| Current position | |
|---|---|
| Title | Character coach |
| Team | Colorado |
| Conference | Pac-12 |
| Biographical details | |
| Born | (1956-06-23)June 23, 1956 (age 68) Fort Benning, Georgia, U.S. |
| Playing career | |
| 1974–1977 | Colorado |
| 1978–1979 | Atlanta Falcons |
| 1980 | Green Bay Packers |
| 1981–1986 | Chicago Bears |
| Position(s) | Linebacker |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1987–1988 | Purdue (ILB) |
| 1989 | Colorado (GA) |
| 1990–2010 | Colorado (ILB) |
| 2010 | Colorado (interim HC) |
| 2010–2012 | Colorado (ILB) |
| 2013–2016 | Indiana State (AHC/DC/LB) |
| 2020–present | Colorado (character coach) |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 2–1 |
| Bowls | 0–0 |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Awards | |
| |
Kealilhaaheo Brian David Cabral (born June 23, 1956) is anAmerican football coach and former player. He stood in as the interim head football coach for three games at theUniversity of Colorado at Boulder in 2010. Cabral played professionally as alinebacker in theNational Football League (NFL) with theAtlanta Falcons, theGreen Bay Packers, and theChicago Bears. He wonSuper Bowl XX as a member of the1985 Chicago Bears.
Cabral lettered three seasons for Colorado at linebacker from 1975 to 1977 under CoachBill Mallory, as he was a captain and played a big role on The Buffaloes'Big Eight champion team in 1976. He led Colorado with 13 tackles (12 solo) in the1977 Orange Bowl againstOhio State. As a senior, he was honored as the Big Eight Conference's player of the week for a monster 25 tackles in a CU 27-21 win overStanford and shared the team's Sure Tackler Award withMark Haynes. That 25-tackle game included 13 solo stops and is still tied for the fourth most in a single game in Colorado team history.[1]
Cabral was a nine-yearNational Football League veteran, being drafted by theAtlanta Falcons in the fourth round of the1978 NFL draft. He played two seasons with Atlanta, one withGreen Bay and six withChicago. As the captain of the Bears' special teams, he was a member of Chicago'sSuper Bowl XX championship team in 1985.[1][2]
Following his NFL career, Cabral became the inside linebackers coach atPurdue for two seasons. In 1989, Cabral came back to Colorado and tutored the inside linebackers his first year as a graduate assistant. Cabral assumed full-time duties in the same capacity in 1990, and would remain in that capacity for two decades underBill McCartney,Rick Neuheisel,Gary Barnett,Dan Hawkins andJon Embree. From 1999 through 2005, he also coached the punt return unit on special teams, and served as the director of Colorado's summer football camps from 1995 through 2005 and for a brief time as recruiting coordinator.
Known as one of the top linebacker coaches in the nation, his students have includedMatt Russell, the 1996Butkus Award winner, all-Big Eight performersGreg Biekert,Chad Brown andTed Johnson, all of whom went on to stardom in the National Football League, and all-Big 12 linebackerJordon Dizon, a consensus All-American who was also the league defensive player of the year for 2007. He also recruited tailbackRashaan Salaam, the 1994Heisman Trophy winner, andChris Naeole, a 1996 All-American guard.
Hawkins promoted him to assistant head coach on February 7, 2008. Hawkins cited his leadership, noting that "no one person has had more influence in the success of Colorado football than Brian Cabral."
Cabral's 21 years as a full-time assistant rank as the most in Colorado athletic history, not only for football but for all sports sponsored by the University.
Cabral has served twice as interim head coach for the Buffaloes. His first stint was a three-month period in 2004 before the start of the season when Head CoachGary Barnett was placed on paid administrative leave. In that role, he continued to coach his position players but also took care of day-to-day operational details of the program.[1] On November 9, 2010, Cabral was again named interim head coach whenDan Hawkins was fired.[3] He won his initial game as interim head coach against Iowa State after Hawkins firing, with Hawkins' son having his best game of the season.
In 2013, Cabral became associate head coach and defensive coordinator atIndiana State.[4]
Cabral grew up inKailua, Hawaii and remains involved in recruiting efforts in Hawaii for the Buffaloes. Cabral has worked youth camps in the state as well as all-Polynesian camps in the continental U.S. He is a founding board member of the Polynesian Coaches Association.
Cabral earned a B.S. degree in therapeutic recreation from Colorado in 1978.[1]
| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Colorado Buffaloes(Big 12 Conference)(2010) | |||||||||
| 2010 | Colorado | 2–1‡ | 2–1‡ | 5th(North) | |||||
| Colorado: | 2–1 | 2–1 | ‡ Named interim head coach on November 9 | ||||||
| Total: | 2–1 | ||||||||
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
