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EDINBORO, PA – With the beginning of
spring practice less than two weeks away, Edinboro University head
football coach Scott Browning has announced the addition of two
full-time assistant coaches to his staff. The additions make up
for the shifting of Browning to head coach when former head coach
Lou Tepper left for Indiana(Pa.) and took D.K. McDonald with him.
Kim Niedbala has been appointed the defensive
backs coach, while Keith Braxton will serve as the defensive line
coach.
“We’re very excited about
the addition of these two coaches,” commented Browning. “With
spring ball approaching, it was important to get our staff
together and working with the kids. These are two coaches who we
feel will fit in very well with our staff and our team. They bring
the type of knowledge, experience, and enthusiasm that we were
looking for. This is the start of our search for a fourth straight
PSAC West championship.”
Niedbala served as an assistant coach at
Clarion for seven seasons, from 1999-2005, and was elevated to
defensive coordinator in 2002. He worked with the outside
linebackers in 1999, the took over as the secondary coach and
special teams coordinator in 2000 until 2002.
One of the top defensive players in Clarion
history, Niedbala was a three-time All-American at free safety and
strong safety from 1994-96. He was a consensus first team
All-American in 1996, including Associated Press Little
All-America, after posting 166 tackles, 100 of those solo, with 20
passes broken up, 4 tackles for losses and a pair of
interceptions.
A captain on the 1996 team, he helped the
Golden Eagles finish with an 11-3 record, as Clarion won the East
Region title and advanced to the Division II semifinals before
suffering a 19-18 loss to eventual national champion Northern
Colorado. Clarion was awarded the ECAC Lambert Cup.
Niedbala recorded 117 tackles, 9 passes broken
up and had 5 interceptions in 1995, earning second team Associated
Press Little All-America honors and second team Football Gazette
accolades. In 1994, he had 98 tackles, 6 tackles for losses, 4
interceptions and 3 sacks, and he concluded his career with 407
tackles, 34 passes broken up, 12 interceptions, 11 tackles for
losses, and 8 fumble recoveries. He was selected to play in the
Snow Bowl following his senior season. Niedbala earned first team
All-PSAC West honors his final three seasons.
A native of Beaver Falls, PA, Niedbala received
his bachelor’s degree in Geography from Clarion in 1996. He
began his coaching career at Glenville State, serving as the
secondary coach during the 1997 and ’98 seasons.
“Kim brings great experience to
our staff, having been a defensive coordinator in our conference,”
related Browning. “He was also an outstanding player in our
league. He comes from a program that is pretty similar to
Edinboro, and gives us a great recruiter in the Pittsburgh area.”
Niedbala was a former standout at Blackhawk
High School, while his father is a was a legendary coach at
Western Beaver High School. “Kim has great rapport with the
Pittsburgh coaches,” added Browning.
Braxton joins the Fighting Scots after serving
as a member of the Virginia Military Institute coaching staff for
five seasons. He was in charge of the defensive line after
previously earning four letters as a defensive tackle at VMI. He
also served as the defensive tackles coach at Loras College during
the 1997. Braxton left coaching for two years to work as a
customer service representative at First Union National Bank in
Richmond, VA, before returning to his alma mater in 2001.
As a player, Braxton was a three-year starter
at VMI from 1994-96. He posted 195 career tackles, including 11
tackles for losses and six sacks. He had one of his top games as a
sophomore, finishing with eight tackles, six of those solo, in VMI’s
26-23 overtime win over Appalachian State. In all, he played in 44
career games, with 35 starts. He was a tri-captain as a senior.
“Keith is a very experienced
coach, and I think we were fortunate to get him,” stated
Browning. “He played as a defensive lineman in college, which
will be a huge benefit. I think he will really communicate well
with the players, and I think the players will respond to him.”
Braxton is a native of Beaverdam, Virginia. He
graduated from VMI in 1997 with a bachelor’s degree in
History.
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