UTEP introduces Dana Dimel, the 26th head football coach in program history

UTEP held a news conference Thursday afternoon to introduce Dana Dimel as the 26th head football coach in school history.

Dimel has spent the last nine seasons at Kansas State, most recently working as the offensive coordinator under the legendary Bill Snyder.

Dimel said he would not put any timeline on turning UTEP around after the Miners went 0-12, but he promised that he was the right man for the job.

“And that’s what this program needs. Right now, it needs long term consistency in the program,” said Dimel. “And it needs me as the face of the program to be that long term consistent person.”

Dimel previously worked as the head coach at Wyoming from 1997-99 and then at Houston from 2000-02. He had a combined record of 30-39 at the two schools.

He said since 2002 he had not been looking for another head coaching job and that the UTEP job is the first head coaching position he had pursued in the last 15 years.

When asked about the trouble UTEP has had recruiting in light of the 0-12 season (zero recruits as of Thursday), Dimel said that he believes the issue is merely a temporary one.

“I do not see any issues. I really, truly see no issues in recruiting here, because I’ve recruited at some of the other places I’ve been and had to recruit to, There’s no issues in recruiting to here. I feel no qualms about that. I’m super excited to get out and recruit again,” said Dimel.

Dimel was not among the coaching candidates presented by a search committee hired by UTEP after the departure of previous coach Sean Kugler. However, he quickly rose to the top and beat out four other finalists to secure the head coaching position, according to UTEP’s new athletic director, Jim Senter. Senter declined to name the four other finalists.

“He has a plan,” said Senter. “He has been a person who has a demonstrated ability to build a program, like he was a part of, which I think might be one of the greatest turnaround stories in modern history at Kansas State University with Coach Snyder.”