Florida State head coach Bobby Bowden announced Wednesday that Chuck Amato will return to the Seminole coaching staff as executive associate head coach and linebackers coach. Amato, who coached at Florida State from 1982-99, was released in December after seven seasons as head coach at his alma mater NC State and replaces Kevin Steele who resigned in January to become Alabama's defensive coordinator.

"With Chuck Amato accepting the position we have completed our coaching staff and I could not be more pleased," said Bowden. "Chuck's return to Mickey Andrew's staff with Odell Haggins and Jody Allen along with the new offensive coaches and John Lilly should give us as good a coaching staff as there is in the country. I feel like the blend of maturity and youth will work perfectly for us. Chuck will fill the last void we had in our staff and allow us not to miss a beat."

Amato coached NC State from 2000-06 and led the Wolfpack to bowl games in his first five seasons. NC State's most successful season under Amato came in 2002 when the Wolfpack finished 11-3 with a 28-6 win over Notre Dame in the Gator Bowl and a ranking of No. 12 in the final Associated Press poll. His overall record at NCSU was 49-37.

"I'm excited about being back on board at Florida State and the opportunity Coach Bowden is giving me," said Amato. "I'm looking forward to working with Coach Bowden, Coach Andrews, Odell (Haggins) and John (Lilly) again as well as the rest of the staff. I'm also looking forward to working with everyone on the support staff at FSU. I know everybody there and we are so familiar with everything so I'm just very excited about that."

Amato left FSU after the Seminoles' 1999 National Championship win over Virginia Tech in the Sugar Bowl. He coached for 18 seasons at Florida State beginning as defensive line coach from 1982-95 and moving to linebackers coach from 1996-99. He held the additional title of assistant head coach for his last 14 years at Florida State.

Prior to joining Bowden's staff at FSU, Amato was linebackers coach at Arizona (1980-81). He was an assistant coach at NC State from 1971-79 beginning as a graduate assistant in 1971-72 before moving to secondary coach for three seasons and finishing as defensive coordinator/linebackers coach from 1976-79.

Amato, a native of Eaton, Pennsylvania, lettered three years (1965, 66, 67) at linebacker at NC State and earned his B.S. in mathematics from NC State in 1969 and a master's in education in 1973.

Amato (60) and his wife, Peggy, have two grown daughters LuGina and Selena. Selena is married to former FSU offensive lineman Jarad Moon (1996-2000) and they have one son, Sterling.

Amato is not expected to sign a contract until next week.