RUSTON, La. - Louisiana Tech head football coach Skip Holtz announced Friday that Kevin Curtis and Robert "Mickey" Joseph have been hired as assistant football coaches.

Curtis returns to Louisiana Tech after a three-year stint at Texas Tech while Mickey Joseph joins the LA Tech Family after two years helping turn around the Grambling State program.

Friday's hires fill two of the three currently vacant positions on the LA Tech staff.

Both hires are pending approval from the University of Louisiana System (ULS) Board of Supervisors.

Kevin Curtis

Kevin Curtis returns to the LA Tech Family in January 2016 after spending three seasons at his alma mater, Texas Tech.

"I am very excited to be back," Curtis said. "I had a great time in the three years I spent in Ruston earlier and this is like coming home for me. I am looking forward to hitting the ground running and am very thankful to Skip Holtz for the opportunity."

This marks his second stint in Ruston after serving as cornerbacks coach from 2010 to 2012.

"Kevin brings great energy, experience and a knowledge of Louisiana Tech," Louisiana Tech head coach Skip Holtz said. "He was a major reason some of our top players in our back-to-back bowl win seasons are at Louisiana Tech. His previous three years in Ruston give him a great background and knowledge of the University and as a talented player at Texas Tech, he knows what it takes to win at the top level. I am really excited to have him return to Ruston and join our staff."

While in Lubbock, Curtis directed the Red Raider cornerbacks. In 2015, Texas Tech ranked 24th nationally in turnovers gained (25) and 51st in turnover margin (0.15). Jah'Shawn Johnson ranked second in the nation and led the Big 12 Conference while J.J. Gaines ranked seventh nationally and second in the Big 12 in fumbles recovered.

In his first season at Texas Tech, Curtis helped guide the third-best pass defense in the Big 12 Conference.

In his final year in his first stint in Ruston, Curtis guided Le'Vander Liggins to rank fifth in the Western Athletic Conference in interceptions as the Bulldogs posted a nine-win season with back-to-back wins over Illinois and Virginia.

His cornerbacks had anything but a "sophomore slump" in their second year under his direction as Tech's defense ranked third in the nation in both interceptions and pick-sixes. The highlight of those interceptions - and the kick-start to winning at Utah State - was Terry Carter's 22-yard interception return for a touchdown.

In his first season, the Bulldogs tallied 12 interceptions as Ryan Williams led the Tech cornerbacks with two.

Curtis initially joined the LA Tech staff in 2010 after serving two years at Navarro Junior College where he coached the secondary.

While at Navarro, Curtis' teams went 21-2, won two conference championships and were the 2009 C.H.A.M.P.S. Heart of Texas Bowl champions. Curtis' teams were ranked first in the country in interceptions and had five all-conference honorees while he recruited the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex and West Texas areas.

Curtis was a two-time All-American and three-time All-Big 12 safety at Texas Tech, playing for the Red Raiders when Dykes was on the Texas Tech staff. After a successful collegiate career, Curtis was drafted in the fourth round of the NFL Draft by the San Francisco 49ers, where he spent three seasons. After one year with the Houston Texans, Curtis played two years as the team captain for the Cologne Centurions of NFL Europe before returning to the United States to coach.

Mickey Joseph

Robert "Mickey" Joseph joins the LA Tech Family in January 2016 after spending two years as the wide receivers coach and special teams coordinator at nearby Grambling State.

Joseph brings over 20 years of coaching experience as well as experience as a winning football player at the top level of collegiate football as a former quarterback at Nebraska.

"Mickey Joseph has a wealth of experience in college coaching, a strong knowledge of football in Louisiana, especially New Orleans, and has found success everywhere he has been," Louisiana Tech head coach Skip Holtz said. "He was a great player in college that understood what it took to win, has been part of turning around a lot of programs, has very strong ties and is very connected along the I-10 corridor and has a lot experience with the game of football. All of that combined makes him a great addition to the LA Tech Family."

