Bolts' improving coaching staff

Wednesday, Jan 21, 2009
By Casey Pearce, Chargers.com

The Chargers are down to two vacancies on their coaching staff after the team reached agreements with two more assistant coaches Wednesday.

Former All-Pro cornerback Cris Dishman, who spent the 2008 offseason with the Chargers through the NFL’s Minority Coaching Fellowship, will assist newly-hired secondary coach Steve Wilks.

Greg Williams, who was most recently a graduate assistant at the University of Pittsburgh, agreed to terms to become the Chargers’ assistant linebackers coach.

Dishman played 13 seasons in the NFL and was named to two Pro Bowls. He began his career with the Houston Oilers, played for Chargers Head Coach Norv Turner with the Washington Redskins and played one season each with the Kansas City Chiefs and Minnesota Vikings.

Since 2006, Dishman has been on the staff at Menlo College in the Bay Area where he’s served as defensive backs coach and most recently as defensive coordinator.

Williams comes to the Bolts after one season at the University of Pittsburgh, where he’s worked under former Turner colleague Dave Wanndstedt. Williams was a four-year letterman at the University of North Carolina and attended training camp with the Chicago Bears in 1998. Chargers Defensive Coordinator Ron Rivera was a Bears assistant at the time.

Williams has also spent time at Arkansas Tech University, DuPage College and Arizona State. He played professionally in NFL Europe, the XFL and the Arena Football League.

With four hires in the last two days, Turner still has two open positions on his coaching staff. He’s in the process of hiring a tight ends coach and an assistant offensive line coach.