Titans Apparently Fill 2 of 3 Football Coaching Posts

Cal State Fullerton apparently has filled two of three openings on its football coaching staff, just one week before spring practice officially begins.

Bill Wentworth, an assistant at the University of Idaho, will coach defensive backs at Fullerton, according to Dave Cook, the sports information director at Idaho.

Don Morel, a graduate assistant at Fullerton, is expected to be the assistant offensive line coach, a source at Fullerton said.

The two are expected to be hired Monday. Both are awaiting official confirmation from the university.

“Hopefully, we will have an assistant offensive line coach and a secondary coach by Monday,” Coach Gene Murphy said.

But Murphy declined to give further details.

“I cannot say anything right now, since the affirmative action process is still under way,” he said.

Fullerton begins spring practice on Monday. The workouts were delayed a week when three assistant coaches resigned in March.

Steve Hall (defensive backs) left for personal reasons, and Dave Tipton (defensive line) and Jim Chaney (defensive backs) quit to accept positions at other universities.

Tipton is the defensive line coach at Oregon State and Chaney the offensive line coach at Western Michigan University.

Murphy had hoped to have all three positions filled before spring practice began, but it appears that a defensive line coach will not be hired by Monday. Gary Spielbuehler of Glendale College is reported to be one of the front-runners for that position.

Wentworth was an assistant coach at the University of Idaho for the past two seasons. Before that, he spent two years as an assistant coach at Louisiana State University and two years as a graduate assistant at the University of Indiana. Wentworth graduated from Cornell University in 1981.

Morel was an all-conference linebacker at La Verne University in 1986.