Upcoming Event: Football versus Tulane on September 5, 2026 at 3:30 p.m.
Football
vs Tulane
Duke Adds Dennis Creehan To Football Coaching Staff
2/13/2001 12:00:00 AM | Football
DURHAM, N.C. (Feb. 13) - Dennis Creehan, who served as the defensive coordinator at Rutgers University the past three seasons, has been named an assistant coach at Duke University, announced on Feb. 13 by head coach Carl Franks.
Creehan, who will coordinate Duke's special teams and coach the Blue Devil outside linebackers, replaces Joe DeForest, who departed the Duke staff last month to join the coaching staff at Oklahoma State.
"Coach Creehan brings a wealth of experience to our coaching staff," Franks said. "He is very familiar with our defensive scheme and will be an asset to the growth and development of our young players."
A veteran coach with over 30 years of coaching experience, Creehan helped Rutgers post the second-best turnaround in the nation in 1998 as the Scarlet Knights went from zero wins in 1997 to five victories a year later in Creehan's first season. Prior to his stint with Rutgers, the 1971 Edinboro (Pa.) University graduate served as the head coach at South Dakota from 1992-96 and the defensive coordinator at Arkansas State in 1997. While at South Dakota, Creehan led the Coyotes to national rankings in three seasons, established 26 new school and conference records and was honored as the 1993 North Central Conference Coach of the Year.
Creehan got his start in coaching in 1971 as the defensive coordinator at Keystone Oaks High School in Pittsburgh, Pa. In 1974, he joined Johnny Majors' staff at Pittsburgh where he spent one season as the tight ends coach and recruiting coordinator. After a one-year stint as the offensive coordinator at Carnegie Mellon University, Creehan was the defensive coordinator at his alma mater from 1976-78 before taking over as head coach prior to the 1979 season.
In six seasons as the head coach at Edinboro, Creehan posted a 39-20-1 with the Fighting Scots while winning league titles in 1982 and 1984. Over his final three seasons, Edinboro went a combined 25-5 and finished each season ranked among the nation's top 15 teams. His .658 winning percentage continues to rank as the highest in Edinboro football history.
He departed the college ranks in 1985 to become the special teams coordinator with the Edmonton franchise of the Canadian Football League and helped the Eskimos to a Western Division championship and Grey Cup appearance in 1986. After serving as an assistant coach at California from 1987-89 and the head coach at San Francisco State from 1990-91, Creehan returned to Edmonton for the 1991 campaign where he was a member of the Eskimos' Western Division championship club.
A member of both the Bethel Park High School and Edinboro University Halls of Fame, Creehan went on to earn master's degrees from both Duquesne University in 1973 and Pittsburgh in 1977.
Wednesday, May 27
Tuesday, April 28
Friday, April 10
Friday, April 03
