EMORY, Va. – Emory & Henry College Head Football Coach Curt Newsome is pleased to announce the hiring of Dick Hopkins as the program's Defensive Coordinator. Hopkins will also be charged with working directly with the Wasps' defensive backfield in addition to the oversight of the defense as a whole.

"He's a great person that brings a wealth of experience, having worked with the defensive secondary for over 30 years," commented Newsome. "When I broke into college football, I coached with him for a year on the defensive side of the ball at James Madison before moving to offense. We're fortunate to get him here at Emory & Henry."

A 30-year coaching veteran, Hopkins brings 20 years of experience as a defensive coordinator at the NCAA Division I level including stops at Duke University, Vanderbilt University, Tulane University, The Citadel and James Madison University. He has coached under multiple hall-of-fame caliber coaches including Bobby Bowden, Watson Brown, Tommy Bowden, Mickey Matthews, Jerry Schmitt and Howard Schnellenberger.

"I am very excited to again work with someone I have as much respect for as Coach Newsome," said Hopkins. "From our relationship at James Madison, I know for a fact that he cares about the kids. Emory & Henry is lucky to have someone with Curt's leadership ability with the football program."

Hopkins got his start in college coaching as a student assistant at Florida State University in 1973. He graduated from FSU in 1974 with a Bachelor of Science degree in physical education. He earned his master's degree in 1975 and returned to Tallahassee from 1978-80 as a defensive assistant. He has also spent time at the high school level, most recently coaching in Boca Raton, Florida.

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