Former Demon tight end Barry Rubin, who was an All-Louisiana standout during his playing days at NSU from 1978-80, is back in the NFL.
The Monroe native has joined the Philadelphia Eagles as assistant strength coach. He previously worked for 12 years for the Green Bay Packers, becoming their head strength coach when Mike Holmgren was head coach. With the last regime change and Mike McCarthy taking over for Mike Sherman, Rubin's philosophy didn't mesh with McCarthy's so he wasn't retained - despite being one of the 14 inaugural inductees into the USA Strength and Conditioning Coaches Hall of Fame along with trailblazing Baton Rouge icon Alvin Roy, Lou Reicke of New Orleans and 2008 Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame inductee and NSU graduate Gayle Hatch.
Rubin's return to the NFL came partly as a result of his long association with Eagles defensive line coach Pete Jenkins. The two worked together at LSU when Rubin headed up operations there in the mid-and-late 1980s while Jenkins was defensive line coach. They became fast friends and in fact were planning to have dinner Friday night in Philadelphia.
Jenkins, who is making plans to visit Natchitoches next month for the Hall of Fame induction of his former LSU player Leonard Marshall, was effusive in his admiration for Rubin, who he called one of the finest people and more outstanding coaches he's encountered in his long coaching career.
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