Rychleski Accepts Special Teams Coordinator Position at South Carolina
12/18/2007 7:00:00 AM | Football
Dec. 18, 2007
COLLEGE PARK, MD. - The University of Maryland football team announced today that special teams coordinator Ray Rychleski will leave the team after the Emerald Bowl on December 28 to accept the same position at the University of South Carolina.
Rychleski, 50, has spent the past seven years as the special teams coordinator and tight ends/H-backs coach for the Terps. Over that seven-year period, Maryland has had no punts blocked, the longest current streak in Division I-A football. His special-team units have blocked 22 kicks and have eight returns for touchdowns in that seven-year span. This season, Maryland is ranked second in the country in kick return yardage defense, allowing just 16.34 yards per kick return in 2007.
This season, Rychleski had new starters in place-kicker Obi Egekeze and punter Travis Baltz after losing a pair of All-ACC performers from last year's squad, but Maryland didn't miss a beat. Egekeze made 13 of his 14 field goals during ACC play, and Baltz averaged 43.1 yards per punt in league games, the second-highest mark in the conference.
"We will miss Ray, as he has made a tremendous contribution to our staff," Maryland head coach Ralph Friedgen said. "It is very good opportunity for him and I'm happy for him. He's one of the all-time, good football coaches and I'm just really appreciative of the work he's done here for us and I wish him the best."
Rychleski coached an All-Atlantic Coast Conference punter for six straight years (2001-06), had one specialist selected in the NFL Draft and five others sign as free agents. As tight ends coach, he mentored three NFL Draft picks, including 2005 first team All-American Vernon Davis.
Rychleski helped the Terrapins to a record of 56-30 with five bowl appearances during his tenure, including the 2001 ACC Championship, the 2002 Peach Bowl Championship, the 2004 Gator Bowl Championship and the 2006 Champs Sports Bowl Championship.
"This is an outstanding opportunity for me to coach in the SEC at what I consider one of the top jobs in the country," said Rychleski. "I've had a great opportunity at Maryland working under head coach Ralph Friedgen, but I'm looking forward to the challenge that is presented at South Carolina and working for another outstanding coach in Steve Spurrier. Since attending the Carolina-Clemson game in 1997, I've wanted to coach at South Carolina because of the tremendous fan base and the excitement that's generated at Williams-Brice Stadium."
Prior to his arrival in College Park, Rychleski spent eight seasons (1993-2000) at Wake Forest University. For the 1999 and 2000 seasons, Rychleski was the Demon Deacons' tight ends coach, while also serving as the team's special teams coach. For the three years prior to that, he worked with WFU's outside linebackers. During his first three seasons at Wake (1993-95), Rychleski coached the defensive line.
A veteran of 28 years of coaching, including 26 seasons at the collegiate level, Rychleski began his coaching career at the prep level in Pennsylvania in 1979 before heading to Temple University, where he took a position as a graduate assistant. Shortly thereafter, he was promoted to his first full-time collegiate coaching post. He spent eight years at Temple (1981-88) before joining the Northeastern staff as a defensive coordinator/inside linebacker coach. After two years at Northeastern (1989-90), he spent a year as a G.A. at Penn State and one summer with the Toronto Argonauts as a volunteer assistant.
In 1992, Rychleski was hired as a special teams coordinator and defensive backs coach at East Stroudsburg University, where he helped the Warriors to their best record in 13 years. After his brief stint there, he left for Wake Forest in 1993.
A native of Old Forge, Pa., Rychleski earned his degree in social studies from Millersville (Pa.) State College (now Millersville University) in 1979.
