Kevin Kane (born December 18, 1983) is an American football coach and former linebacker, who is the current

defensive coordinator A defensive coordinator is a coach responsible for a gridiron football (American football) team's defense. Generally, the defensive coordinator, the offensive coordinator and the special teams coordinator represent the second level of a team's c ...

for the Purdue Boilermakers. He played

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 ...

at Kansas from 2002 to 2005. He served as the defensive coordinator of the Northern Illinois Huskies (2016–2017) and SMU Mustangs (2018–2020).

Playing career

Born in

Kansas City, Missouri Kansas City (abbreviated KC or KCMO) is the largest city in Missouri by population and area. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 508,090 in 2020, making it the 36th most-populous city in the United States. It is the central ...

on December 18, 1983, Kane attended Rockhurst High School, where he helped lead the team to a state championship in his junior season. Kane played linebacker for the

Kansas Jayhawks The Kansas Jayhawks, commonly referred to as simply KU or Kansas, are the athletic teams that represent the University of Kansas. KU is one of three schools in the state of Kansas that participate in NCAA Division I. The Jayhawks are also a mem ...

from 2002 to 2005. He was twice named Honorable Mention All-Big 12, and was Academic All-Big 12 three times. Kane was named a team captain for his senior season.

Coaching career

Kansas

After finishing his playing career in 2005, Kevin Kane spent the next two seasons as a student assistant with his alma mater, Kansas.

Wisconsin

In 2008, he joined the Wisconsin football program, as a defensive graduate assistant for two seasons, and then as a defensive quality control coach in 2010.

Northern Illinois

In 2011, Kane began his first stint as Northern Illinois University. He coached the tight ends and

fullback Fullback or Full back may refer to: Sports * A position in various kinds of football, including: ** Full-back (association football), in association football (soccer), a defender playing in a wide position ** Fullback (gridiron football), in Americ ...

s in 2011, before moving to the defensive side of the ball from 2012-2014, coaching the linebackers. Kane also coordinated the special teams in 2013 and 2014.

Kansas

For the 2015 football season, Kane returned to his alma mater, coaching the Kansas linebackers. The following year, he returned to Northern Illinois as the teams

and safeties coach.

SMU

In January 2018, it was announced that Kevin Kane would join new head coach Sonny Dykes at SMU as the

Illinois

Kane was named the associate head coach & outside linebackers coach at Illinois in January 2021. The move reunited Kane with Bret Bielema, whom he worked under at Wisconsin. In 2022, Kane assisted defensive coordinator Ryan Walters lead one of the top defenses in the Nation. The Fighting Illini defense finished the year in the top 8 in rushing defense, passing defense, total defense, and number one in scoring defense after giving up 12.3 points per game. This stellar performance helped Walters land the head coaching position at Purdue.

Purdue

Following the 2022 season, Kane followed Walters to

Purdue Purdue University is a public land-grant research university in West Lafayette, Indiana, and the flagship campus of the Purdue University system. The university was founded in 1869 after Lafayette businessman John Purdue donated land and money ...

as the defensive coordinator.

Personal life

Kane and his wife have three children, Colin(Son), Jack(Son), and Nora(daughter)

References

External links

Purdue profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kane, Kevin 1983 births Living people American football linebackers Kansas Jayhawks football players Kansas Jayhawks football coaches Northern Illinois Huskies football coaches Purdue Boilermakers football coaches SMU Mustangs football coaches Wisconsin Badgers football coaches Coaches of American football from Missouri Players of American football from Kansas City, Missouri