National Football League

Bears hire Pasqualoni as defensive line coach

Published Jan. 23, 2014 12:13 p.m. ET

foxsports

CHICAGO (AP) The Chicago Bears hired former Syracuse and Connecticut coach Paul Pasqualoni as their defensive line coach and Reggie Herring as linebackers coach on Thursday.

Pasqualoni was in his third season at UConn last fall when he got fired after an 0-4 start. He was 10-18 overall with the Huskies, a disappointing stretch considering he took over the program at its height. UConn had appeared in the 2011 Fiesta Bowl, losing 48-20 to Oklahoma, but finished just 5-7 in consecutive years.

Pasqualoni also served as the head coach at Syracuse from 1991 to 2004, working with stars such as quarterback Donovan McNabb, receiver Marvin Harrison, linebacker Keith Bulluck and Dwight Freeney. Pasqualoni worked in the NFL from 2005 to 2010, serving as an assistant in Dallas and as Miami's defensive coordinator.

Herring spent the past three seasons as the Houston Texans' linebackers coach. He was also the linebackers coach with Dallas in 2010 when Pasqualoni was the Cowboys' defensive coordinator/defensive line coach.

---

Online:

AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org