Western Michigan University Athletics

David Duggan is in his third season at Western Michigan coaching the linebackers and his second season as special teams coordinator.

Western Michigan had two linebackers and three special team members recognized as All-Mid-American Conference selections in 2017. Linebacker Robert Spillane was named to the second team, while linebacker Asantay Brown was named to the third team. Brown led the Broncos with 98 tackles, followed by Spillane with 88. Both signed NFL free agent contracts this past spring. 

Darius Phillips won the MAC Special Teams Player of the Year award in back-to-back seasons in 2016 & 2017 and was a first team kick returner, second team punt returner in 2017. Punter Derrick Mitchell set the school record with career a 42.1 yard punt average and led the nation with 33 punts inside the 20 during the regular season. Mitchell would earn third team All-MAC honors. A four-year letterwinner, long snapper Wyatt Pfeifer was named a second team All-American by Phil Steele. As a unit, Western Michigan finished third in the nation in Special Teams Efficiency in 2017.

In 2016, Spillane, who was coming off a knee injury that ended his 2015 season, led the Broncos in tackles with 105. He made the two most critical plays of the year defensively, forcing a fumble on Northwestern’s final drive in game one of the season and intercepting Ohio with a minute to go in the MAC Championship game to preserve the perfect 13-0 regular season.

Brown was a second team All-MAC pick in 2016 had the highlight of the night that season versus Toledo, intercepting a pass on the first play of the game and returning it 21 yards for a touchdown.

At his second stop with Southern Miss from 2013-15, Duggan recently led one of the best turnarounds in the FBS in the 2015 season, taking the Golden Eagles from a 3-9 record in 2014 to a 9-5 record in 2015 which included a berth in the Conference USA Championship game as well as a berth in the Heart of Dallas Bowl against the University of Washington. His defense ranked third in C-USA along with the top ranked player in interceptions as Kalan Reed had four.

Prior to returning to Southern Miss, Duggan was at North Carolina in 2012 where he was the outline linebackers coach and special teams coordinator with the Tar Heels. He helped lead the team to an 8-4 finish, the best winning percentage in the program since 1997. The team blocked three punts and returned a kickoff for a touchdown.

His first stop in Hattiesburg had the Golden Eagles set an NCAA record for most interceptions returned for touchdowns with 12. He coached eventual NFL draft pick Jamie Collins who went to the New England Patriots.

Aside from his college days, Duggan was the head coach of the Cologne Centurions of NFL Europe from 2006-07. His defense ranked No. 1 in the overseas league both seasons. He spent a total of six seasons in NFL Europe with Cologne along with the Berlin Thunder. He was a member of the staff that won the World Bowl in 2001 and 2002 with Berlin.

Duggan also had multiple stops in the northeast, coaching at Brown, Colgate, Holy Cross, New Hampshire and Alleghany College. He earned his Bachelor’s degree from New Hampshire in 1986 where he played from 1982-86.

Duggan and his wife, Lynne, have two daughters Olivia and Grace.