Kansas tags former NFL LB Tovar to coach 'backers

LAWRENCE, Kan. -- Kansas hired former NFL linebacker Steve Tovar as its linebackers coach on Wednesday.

Tovar, 36, spent last season as a defensive assistant with the Miami Dolphins. Before that, he was Army's linebackers coach for two years.

After a standout career at Ohio State, Tovar was taken in the third round of the 1993 NFL Draft. He played eight seasons in the league with the Cincinnati Bengals, San Diego Chargers and Carolina Panthers.

"Steve coaches with the same drive and intensity he displayed as a player," coach Mark Mangino said in a release announcing Tovar's hiring. "He's very bright and will be an excellent teacher of schemes and fundamentals. We are very pleased to have him join our staff."