Position: Associate head coach, special-teams coordinator, safeties coach.
Hometown: Titusville, Fla.
Age: 45
As a player: Linebacker at Louisiana-Lafayette (graduated with a marketing degree in 1987). In two seasons of pro football, he was on the roster of the Houston Oilers, New Orleans Saints and Calgary Stampeders of the CFL.
As a coach: Rice assistant from 1990-94 and Duke assistant from 1994-2000. Joined the OSU staff in 2001 as a Les Miles assistant.
For 10 seasons, Joe DeForest has coached Oklahoma State's special-teams units and defensive backs. He is credited for establishing OSU's strong recruiting presence in the Houston area and along the Texas Gulf Coast. As a linebacker at Louisiana-Lafayette (then known as Southwestern Louisiana), DeForest played against visiting OSU in the 1986 opener. OSU prevailed 21-20 on a Hart Lee Dykes touchdown catch with 11 seconds left. Mike Gundy was a freshman quarterback at OSU, but did not play.
You played football and baseball at Louisiana-Lafayette. What can the Cowboy football team expect at Cajun Field?
In the past, the student section was pretty rowdy. ... But it's fun. It's a great environment. We just have to make sure our kids control themselves.
What makes Lafayette a unique town?
You hear about New Orleans, but Lafayette is where it all started. That's where the French-Canadians migrated to. There's great food. There's great fun. There's great people. I've got a lot of good friends still there.
As a pitcher who attended high school in Florida, why were you attracted to Louisiana-Lafayette?
I was able to play both football and baseball. That's where (former Yankee great) Ron Guidry was from. My roommate (Xavier Hernandez) pitched for the Astros and the Yankees.
In the 1986 opener, you competed against the OSU football team. What do you remember about that game?
We lost on the last play of the game to Hart Lee Dykes. I've talked to Hart Lee Dykes about it. I've talked to Barry (Sanders) about it. I've talked to Coach Gundy about it. It's sort of ironic that I'm (on the OSU staff) and we're getting ready to go play them. By BILL HAISTEN World Sports Writer