MIAMI (Dec. 12, 2016) – Head Coach Butch Davis announced on Monday the addition of Eric Thatcher to the FIU football staff. Thatcher will serve as the Panthers' defensive backs coach.
 
"Eric Thatcher has a great defensive background," Davis said. "Having played and coached under the likes of Dave Wannstedt and Pat Narduzzi, he has gained a diverse knowledge of secondary play and schemes. Eric is very detailed and brings a great personality to FIU, which will resonate extremely well in recruiting."
 
Thatcher comes to FIU after spending one season at his alma mater, Pittsburgh, as a defensive quality control coach. It was Thatcher's second stint on the Pitt football staff. In 2010, he was a defensive graduate assistant, contributing to a unit that finished eighth in the country in total defense (305.1 yards-per-game).
 
Before joining Pitt in 2015, Thatcher coached at Slippery Rock University for two seasons, helping the Rockets advance to the NCAA Division II playoffs each year. He initially joined SRU as linebackers coach in 2013 and was elevated to special teams coordinator and secondary coach in 2014.
 
Thatcher also owns experience in the National Football League. In 2012, he was a quality control coach for the Buffalo Bills.
 
He additionally served as defensive backs coach at Mercyhurst College (2011) and St. Vincent College (2009).
 
Thatcher, a four-year standout at safety for the Panthers, finished his Pitt career by making 25-consecutive starts. He was considered the "quarterback" of the Panthers' secondary during his junior and senior seasons, making all of the defensive back calls. His play helped the 2007 unit finish fifth nationally in total defense, yielding just 297.7 yards-per-game. He earned two bachelor's degrees from Pitt, the first as an administration of justice major in May 2007 and the second as a social sciences major in December 2008.
 
Thatcher becomes the sixth member of Coach Davis' staff along with previously announced Kenny Holmes (defensive line), Kevin Beard (wide receivers), Brent Guy (defensive coordinator), Bobby Babich (secondaries) and Tim Harris, Jr., (running backs). Other additions to Coach Davis' staff will be announced as they are finalized.
 
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About FIU Athletics: FIU Athletics is home to more than 400 student-athletes in 18 different sports. Athletic events are played in seven different venues on FIU's campuses (Modesto A. Maidique and Biscayne Bay), including FIU Arena and Ocean Bank Field at FIU Stadium.
 
About FIU: Florida International University is recognized as a Carnegie engaged university. It is a public research university with colleges and schools that offer more than 180 bachelor's, master's and doctoral programs in fields such as engineering, international relations, architecture, law and medicine. As one of South Florida's anchor institutions, FIU contributes $8.9 billion each year to the local economy. FIU is Worlds Ahead in finding solutions to the most challenging problems of our time. FIU emphasizes research as a major component of its mission. FIU has awarded over 200,000 degrees and enrolls more than 54,000 students in two campuses and three centers including FIU Downtown on Brickell, FIU@I-75, and the Miami Beach Urban Studios. FIU also supports artistic and cultural engagement through its three museums: the Patricia & Phillip Frost Art Museum, the Wolfsonian-FIU, and the Jewish Museum of Florida-FIU. FIU is a member of Conference USA and has over 400 student-athletes participating in 18 sports. For more information about FIU, visit http://www.fiu.edu/.