Kenan Stadium Tour
• Entering his third season with the Tar Heels.
• Carolina improved more than 60 positions to No. 42 in total defense in 2005.
• Carolina had 31 sacks in 2005, its most since 2000.
• Carolina had 11 interceptions in 2005, its most since 1999.
• Carolina held Virginia to just five points in a 7-5 victory last season.
Marvin Sanders enters his third season as North Carolina's defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach.
Under Sanders, Carolina's defense has seen steady improvement. Last season, Carolina moved up over 60 spots in the national rankings from the previous year to rank 42nd in the country. Carolina has several outstanding defensive performances, including holding Virginia to just five points and 199 total offensive yards in a 7-5 victory. The Tar Heels also limited Boston College to just 14 points in a 16-14 win. Carolina held its opponents to an average of 280.4 yards in its five victories.
Carolina posted its highest sack total since 2000 and its highest interception total since 1999 under Sanders' leadership.
In 2004, Carolina won three of its four final regular season games, largely due to its defensive improvement. In those four games, the Tar Heels allowed an average of 338 yards per game, including just 234 yards in a bowl-clinching victory over Duke. That was the fewest yards allowed by a Tar Heel team since the 2001 Peach Bowl. Sanders also made an impact on the UNC defensive backs as Carolina intercepted eight passes.
Sanders came to Carolina after coaching one season at Nebraska, where he helped lead the Huskers to a 10-3 record, including a victory over Michigan State in the Alamo Bowl. Nebraska, Sanders' alma mater, ranked first in the nation in pass efficiency defense and led the nation with 32 interceptions in his one season in Lincoln. Sanders was instrumental in the development of 2003 Thorpe Award candidate and All-America safety Josh Bullocks. Bullocks set Nebraska and Big 12 Conference records with 10 interceptions, a mark which tied for first in the country.
Sanders became a member of the Nebraska coaching staff in 2003 after serving two years as the secondary coach at Colorado State (2001-02) under Sonny Lubick. Colorado State posted a 17-9 record during Sanders' two seasons in Fort Collins. The Rams posted a 10-4 record and won the Mountain West Conference championship in 2002.
Before his two seasons at CSU, Sanders spent one season at New Mexico State, where he coached defensive ends and outside linebackers. Sanders spent five seasons at Nebraska-Omaha from 1995 to 1999. He was the Mavericks' secondary coach for all five seasons and was the team's defensive coordinator for his final three years in Omaha. UNO won two North Central Conference titles and appeared in the NCAA Division II playoffs twice during Sanders' tenure.
A native of Markham, Ill., Sanders was the secondary coach at Minnesota-Morris in 1994, where he also served as sports information director. Sanders coached at Nebraska Wesleyan in 1992 and 1993. He has 13 years of experience as a college coach.
Sanders earned three letters at Nebraska from 1987 to 1989. He started the first seven games of his senior season at free safety, before suffering a shoulder injury. Sanders finished the 1989 campaign with 26 tackles and two interceptions in nine games and earned honorable-mention All-Big Eight honors.
Sanders received his bachelor's degree in business administration from Nebraska in 1990. He is married to the former Susan M. Hyland of Omaha, Neb. They have a daughter, Chandler Marie (14) and a son, Payton (10).
