Dana August Dimel (born October 9, 1962) is an

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...

coach and former player. He is the current head coach at the

University of Texas El Paso The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) is a public research university in El Paso, Texas. It is a member of the University of Texas System. UTEP is the second-largest university in the United States to have a majority Mexican American stud ...

. Previously he was the co-

offensive coordinator An offensive coordinator is a member of the coaching staff of an American football or Canadian football team who is in charge of the team's offense. Generally, along with the defensive coordinator and the special teams coordinator, this coach re ...

and running backs coach at

Kansas State University Kansas State University (KSU, Kansas State, or K-State) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Manhattan, Kansas, United States. It was opened as the state's land-grant college in 1863 and was the first public instit ...

from 2009–2017. Dimel has also coached at the University of Arizona and served as the head football coach at the

University of Wyoming The University of Wyoming (UW) is a public land-grant research university in Laramie, Wyoming. It was founded in March 1886, four years before the territory was admitted as the 44th state, and opened in September 1887. The University of Wyoming ...

from 1997 to 1999 and at the

University of Houston The University of Houston (UH) is a Public university, public research university in Houston, Texas. Founded in 1927, UH is a member of the University of Houston System and the List of universities in Texas by enrollment, university in Texas ...

from 2000 to 2002, compiling a career

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

record of 30–39.

Playing career

Dimel played high school football at

Upper Arlington High School Upper Arlington High School is the sole high school in the Upper Arlington City School District in Upper Arlington, Ohio, a northwest suburb of Columbus, Ohio. It receives students from Jones Middle School and Hastings Middle School. The curre ...

in Upper Arlington, Ohio. He was named 1st team All-Central Ohio League as a defensive linemen in 1980. Dimel then played at

Hutchinson Community College Hutchinson Community College (HutchCC or HCC) is a public community college in Hutchinson, Kansas, United States. It serves nearly 5,000 credit students every semester. History The college was established in the spring of 1928 as Hutchinson Ju ...

before signing with Kansas State. After one season on the defensive line, Dimel made the switch to offensive tackle for his final two years at Kansas State. He was named All-American by the National Strength and Conditioning Association. He was signed by the Minnesota Vikings as a free agent in June 1987 and released in August. Dimel was named to the Kansas State all decade team for the 1980s.

Coaching career

Dimel was a long-time assistant during his first stint at

Kansas State Kansas State University (KSU, Kansas State, or K-State) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Manhattan, Kansas, United States. It was opened as the state's land-grant college in 1863 and was the first public instit ...

under legendary football coach,

Bill Snyder William D. Snyder (born October 7, 1939) is a retired college football coach and former player. He served as the head football coach at Kansas State University from 1989 to 2005 and again from 2009 to 2018. Snyder initially retired from the p ...

from 1987 to 1996. Dimel was instrumental in four consecutive Top 20 final rankings. As the offensive coordinator in 1995 and 1996, the Wildcats won 19 games and finished #6 and #17 in the coaches' poll in respective years. From 1997 to 1999, he coached at the

, and compiled a 22–13 record. At the time he became head coach, he was the youngest head coach in

Division I-A The NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), formerly known as Division I-A, is the highest level of college football in the United States. The FBS consists of the largest schools in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). As ...

. After his rapid success at Wyoming, he became the head coach at the

. Previous success would not follow Dimel to Houston, however. During his 3 seasons in Houston (2000-2002), the Cougars compiled an 8–26 record—including an 0–11 season in 2001, the worst in school history. In 2006, Dimel became the tight ends coach at the

University of Arizona The University of Arizona (Arizona, U of A, UArizona, or UA) is a public land-grant research university in Tucson, Arizona. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, it was the first university in the Arizona Territory. T ...

. In October 2006, he took over as running game coordinator for the team as well. After his promotion, the

Wildcats The wildcat is a species complex comprising two small wild cat species: the European wildcat (''Felis silvestris'') and the African wildcat (''F. lybica''). The European wildcat inhabits forests in Europe, Anatolia and the Caucasus, while the ...

beat three top 25 teams. Dimel returned to Kansas State, and helped them to a 21–5 record over the 2011 and 2012 seasons. The Wildcats finished in the Top 15 each season and quarterback Collin Klein was a finalist for the Heisman Trophy. In 2012, Kansas State was crowned champions of the Big 12 and earned a trip to the

Fiesta Bowl The Fiesta Bowl is an American college football bowl game played annually in the Phoenix metropolitan area. From its beginning in 1971 until 2006, the game was hosted at the Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Arizona. Since 2007, the game has been playe ...

. In December 2017, Dimel was named the head coach at

UTEP The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) is a public research university in El Paso, Texas. It is a member of the University of Texas System. UTEP is the second-largest university in the United States to have a majority Mexican American stu ...

Personal life

Dimel married his wife Julie Josephson Dimel They have a son and daughter together. Their son Winston Dimel played fullback for his father at UTEP in 2018 after transferring from Kansas State.

Head coaching record

References

External links

UTEP profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dimel, Dana 1962 births Living people American football offensive tackles Arizona Wildcats football coaches Houston Cougars football coaches Kansas State Wildcats football coaches Kansas State Wildcats football players Players of American football from Columbus, Ohio Coaches of American football from Ohio Sportspeople from Columbus, Ohio UTEP Miners football coaches Wyoming Cowboys football coaches