Bob Babich enters his third season as Chicago’s defensive coordinator and his sixth year as an assistant coach with the team after overseeing a defense that finished eighth in the 2008 Aikman Ratings. Babich assumed responsibility of the Bears defense on February 20, 2007 after three seasons as the team’s linebackers coach. The first assistant to join Lovie Smith’s inaugural coaching staff, Babich was initially hired by the Bears on January 17, 2004, as the team’s linebackers coach. He added the title of assistant head coach for the 2006 season in which Chicago advanced to the Super Bowl for the first time in 21 years.

Under Babich’s guidance, the Bears defense finished second in the NFL with 32 takeaways during the 2008 season. Since Babich joined Chicago’s coaching staff in 2004, the Bears have forced 172 takeaways, most in the NFL during that span. Chicago was the only team in the NFL to record at least one takeaway in each contest during the 2008 regular season.

Twenty-two of the Bears 32 takeaways in 2008 came by way of an interception, tied for third most in the NFL. Thirteen different players recorded an interception for Chicago last season, tied for fourth most in franchise history. Six different Bears players recorded their first career interception in 2008, including five defensive backs who were all drafted in the fourth round or later in the 2007 or 2008 NFL draft.

Chicago’s defense ranked fifth in the NFL against the run in 2008, allowing just 93.5 yards per game. The 3.4 yards per carry allowed by the Bears last season was third lowest in the league. Babich helped Chicago’s defense generate two of the top-eight lowest single-game rushing totals in franchise history during the 2008 season, holding the St. Louis Rams to the fifth-lowest total all-time with 14 yards rushing on 19 carries (11/23) and the Tennessee Titans to the eight-lowest total with 20 yards on 29 carries (11/9). The Bears became one of just two teams since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger to hold an opponent to less than one rushing yard per carry twice in the same season, joining the 2006 Minnesota Vikings.

Chicago also ranked fifth in the NFL during the 2008 season in third down percentage, holding opponents to a 34.9 conversion rate (81 of 232). A year earlier, in Babich’s first season as defensive coordinator, the Bears were second in third down defense (73 of 223, 32.7). Chicago’s defense ranks first in the categories since 2004 allowing opponents to convert just 32.2 percent of the time on third downs (371 of 1,152).

During Babich’s five years with the team, the Bears linebacker corps has been arguably the most productive in the NFL. WLB Lance Briggs was selected to the Pro Bowl for the fourth consecutive season following 2008, finishing tied for second in the NFL among linebackers with five takeaways. MLB Brian Urlacher, the 2005 NFL Defensive Player of the Year, reached the 100-tackle plateau for the ninth-straight season and added three takeaways, a year after becoming just the third player in franchise history to record five sacks and five interceptions in a single season. Briggs also led the team in tackles for the second time in his six-year career with 136. Either Urlacher or Briggs has led the Bears in tackles in each of Babich’s first five seasons with the team, Briggs in 2004 (168) and 2008 (136) and Urlacher in 2005 (171), 2006 (185) and in 2007 (158).

Babich began his NFL coaching career in 2003 with St. Louis where he was hired as the team’s linebackers coach to serve under Smith, the Rams defensive coordinator at the time. Babich contributed to that defense improving six ranking positions in points allowed from 2002 while jumping from 22nd in the NFL to first with 46 takeaways, including a League-leading 22 fumble recoveries. St. Louis defenders also ranked fourth in the NFL in sacks in 2003, up from seventh in 2002.

Prior to joining the Rams, Babich spent 19 years as a college coach of which the final six he served as the head coach at North Dakota State University (1997-2002). In his first head coaching job, Babich amassed a 46-22 career mark by posting five winning seasons with two NCAA Division II playoff appearances. The Bison were 9-2 in the regular season in his first year in 1997 and 12-1 in 2000, reaching the national semifinals before losing to eventual national champion Delta State. Babich's son, Bobby, played for his dad as a freshman at NDSU.

A native of Aliquippa, Pa., Babich served 12 seasons as an assistant coach at the NCAA Division I level at five different schools, most recently instructing linebackers at Pittsburgh (1994-96). Babich began his career as a graduate assistant coach at his alma mater, Tulsa (1984), before being promoted to tight ends coach (1985), assistant offensive line (1986) and strong safeties (1987). It was with the Golden Hurricane that Babich first worked alongside Smith, the school’s linebackers coach from 1983-86. From Tulsa, Babich moved on to become an assistant at Wisconsin for two seasons, one as an assistant offensive line coach (1988) and one as tight ends coach (1989). Babich coached linebackers at Bowling Green (1991) and East Carolina (1992-93) before joining the Panthers in 1994.

Babich and his wife, Nancy, have one son, Bobby, one daughter, Janie, daughter in law, Lacey and granddaughter, Lainey Marie.