Ben Miller (American football) explained

Ben Miller
Current Title:Off Field Assistant
Current Team:Illinois
Current Conference:Big Ten
Birth Date:18 August 1979[1]
Birth Place:Columbia Station, Ohio
Player Years1:1998–2001
Player Team1:Air Force
Player Years2:2002–2005
Player Team2:Cleveland Browns
Player Years3:2005
Player Team3:Hamburg Sea Devils
Player Years4:2005
Player Team4:Philadelphia Eagles
Player Positions:Running back, offensive lineman, fullback, H-back, Long snapper, tight end
Coach Years1:2002–2003
Coach Team1:Air Force (GA)
Coach Years2:2006
Coach Team2:Illinois (GA)
Coach Years3:2007
Coach Team3:Air Force (TE)
Coach Years4:2008–2011
Coach Team4:Air Force (Specialists/TE)
Coach Years5:2012–2020
Coach Team5:Air Force (STC/RB)
Coach Years6:2021–2022
Coach Team6:Illinois (STC/TE)
Coach Years7:2023–present
Coach Team7:Illinois (Assistant)

Benjamin Thomas Miller (born August 18, 1979) is an American football coach and former player who is serving as an assistant for Illinois. Prior to being hired at Illinois, he was the special teams coordinator for his alma mater Air Force.

Playing career

At Air Force starting at left tackle his junior and senior years. Miller was elected as an all-conference offensive lineman[2] for the Falcons. After completing active service for the Air Force and being made a reserve, Miller signed a contract with the Cleveland Browns[3] where he was used as a fullback/tight end/long snapper/H-back. During his. During the NFL offseason, he worked as a public affairs officer for the Air Force recruiting and working in public relations. In the fall of 2005, he joined the practice squad for the Philadelphia Eagles after a stint in NFL Europe in Hamburg.

Coaching career

While on active service in the Air Force, Miller began his coaching career serving as a graduate assistant at the Air Force Academy. After retiring from his playing his career, Miller became a graduate assistant at Illinois in 2006. In 2007 he returned to his alma mater as the team's tight ends coach. In 2008 he was given the additional responsibility of coaching specialist. In 2012 he was named Air Forces’ special teams coordinator and running backs coach a position he held until the end of the 2020 season.[4] [5] In 2021 Miller returned to Illinois[6] this time as the team's special teams coordinator and tight ends coach[7] under Bret Bielema.[8] [9] In the middle of 2022 he left his on the field coaching role to focus on his fight with cancer, this continued in 2023.[10]

Personal life

Miller is married to Meghan Carney. The couple has three children.It was announced in 2022 that Miller was fighting cancer.

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Ben Miller NFL Stats and Bio. profootballarchives.com. August 10, 2023.
  2. Web site: Disney To Honor Service Academies At College Football Awards Show. 2021-08-15. Naval Academy Athletics. 21 November 2001 . en.
  3. Web site: Browns Place Miller On IR. 2021-08-15. Cleveland19.com. 13 August 2002 . en.
  4. Web site: Northam. Mitchell. 2021-01-11. Longtime Air Force football assistant Ben Miller hired by Illinois. 2021-08-15. Against All Enemies. en.
  5. Web site: Briggeman. Brent. Longtime Air Force football assistant Ben Miller leaving for the Big Ten. live. 2021-08-15. Colorado Springs Gazette. 10 January 2021 . en. https://web.archive.org/web/20210111152825/https://gazette.com/sports/longtime-air-force-football-assistant-ben-miller-leaving-for-the-big-ten/article_ee3b5df6-537d-11eb-a8cc-cfad82856799.html . 2021-01-11 .
  6. Web site: Likas. Colin. Former Illini grad assistant Miller tabbed as tight ends coach. live. 2021-08-15. The News-Gazette. 10 January 2021 . en. https://web.archive.org/web/20210110215400/https://www.news-gazette.com/sports/former-illini-grad-assistant-miller-tabbed-as-tight-ends-coach/article_4ac31bec-891b-5bf9-88c1-c972f2f098a9.html . 2021-01-10 .
  7. Web site: Flaten. Matthew. Illinois football taps Air Force assistant Ben Miller as new tight ends coach. live. 2021-08-15. Herald-Review.com. 10 January 2021 . en. https://web.archive.org/web/20210114003605/https://herald-review.com/sports/college/illini/illinois-football-taps-air-force-assistant-ben-miller-as-new-tight-ends-coach/article_df237758-3e7d-52cf-aea7-a33a2f30bb39.html . 2021-01-14 .
  8. Web site: Stevens. Matthew. Longtime Air Force Assistant Ben Miller Returns to Illini Coaching Staff as TE Coach. 2021-08-15. Sports Illustrated Illinois Fighting Illini News, Analysis and More. 10 January 2021 . en.
  9. Web site: Pontbriand. Alessandra. 2021-01-10. Illinois hires tight ends coach Ben Miller. 2021-08-15. WICS.
  10. Web site: UI assistant Ben Miller taking off-field role as cancer battle continues: 'It's the best thing for my health' . 2023-04-02 . 247sports.com.