL single season records for wins (11) and for league wins (7).