Meet New(Interim) Head Coach Eric Studesville

The Broncos named RB Coach Eric Studesville interim Head Coach tonight after firing Josh McDaniels.  He is the first interim coach for the Broncos since 1971 - meaning it is the first time in the Pat Bowlen era the team has fired a coach during the season.  Then, it was Jerry Smith who was selected to finish out the 1971 season after Denver canned Lou Saban. Smith went 2-3, and the Broncos hired John Ralston in the offseason.

Who is Eric Studesville?  Look no further:

Studesville's NFL coaching career began in 1997 with Chicago following six years working at the collegiate level.

During his nine seasons as an NFL running backs coach, Studesville has guided four individuals to a total of seven 1,000-yard rushing seasons with Tiki Barber (2), Marshawn Lynch (2), Willis McGahee (2) and Fred Jackson (1) reaching the mark. His running backs have registered 32 individual 100-yard rushing efforts, a total that includes 14 by McGahee and 12 by Barber.

With the Bills, Studesville instructed a 1,000-yard rusher in five of his six seasons, including one during each of the last three years, and coached Lynch to a Pro Bowl selection in 2008. Both McGahee (2004-05) and Lynch (2007-08) cleared the 1,000-yard mark in each of their first two seasons with McGahee's 2,375 yards representing a team record for a player's first two years and ranking 16th in league annals for that category.

Jackson, in just his third year, became only the ninth undrafted player in league history to post a 1,000-yard rushing effort in 2009, totaling 1,062 yards with Studesville serving as running game coordinator. The Bills finished that season ranked ninth in the league in yards per rush (4.4).

Studesville was promoted to running game coordinator in 2008, a year that saw Lynch become the first Buffalo running back to earn a Pro Bowl nomination in five years after totaling his second consecutive 1,000-yard effort. Lynch (1,036 yds.) and Jackson (500 yds.) formed one of the top rushing duos in the NFL that year, and the two also combined for 84 receptions that led league running back tandems.

In 2007, Studesville oversaw Lynch's adjustment to the NFL as a rookie and helped the 12th overall pick lead AFC rookies in rushing with 1,115 yards that ranked second in club history among rookies. He averaged 85.7 rushing yards per game that ranked seventh in the NFL and led the league in rushing attempts per game (21.5).

McGahee's 990 rushing yards for the Bills in 2006 increased his three-year career total under Studesville to 3,365 yards to mark the ninth-highest total in the league during that time. He finished his Buffalo career with 14 100-yard games that represented the third-highest total in club history and were the most by a player through his first three seasons with the club.

The Bills' 2005 backfield featured fullback Daimon Shelton, whom Studesville developed into one of the league's top blockers, along with McGahee, whose 1,247 yards marked his second consecutive 1,000-yard effort. McGahee became the fastest back in team annals to post 2,000 career rushing yards (26 games).

Studesville joined the Bills as running backs coach in 2004 and instructed McGahee in his first year, helping the 23rd overall pick become the fourth rookie in team history to reach 1,000 rushing yards (1,128) and tie a club rookie record with 13 rushing touchdowns. McGahee rushed for at least 100 yards in his first three starts, becoming only the third back since the 1970 NFL merger to accomplish that feat.

From 2001-03, Studesville coached the Giants' running backs and helped Barber post two 1,000-yard rushing efforts while ranking seventh in the league in yards per rush (4.6) and ninth in rushing yards (3,468). Barber also led all NFC running backs (3rd in NFL) with 210 receptions and placed fifth in the league with 5,103 yards from scrimmage during that three-year period.

Barber had consecutive 1,000-yard rushing seasons under Studesville in 2003 (1,216 yds.) and ‘02 (1,387 yds.). The running back's career-high 1,387 rushing yards in 2002 ranked as the second-highest season total in Giants history and helped the club post a 10-6 record and advance to the postseason.

Studesville began his NFL career with the Bears, working with the club during its 1996 training camp as part of the NFL minority fellowship program and spending 1997-2000 in Chicago handling offensive quality control duties.

Before moving into the NFL coaching ranks, Studesville was the secondary coach at Kent State University (1995-96) and Wingate University (1994). He worked at the University of North Carolina as a video assistant from 1992-93 after serving as a graduate assistant in 1991 at the University of Arizona, where he earned a master's degree in exercise physiology.