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Steed Lobotzke enters his fifth season at Wake Forest working with the offensive line and third year as the Demon Deacons' offensive coordinator.
Lobotzke came to WFU along with head coach Jim Grobe after serving under Grobe the previous four years at Ohio University.
In his first year as an offensive coordinator in 2003, Lobotzke's offense generated 4,257 yards, the fourth-best single season mark in school history. In 2004, Wake Forest's 3,864 yards of total offense were the 11th-best in program history.
A Wake Forest offensive guard has been named first or second team All-ACC in each of the last four seasons since Lobotzke's arrival.
In his first season in Winston-Salem, he guided the senior campaign of Michael Collins, WFU's first offensive first-team All-ACC pick since 1992. Collins spent time with the Baltimore Ravens and with Amsterdam in NFL Europe.
In 2002, another player under Lobotzke's tutelage, Blake Henry, became the second straight WFU offensive lineman to earn first-team All-ACC honors. In 2003, Tyson Clabo was named to the All-ACC team and also tabbed as a second-team All-American by CollegeSportsReport.com.
Last season, Steve Vallos was named to the All-ACC second team as a sophomore.
The Wake Forest offensive line has been instrumental in helping the Deacons rank first or second the ACC and rank among the top 20 nationally in rushing the last four seasons. The line has also ranked first, second or third in the league in fewest sacks given up during that same span.
Wake Forest's rushing totals in 2001, 2002, 2003 and 2004 all rank among the top six season rushing totals in school history.
Lobotzke was named coordinator in February of 2003 following the departure of Troy Calhoun to the NFL.
"I felt that when Troy left, any of our coaches could have coordinated the offense," Grobe said at his hiring. "But `Lobo' has been so heavily involved in the implementation of the system I just felt he was a natural. He may have been the primary force in developing our running game the last two seasons. I think he was a natural to take over."
During Lobotzke's four seasons with Ohio, the offensive line paved the way for four of the top five rushing seasons in school history. The 2000 squad finished the year ranked second nationally in rushing offense (323.0 yards per game), leading the Mid-American Conference in rushing for the fifth straight year, and shattering the school record with 3,553 total rushing yards.
Ohio's national ranking in rushing offense in 2000 marked the fourth straight year the Bobcats finished among the top 10 in Division I-A.
Like several other members of the Wake Forest coaching staff, Lobotzke's ties with head coach Jim Grobe go back to their days at the Air Force Academy. The northern California native attended the Academy and lettered on the football team from 1990-91, playing on the offensive line. As a player, Lobotzke helped lead Air Force to three Liberty Bowl appearances.
He earned second-team All-Western Athletic Conference honors as a junior and was named to the first-team as a senior before being invited to play in the East-West Shrine Football Classic in Palo Alto, Calif.
After graduating from the Academy in 1992 with a degree in economics, Lobotzke began his coaching career at his alma mater. He served as a graduate assistant in the 1992 and 1993 seasons, helping lead the team to another Liberty Bowl berth in 1992.
After serving on active military duty, Lobotzke joined the Ohio staff in February 1997.
Lobotzke and his wife, Kristin, have a two-year old daughter, Capri.
