Gabe Northern returns to Prairie View A&M for his third season as he rejoins the staff in a defensive consultant role. Northern, who served as the team’s defensive line coach in 2011 and 2012, will coach the linebackers while also assisting with special teams and strength and conditioning efforts.
In his first year on staff in 2011, Northern played a big part in former defensive end Adrian Hamilton’s career season. Hamilton emerged as one of the top defenders in the nation as he set the SWAC and Prairie View A&M single-season sack record with 20.5 sacks en route to earning 2011 co-SWAC Defensive Player of the Year honors and a third-place finish in the 2011 Buck Buchanan Award voting, which is awarded to the top defender on the Football Championship Subdivision level. In addition to Hamilton, who inked a free agent contract with the Dallas Cowboys, fellow defensive end Jarvis Wilson was just as impressive as he tallied a career-best 59 tackles, 11 tackles for loss and seven sacks. The interior lineman duo of defensive tackles Ryan Love and Dwayne Chappell also had career-best campaigns as they combined for 77 tackles and nine tackles for loss.
During the 2012 season, Northern coached his second consecutive NFL prospect at PVAMU as defensive end Jarvis Wilson signed a free agent contract with the Green Bay Packers. Wilson closed out his career with a career-high 63 tackles as a senior in addition to eight tackles for loss.
The younger brother of Prairie View A&M head coach Heishma Northern, Gabe is a native of Baton Rouge, La. and had a standout collegiate career at LSU. While at LSU, Northern played defensive end and was named the 1995 Independence Bowl Player of the Game after setting the bowl record for the longest fumble return. Regarded as one of the top defensive players in LSU football history, Northern participated in the 1995 Senior Bowl and was a two-time First Team All-SEC and All-Academic Selection.
As a result of his stellar play on the gridiron, Northern was selected in the second round of the 1996 NFL Draft by the Buffalo Bills. Rotating between linebacker and the defensive line, Northern played four years with the Bills and also spent time in Pittsburgh and Minnesota in 2000. As a Minnesota Viking, Northern had a hand in leading them to an NFC Central Championship and a divisional round appearance in the NFC Playoffs.
Once his NFL career came to a close, Northern joined the football coaching staff at Grambling State University under head coach Doug Williams. On the staff with his older brother, Northern helped the Tigers capture two SWAC Championships in 2001 and 2002 while coaching the defensive line. After his stint at Grambling, Northern returned to the high school ranks following the 2003 campaign and spent time across the state of Louisiana as an assistant coach at Scotlandville, West Monroe and Glen Oaks High Schools.
An entrepreneur and fitness buff, Northern moved to Tallahassee, Fla. between coaching stints and served as the owner/operator of an Anytime Fitness Franchise. Northern offered personal training to members of the community in addition to handling the day-to-day operations of the franchise.
Northern graduated from LSU in 1995 with a degree in Mass Communications.
The Northern File
Hometown: Baton Rouge, La.
College: LSU
High School: Glen Oaks
COACHING EXPERIENCE
2011-2012, '14 Prairie View A&M, lb, defensive line, strength & conditioning
2010 Glen Oaks (La.) H.S., assistant coach
2006 West Monroe (La.) H.S., defensive line
2005 Scotlandville (La.) H.S., defensive coordinator
2001-2003 Grambling State, defensive line
