Aaron Backhaus begins his 19th season on the Hobart sidelines. He will coach the inside linebackers this season, a unit that features Anthony Romano, a 2022 D3football.com All-Region second team pick.
Backhaus has been a part of eight of Hobart's 11 Liberty League Championships, winning a share of the 1998 title as a player and helping coach the Statesmen to the top in 2004, 2008, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2016.
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From 2017 to 2019, Backhaus was a full-time member of the coaching staff, serving as defensive coordinator. In 2019, Hobart's defense was among the best in the nation in turnovers gained (8th, 30), fumbles gained (11th, 13), interceptions (16th, 17), turnover margin (19th, +1.09/g) and red zone defense (19th, .575).
Backhaus has coached dozens of All-Liberty League selections, including Liberty League Defensive Players of the Year Tony Clemente ’06 (2005), Justin Hager ’09 (2008), and Devin Worthington ’14 (2011).
In 2008, Backhaus mentored Justin Hager to a record-setting season. Following a junior campaign that saw him finish with a league-high 114 tackles, Hager registered 134 stops, breaking Jesse Truley’s 13-year-old season standard. Hager also produced two single game performances that surpassed Truley’s record for tackles, notching 21 at Carnegie Mellon and 20 at Mount Union.
A former Statesman, Backhaus was a four-year starter at inside linebacker. The four-time All-Liberty League pick left the gridiron with 279 career tackles and six interceptions. He led Hobart with a career-high 98 tackles as a first-year. After earning a bachelor’s degree in psychology in 2000, Backhaus went on to complete a master’s degree in education at Alfred University.
Backhaus works full time as a counselor at the Geneva Middle School. He and his wife, Nicole, live in Geneva with their sons, Theodore and Miles.
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