ASSISTANT COACHES
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2013 Georgia State Football
FOOTBALL STAFF
H
arold Etheridge, a veteran coach
with more than two decades of
experience, joined Trent Miles’
coaching staff at Georgia State in 2013 as
the offensive line coach and assistant head
coach.
Etheridge was Miles’ offensive
coordinator the last two years at Indiana
State and his offensive line coach the last
three seasons, helping the Sycamores post
three consecutive winning seasons for the
first time since the 1960s.
“Harold Etheridge is a veteran and an
excellent offensive line coach,” Miles said.
“He stresses fundamentals and technique,
and he brings toughness to the offensive
line. He makes it fun for his players, but
he will get the most out of them. And he is
a really good recruiter.”
In two seasons as offensive
coordinator, Etheridge produced one of
the nation’s top rushers in running back
Shakir Bell. A first-team All-American as
a sophomore in 2011, Bell led the nation
in rushing with 151.8 yards per game and
tied for second in voting for the Walter
Payton Award as the top player in the
FCS. In 2012, Bell ranked sixth nationally
in rushing (134.1 ypg) while earning
second-team All-America honors.
Between the 2010 and 2012 seasons,
Indiana State had 17 offensive players earn
all-conference recognition, including five
offensive linemen.
Etheridge joined Miles’ ISU staff in
2010 and made an immediate impact in
the program’s remarkable turnaround.
The offensive line blocked for a unit that
ranked 14th in the nation in scoring with
31.2 points per game for a school-record
351 points and 17th in total offense
at 411.8 yards per game, helping the
Sycamores post a 6-5 record for their first
winning season since 1996.
Before going to ISU, Etheridge spent
the previous two years coaching the
offensive line at Washington State (2008-
09) and one year in the same role at
Northern Illinois (2007).
During a three-year stint as the
offensive line coach at North Texas (2004-
06), Etheridge produced an offensive
line that blocked for the nation’s leading
rusher in 2004 in Jamario Thomas, who
ran for 180.1 yards per game. The Mean
Green won the Sun Belt Conference title
and earned a berth in the New Orleans
Bowl.
Etheridge began his coaching career
in the high school ranks, first at Gallup
(N.M.) High School (1983-86) and then
Ballard (Ky.) High School (1987-88).
From there, he moved to a collegiate
position at Kentucky, serving as a
graduate assistant working with offensive
tackles in 1989-90. He worked under
GSU’s first head coach Bill Curry in his
second season at UK.
Etheridge then spent the next nine
seasons as the offensive line coach at
Illinois State, helping the Redbirds earn a
spot in the NCAA FCS playoffs in 1998
before winning the Gateway Conference
title and reaching the FCS semifinal game
in 1999.
In 2000, he moved with head coach
Todd Berry to Army and coached the
Black Knights’ offensive line for four
seasons.
A native of Gallup, N.M., Etheridge
was a four-year starting offensive guard
for Western New Mexico (1979-82). He
earned a bachelor’s degree in marketing
and management from the school in
1982.
Etheridge, who in 2001 published
a book entitled “Coaching the Front
Liners,” and his wife, Jeanne, are the
parents of twins, Clayton and Eliza.
HAROLD ETHERIDGE
Assistant Head Coach / Offensive Line
First Year at GSU
