Samuel adds final pieces to new staff

~ The school also released next year's schedule.

Southeast Missouri State football coach Tony Samuel has rounded out his first staff with the hiring of one more full-time assistant and two graduate assistants.

In addition, the university has officially released its 2006 football schedule, although most of the opponents had already been announced.

Terry Samuel -- no relation to Southeast's new head coach, who was hired late last month -- will be in charge of the Redhawks' wide receivers.

Terry Samuel was most recently an assistant at Division II Nebraska-Omaha, and he has also coached at Arizona. He is a graduate of Purdue, where Tony Samuel served last season as an assistant.

The addition of Terry Samuel brings Southeast's full-time assistant coaching staff to eight, including Mike Chavez (offensive line), the lone holdover from Tim Billings' former staff. Billings resigned in November after six seasons as Southeast's head coach.

Hired earlier this month were Vincent White (offensive coordinator, assistant head coach), Tim McGuire (defensive coordinator), Lorenzo Brinkley (secondary), Eric Ravellette (tight ends), Kenny Wilhite (cornerbacks) and Chris Norris (running backs/special teams).

White and McGuire are both former Division I-AA head coaches -- White at St. Mary's (Calif.) and McGuire at Indiana State.

Also joining the staff this week as graduate assistants, with their duties to be announced, were Phillip Zimmerman and Justin Kramer.

As for the schedule, the Redhawks' will play five of their 11 games at home, with only one of their three nonconference contests at Houck Stadium.

The Redhawks open Sept. 2 at Austin Peay, which has been a nonscholarship Division I-AA program but will revert back to scholarship football this year and will rejoin the Ohio Valley Conference in 2007.

Southeast follows that with its only nonconference home date, against Division II Missouri-Rolla on Sept. 9.

The Redhawks' final nonleague game will be at Division I-A Arkansas on Oct. 14.

Southeast's first of eight OVC contests will be Sept. 23 at Jacksonville State.

The Redhawks' four OVC home games will be Sept. 30 against Samford, Oct. 21 against Eastern Kentucky, Nov. 4 against Tennessee-Martin and Nov. 18 against Tennessee Tech.

Southeast's other three conference road tests are Oct. 7 at defending champion Eastern Illinois, Oct. 28 at Murray State and Nov. 11 at Tennessee State.