During his time at Grambling State Joseph helped turn the Tigers around, inheriting program that went 1-11 prior to his arrival and posting records of 7-5 and followed by 9-3 with an appearance in the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) Championship Game during his time there. In 2015, Joseph's receivers totaled 2,250 receiving yards and 25 touchdowns as Grambling's scoring offense ranked fourth and passing offense ranked 21st among all FCS programs nationally.

"This is such a great opportunity and a blessing that has been long coming," Joseph said of his hiring at Louisiana Tech. "I am very appreciative of the opportunity Skip Holtz has given me to join this prestigious program. It is where I really want to be. This program is such a big producer of winners both on and off the field, I am really excited to be part of it and to be able to contribute to that prestige."

Prior to Grambling, Joseph served as an assistant head coach/wide receivers coach and special teams coordinator at Alcorn State. During the 2013 season, the New Orleans native helped the team to a 9-3 record. That marked Alcorn's first nine-win season in 30 years. While at Alcorn, Joseph guided a receiving corps that caught for 2,728 yards and 23 touchdowns with an average gain of 13.0 yards per reception.

Joseph was named the head coach at Langston University in March 2011 after serving as an assistant coach since 2008. During his first season as head coach, the Lions went undefeated against top Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) including Tuskegee, UABP and Texas College while leading the team to a 7-3 record. He also led Langston to an undefeated home record at W.E. Anderson Stadium in his tenure and led the team to its third conference championship in four years.

Before his tenure at Langston, Joseph served as the head football coach and Director of Athletics for Desire Street Academy, a private school in the New Orleans' Ninth Ward area. His main goal was to help get young kids out of the underprivileged area to improve their overall quality of life through sports. At the time of Hurricane Katrina, Joseph was responsible of moving the private school to Florida along with relocating the student athletes. That year, the team had a record of 1-3, however, in 2008 Joseph turned the team around to a 10-3 record. Seven out of 25 players were able to sign with NCAA Division I programs.

During the summer of 2012 he also worked with the Houston Texas as part of an NFL minority internship. While in Houston, Joseph worked with the running backs and all aspects of the special teams units.

From 2004 to 2005, Joseph was the running backs coach at University of Central Oklahoma where he continued to enhance and developed the skills of his players. That year, the Bronchos had a 9-3 record and made it to the first round of the playoffs.

From 2001 through 2003 he was the quarterbacks coach at Nicholls State where he guided First Team All-Southland Conference signal caller Josh Son, helped lead the Colonels to the top-ranked rushing offense in the Southland Conference that season and helped Nicholls State to its first winning season since 1996.

Before guiding the Colonels quarterbacks, Joseph was the wide receivers coach at Alabama State for the 2000 season where he helped turn around a struggling program to a 6-5 record.

Joseph went to Alabama State after serving as a graduate assistant at Tulane for the 199 season, assisting the wide receivers. That came after a year at Archbishop Shaw High School, his alma mater, where he was the quarterbacks coach for the 1998 season.

The year prior Joseph served as the running backs coach at Wayne State College in Nebraska in his first collegiate coaching position, serving as the running game coordinator as he coached a pair of All-American honorees and two different players to separate 1,000-yard rushing seasons.

He was the quarterbacks and receivers coach at Omaha North High School for the 1995 and 1996 seasons, leading the team to a state playoff quarterfinalist each year. Prior to that he served as a youth health counselor at Richard Young Hospital in Omaha for a year.

Joseph was the top recruit coming out of Archbishop Shaw High School in Marrero when he was recruited to the University of Nebraska. In 1987, he was awarded Gatorade Player of the Year and First-Team Parade All-American. The standout football player was also a two-time All-State MVP and three-time All-District MVP.

While at Nebraska, Joseph played under the direction of legendary Tom Osborne. He red-shirted his freshman year but became a four-year letterman for the Cornhuskers and played in four of the top postseason bowl games in college football: 1988 Orange Bowl, 1989 Fiesta Bowl, 1990 Citrus Bowl and 1991 Orange Bowl.

Joseph is the cousin of former Louisiana Tech assistant coach Terry Joseph, who coached in Ruston from 2007 to 2009. Terry is currently an assistant coach at Texas A&M.

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