Ron McBride joins Utah Blaze coaching staff

SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah Blaze announced the hiring of former University of Utah and Weber State football coach Ron McBride to their coaching staff on Monday afternoon.

McBride, 72, returns to coaching to oversee the Blaze offensive line in the Arena Football League after retiring from the collegiate ranks last November following nearly 50 years pacing the sidelines.

"I'm excited about the opportunity. I coached the offensive line during the first 30 years of my career," said McBride in a released statement. "It's a passion of mine and something I really enjoy doing. The arena game is a new and exciting opportunity for me, and I'm really looking forward to coaching these young players and helping them develop."

McBride coached the offensive line primarily from 1983-89 at Wisconsin, Utah and Arizona before landing his first head coaching position with the Utes in 1990.

"It is truly an honor to have a coach of Ron McBride's stature join our staff," Blaze head coach Ron James said. "Coach McBride has extensive football knowledge and we are looking forward to working shoulder-to-shoulder with a football coaching legend."

During his 19-year tenure as a head coach, McBride tallied a 126-95 record with the Utes and Wildcats and coached more than 70 future NFL players.

He became a fixture in the state of Utah after inheriting a Utah program that had only appeared in three bowl games in 97 years. McBride guided Utah to six postseason appearances, including the highest ranking in school history (No. 8) at the time in 1994.

In 2008, he guided Weber State to the FCS quarterfinals with a 10-4 record.

Email: tphibbs@desnews.com