Cumberland University athletic director Ron Pavin wasted no time in promoting Bulldog defensive coordinator Donnie Suber to the head coaching spot in the wake of Dewayne Alexander's resignation Monday. Alexander will be taking a position as offensive line coach on Watson Brown's coaching staff at Tennessee Tech -- Alexander's alma mater.

“We are forever indebted to Coach Alexander for taking our program to the level where it is today, competing for conference championships but also an even greater amount of success in the classroom," Pavin said Monday afternoon.

"He set out to build a program from the ground up and did that with a methodical approach, recruiting the kind of student-athlete we want at Cumberland in all sports – one who excels in the classroom and on the playing field.”

Suber, in his third tenure at CU, has served as defensive coordinator for the past five seasons and has worked on the college level for 20 years.

“Coach Suber has been an integral part of the Cumberland program for many years and the architect of some great defenses, helping the program to its current run of success, the best stretch of wins in school
history,” Pavan said.

“He has experience on nearly every level of college football and we look forward to his leadership and vision pushing the Bulldogs to great achievement, both on and off the field.”

Cumberland has scored 16 defensive touchdowns, forced five safeties and blocked two punts recovered for touchdowns during Suber's tenure.

Twenty-five Bulldogs have earned All-Mid-South Conference honors during Suber’s five seasons as well, including two National Defensive Players of the Week, defensive backs Chris Simpson and Allanté McLemore in 2010.

Alexander took over a program in 2006 that had won just two games the previous two seasons. The Bulldogs posted four victories in his first  campaign but struggled in 2007 before winning two of the last three contests of the year.

The Bulldogs have posted a 41-33 record in seven seasons under Alexander, including 23-16 in Mid-South Conference action with 44 All-Conference honorees and 101 Conference Scholar-Athletes.

Cumberland tied for the Mid-South Conference West Division championship in 2008 and played for the conference title in 2010, 2011 and 2012 as well. Thirty-nine players have been named NAIA National Scholar-Athletes, while 20 have garnered Conference Player of the Week accolades and five NAIA National Players of the Week.

The Bulldogs registered an 8-3 mark in 2012, ranking as high as No. 16 in the nation. The squad tied for the second most wins in a season and set records for
most victories in a three-year (23) and four-year span (28).

Senior back Lemeco Miller set single-season records for rushing touchdowns (19) and total touchdowns (21), with Cumberland ranking fourth nationally in rushing offense per game (269.7).