Eric Back joined the Catamount football coaching staff as an assistant linebackers and special teams assistant during the summer ahead of the 2025 season. A native of Jerusalem, Israel, Back brings over 15 years of diverse coaching experience to the Catamounts, having led and developed athletes at the professional and semi-pro level overseas.
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Before joining WCU, Back spent three seasons coaching in the European League of Football (ELF). In 2024, he served as Run Game Coordinator and Running Backs Coach for the Hamburg (Germany) Sea Devils, helping RB Lucas Candido average 5.4 yards per carry. He joined the Sea Devils after coaching the Offensive Line for the Wroclaw (Poland) Panthers in 2023, helping the team average over 32 points per game and produce the league-leading rusher. Entering the ELF as running backs coach for the 2022 league champion Vienna (Austria) Vikings team, Back helped guide a unit that averaged over 5.7 yards per carry.
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Back began his coaching career in Israel, where he most recently served as the head coach, offensive coordinator, and quarterbacks coach of the Israeli Football League's Tel Aviv Pioneers, turning the program around from a bottom-tier finish to a national championship in his first season. He guided the squad to a second consecutive title game appearance the following season. He was named to the 2020 Coaching Staff of the Year while leading Negev Football. Back coached across all levels of Israeli football, including roles with the Israeli National Team and the Israeli High School Football league.
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In the United States, Back gained experience at the high school level with 6-A Bearden High School in Knoxville, Tenn. Back is a 2017 graduate of The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, earning his bachelor’s degree in political science and history. He completed a one-month internship with the Miami Dolphins following his graduation in the summer of 2017.
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