Steve Sigler is entering his second season on the Oilers coaching staff in 2013 and will serve as the linebackers coach.

Sigler came to the Oilers program from the University of Illinois, where he served as an assistant strength coach from 2009-11.  He also spent the 2008 campaign as the linebackers coach at Illinois State University.

Prior to his stint at Illinois State, Sigler spent three seasons as a defensive graduate assistant at Illinois where he worked with the linebackers and defensive line.  He helped the squad win back-to-back bowl games and under his tutelage, the Illinois defensive line ranked 12th nationally in sacks per game during the 2007 campaign.  The 2007 campaign also saw Illinois make their first Rose Bowl appearance in 20 years.

Prior to joining the Illinois staff, Sigler had great success as a coach at both the NCAA Division II and Division III levels. Sigler’s defenses were ranked nationally every year while at Thomas More College, where he coached from 1999-2002 and again in 2004. His squads still hold 11 school records and had seven players achieve All-America status. He initially served as the quarterbacks and receivers coach at TMC before moving to defense in 2000. He worked with the linebackers at Thomas More from 2000-02 and again in 2004, while serving as the defensive coordinator from 2001-02 and in 2004.

In 2003, between his two stints at Thomas More College, Sigler was the assistant head coach and defensive coordinator at Tri-State in Angola, Ind. He coached the Thunder linebackers and coordinated all of the special teams units at Tri-State.

Sigler’s career began at Oklahoma Panhandle State in 1996 as a running backs coach. Beginning in 1997, Sigler coached the OPSU linebackers for his first of two seasons. Sigler graduated from Oklahoma Panhandle State in 1998 with a degree in health, physical education and recreation, and a minor in education.

Sigler hails from Villa Grove, Ill., and lives with his wife, Karen.