Pat Hill Pat Hill ( born December 17 , 1951 ) is a former American football player and current offensive line coach for the Atlanta Falcons . He served as the head football coach at Fresno State from 1997 until his dismissal following the 2011 season . In 15 seasons as head coach as Fresno State , he led the Bulldogs to a record of 112 – 80 , 11 bowl game appearances , and a share of the 1999 Western Athletic Conference title . Early positions . Pat Hill attended Rim of the World High School in Lake Arrowhead , California , graduating in 1970 . A 1973 graduate of , and an offensive lineman for the University of California , Riverside , Hill was the offensive line coach at Los Angeles Valley College from 1974 to 1976 . In 1977 , he became the offensive line coach at the University of Utah , where he would stay through 1980 . This was followed by short stints at UNLV in 1981 and 1982 , and a one - year stay in the Canadian Football League with the Calgary Stampeders in 1983 . After an assistant coaching job at Fresno State , Hill went on to become the offensive coordinator at the University of Arizona from 1990 to 1991 . He then went to coach in the National Football League with the Cleveland Browns ( under Bill Belichick ) and the Baltimore Ravens , where he served as the tight ends and offensive line coach for both teams . Fresno State . Hill took on the head coaching job at Fresno State in 1997 , where he had previously served as the offensive line coach from 1984 to 1989 . Coming into the 2005 season , Hill had compiled a 64 - 38 win - loss record , including a 44 - 19 Western Athletic Conference mark , one WAC title , and a 10 - 8 record against BCS teams , the most by any non - BCS conference team . Under Hill Fresno State has routinely scheduled highly ranked opponents from power conferences , part of Hill ' s insistence that the Bulldogs must " play the best and beat the best to be considered the best . " Also under Hill ' s leadership , Fresno State has greatly improved the academic performance of its football players . During Hill ' s tenure the team has produced ( as of 2005 ) 65 Academic All - WAC players , compared to a total of nine in the entire history of the program before Hill ' s arrival . In 1999 , senior cornerback Payton Williams became the first Fresno State football player to achieve Academic All - American status . In each of the last two years , the Bulldog football program has produced two of the most decorated students on the Fresno State campus . In 2006 , lineman Kevin Cooper was awarded the President ' s Medal as the top graduating student at Fresno State . Last spring , Bulldog kicker Clint Stitser was a finalist for the President ' s Medal after winning the Dean ' s Medal for the Craig School of Business as its top graduate . Both young men graduated with 4 . 0 GPAs . Under Pat Hill , Fresno State ' s football program has been a model of consistency . From reaching a bowl game in eight of the last nine seasons to being on national television as much as any team this decade , the Bulldog program is regularly recognized for its success . Under his leadership , Fresno State has climbed to national high ranking of No . 8 while annually taking on one of the most aggressive non - conference schedules of any program in the nation . That success transcends to the classroom , where once again the Fresno State team has posted a very strong Academic Progress Rate score . Fresno State ' s APR score ranks fourth in the western United States among public institutions , and second among California public schools . Hill said the APR scores are just one example of how the Academic Gameplan program that Associate Head Coach John Baxter instituted continues to work . " We want to continue to have strong APR scores , " said Hill . " We want to continue to produce players who will be great representative of Bulldog football and Fresno State . We are very proud of those who have come through our program . " Pat Hill currently has 17 wins over BCS automatic qualifying conference teams , which is tied for the most wins for any non - automatic qualifier with Utah . On December 4 , 2011 , Hill was fired by Fresno State . During his tenure , he coached a number of current NFL players including , Patriots Pro Bowl guard Logan Mankins , Cardinals safety James Sanders , and guard Andrew Jackson , as well as Chargers running back Ryan Mathews . Atlanta Falcons . On Jan . 28 , 2012 , Pat Hill agreed to be Falcons Offensive Line coach .