Penn State Assistant Is Hired by Wake Forest

Jim Caldwell, an assistant to Penn State football Coach Joe Paterno, Sunday was hired to coach Wake Forest. He becomes the first black head football coach in the 40-year history of the Atlantic Coast Conference.

Caldwell, 37, will replace Bill Dooley, who announced in August that he would retire after this season. Dooley will conclude a six-year tenure with the Demon Deacons on Thursday when they play Oregon in the Independence Bowl.

Caldwell, who is the quarterback coach for the Nittany Lions, also is involved in postseason play. Penn State will play Stanford in the Blockbuster Bowl on Friday.

Caldwell will not arrive at Wake Forest until Jan. 2, according to a news release issued by the school.

“Competing in the Atlantic Coast Conference is a challenge, certainly, but we feel that we will be up to that challenge and we look forward to continuing the success that the program has enjoyed this season,” Caldwell said in a statement.

In a telephone conference call Sunday night, Caldwell said he didn’t feel any added pressure.

“I think the emphasis on the plight of black coaches in the ‘90s really did give me an opportunity to interview (for the job), but that wasn’t a primary reason (for being selected),” he said.

Caldwell said he hoped to build on Wake Forest’s 7-4 season, which was only the ninth winning campaign for the Demon Deacons in 40 years.

A native of Beloit, Wis., Caldwell graduated from Iowa after starting four seasons as a defensive back for the Hawkeyes. He spent one year as a graduate assistant at Iowa before moving to Southern Illinois as an assistant coach from 1978 to 1980. His career also includes a year at Northwestern, three years at Colorado and one year at Louisville.