BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. - Gardner-Webb announced Friday that it had hired John Windham as the football program's co-defensive coordinator and secondary coach.

Windham spent the past 11 seasons as head coach at Sewanee, University of the South, and was named the SCAC Coach of the Year in 2005 after leading his Tigers to a 5-5 record and third-place finish. Windham's 2000 team tied for the Division III league's championship, which was Sewanee's first title in eight seasons.

Windham saw his Sewanee teams record a combined 22 interceptions over the past two seasons in 20 games. He won 45 games as the program's head coach.

"We are pleased to add a coach of John's experience and quality to our staff," said GWU head coach Steve Patton. "He has coached at a variety of levels and has a wide base of knowledge to work from defensively. We have strong expectations for improvement out of our defense, and I'm confident that John will be a positive influence on our young men."

A native of Gallatin, Tenn., Windham was a four-year starter at defensive end for Vanderbilt (1982-85), and graduated from Vandy in 1986 with a degree in exercise science. Windham signed a one-year contract with the NFL's New England Patriots as an outside linebacker in 1986.

An 18-year coaching veteran on the college level, Windham started his career at Division II Livingston (West Alabama) in 1987 as the team's defensive ends coach. Livingston led the strong Gulf South Conference in total defense that season. Windham moved up to the SEC ranks as a graduate assistant from 1988-89, working with the offensive line at Mississippi State, then landed his first coordinator position at Colorado College - where he served in that role from 1990-1995.

He was named head coach at Sewanee prior to the 1996 season, and led the Tigers to a third-place finish in the SCAC in his first year.

Gardner-Webb, coming off a 6-5 season, started its annual spring practice on Friday, March 2. The Bulldogs' defense, one of the youngest in the FCS subdivision last season, returns All-America defensive end Brian Johnston and first-team All-Conference selections Mario E. Brown (linebacker) and Daniel Cooke (safety) to the fold.