Sept. 22, 2008

COLLEGE PARK, Md. - Former University of Maryland men's lacrosse All-American Ryan Moran will return to his alma mater as an assistant coach, head coach Dave Cottle announced today. Moran will be responsible for coaching the Terrapin face-off men and helping with the offense.

"We're extremely excited to be able to bring Ryan back to the University of Maryland and our progam," said Cottle. "He is a terrific young coach, but just as important is that he is a terrific person. He's been a leader wherever he's been and we're confident that he will help lead this program into the future. Also, as a former Terp, he is a tremendous role model for our student-athletes."

Moran joins the Terps after serving as an assistant coach at the Naval Academy for the past three seasons, including serving as the team's offensive coordinator last season. While at Navy, Moran helped guide the Midshipmen to a pair of Patriot League championships and three NCAA Tournament appearances. Under his tutelage, the Navy face-off unit was one of the nation's best, winning better than 56 percent of its draws in each season. In addition to his coaching duties at the Naval Academy, Moran was also a combat instructor, teaching Wresting, Boxing, and Martial Arts.

A 2003 graduate of Maryland, Moran served several roles for the Terrapins during his four-year career. During his freshman and sophomore seasons, he was a short-stick defensive midfielder who contributed in the face-off game by playing on the wing, or taking the draws if needed.

When Coach Cottle arrived in College Park in 2002, Moran was made a focus of the offense in the midfield. In those two seasons under Cottle he scored a combined 39 goals, and added 11 assists, this after not scoring a goal in either of his first two years. He also won 50 percent (38-76) of the face-offs he took during his senior campaign.

A first team All-ACC selection and member of the ACC All-Tournament Team as a senior, Moran led the Terps to a 12-4 record in 2003 and an appearance in the Final Four. By year's end, Moran was one of just two players on Maryland's roster responsible for producing either a goal or an assist in every game except the Terrapins' NCAA semifinal contest against Virginia. He finished the season second on the team with 24 goals and tied for third on the squad with 31 points. For his efforts, Moran was named a USILA third team All-American.

The Baltimore Bayhawks selected Moran in the third round of the 2003 Major League Lacrosse College Draft, where he was the 18th overall pick. He saw action in eight of the Bayhawks' games as a rookie, and was traded to the Philadelphia Barrage at the end of the season. While in Philadelphia, he played in every game, drawing four starts and helped lead the Barrage to the MLL championship. He produced five goals and added five assists and owned a .510 face-off winning percentage. Moran was traded to the Long Island Lizards in 2005 where he scored 10 goals and added six helpers. Additionally, he won .510 of his face-offs in the 14 games in which he played. The Lizards went on to play in the championship game, but were tripped up by the Bayhawks.

Prior to joining the Navy coaching staff, Moran coached at the Naval Academy Prep School in Rhode Island in 2005. He led NAPS to a 10-1 record that featured wins over Army's JV team, as well as Army's prep school.

Coaching has been in the Moran family bloodline for years. Ryan's father, Jack, has been a successful lacrosse and football coach for the past two decades at Chaminade High School on Long Island. Ryan's great uncle, Richie, was a standout lacrosse player at Maryland (1958-60) before becoming one of the most successful lacrosse coaches in the country. He led Cornell to three national titles and is a member of the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame.

A native of Massapequa, N.Y., Moran is a 1999 graduate of Chaminade High School. A standout lacrosse and football player, Moran earned All-America and all-league lacrosse honors his senior year and played in the North-South Game upon graduation. Additionally, he was an all-league safety on the football team his junior and senior campaigns.

Moran and his wife, the former Danielle Shearer, who was a two-time All-American lacrosse player at Notre Dame, were married on August 1, 2008. The couple resides in Annapolis, Md.