The Arizona football program hired a new tight ends coach yesterday to fill the only vacancy on its staff, Arizona head coach Mike Stoops announced yesterday.

Dana Dimel, the former head coach for Wyoming and Houston, steps into the position vacated when Josh Heupel returned to Oklahoma to become the quarterbacks coach under Sooners head coach Bob Stoops.

Dimel, 43, worked with Mike Stoops at Kansas State when both served as assistants for Bill Snyder from 1992 to 1996.

"Dana's a superb addition to our staff," Mike Stoops said in a press release. "He brings a wealth of knowledge from an offensive perspective with his work at Kansas State for many years, and then as the head coach at Wyoming and Houston, his experience is even more broad. He knows the game."

Dimel should help Arizona's recruiting efforts in Texas, where he signed more than 40 student-athletes during his career, many from the Houston area.

"It's a very exciting time to be joining the program," Dimel said in a press release. "Mike and the coaches have already done an outstanding job with recruiting and laying a base for the program. I've known and worked with much of the staff for a number of years and I know what to expect from them and what they expect from me.

"I'm looking forward to coaching the Wildcats and bringing back some championships and bowl titles," Dimel said.

Dimel coached at Houston from 2000-2002, building the foundation of a program that has appeared in bowl games two of the past three years with many of Dimel's recruits, although his teams went only 8-26.

He also coached Wyoming to a 23-12 record from 1997 to 1999, which included eight-victory seasons his first two campaigns.

Information taken from a press release.