Bryan Bossard is in his third year as wide receivers coach at Maryland.
Bossard guides one of the most dynamic units on the team. Last season he oversaw the breakout performance of redshirt freshman Darrius Heyward-Bey, who quickly stood out as one of the top up-and-coming wide receivers in the nation.
Under Bossard's tutelage, Heyward-Bey became the team's leading receiver (45 catches) and shattered a school mark with his 96-yard touchdown catch in a 14-13 win over Miami. His 694 receiving yards rank eighth on the Terps' single-season school list and are third-most by a freshman in Atlantic Coast Conference history.
Heyward-Bey went on to receive freshman All-America accolades, while slot receiver Danny Oquendo chipped in with 34 catches. Sophomore Isaiah Willilams also had 28 receptions and averaged 13.5 yards per catch (second on the team).
All three return to the team in 2007, along with a crop of young, talented receivers, including Adrian Cannon, LaQuan Williams and Emani Lee-Odai.
In his first season in College Park, Bossard's troops had the strongest campaign of any in Ralph Friedgen's first five years. In fact, it had not been since the pass-happy days of 1993 that the Terrapins had three wide receivers with 34 or more receptions, a feat accomplished by the 2005 group of senior receivers (Danny Melendez [40], Jo Jo Walker [35] and Derrick Fenner [34]). That came on the heels of a unit whose leader posted just 23 catches the year before. Bossard came to the Terps after a three-year stint at nearby Delaware, his second tour of duty with the Blue Hens. His most recent stay at his alma mater was a productive one.
In his first season back in Newark, Delaware succeeded offensively despite the team having four different freshmen starters at wide receiver and a first-year quarterback. Most importantly, his efforts in 2003 helped lead the Blue Hens to a 15-1 record and the Division I-AA national championship. For the first time in school history, three different UD receivers caught 50 passes or more.
In 2004, Bossard helped coach receiver David Boler to a top 30 national ranking in both receptions per game (21st, 5.91) and receiving yards per game (29th, 82.1). Prior to heading back to Delaware, Bossard served as a defensive backs coach at the University of Wyoming from 2000-01. He took that post in Laramie after one year at Army, his first coaching job at the Division I-A level (wide receivers).
Bossard's longest assistant coaching stint at any school was his in first post at Delaware where he was receivers coach from 1994-98. The highlight of his first stay as an assistant included playoff appearances in 1995, 1996 and 1997, each of which featured 12-2 records and national semifinal berths.
Now in his 16th year overall as a full-time coach, Bossard's first collegiate coaching post was as a graduate assistant at Delaware (1990), followed by jobs with Morehouse College (1991), West Chester University (1992) and Bucknell (1992-93). Each job has either involved coaching receivers or tutoring the players trying to stop them (defensive backs).
Prior to beginning his career as a college coach, Bossard served one year as an assistant coach at Glasgow High School in Newark, Del., helping lead his team to the state title.
In addition to his coaching at the collegiate level, Bossard also served summer coaching internships with the NFL's Chicago Bears in 1996 and 1997.
A native of and all-state prep performer from Dover, Del., Bossard was a standout defensive back at UD from 1985-88, helping the Blue Hens advance to the I-AA playoffs in both his sophomore and senior seasons. A three-year letterwinner, he earned second team All-Yankee Conference honors as a senior and was selected as the team's outstanding senior defensive player (Blue Hen Touchdown Club). He posted 122 tackles that season, including the fourth-highest single-game total in school history (22 vs. Navy).
Bossard graduated from Delaware in 1989 with a bachelor's degree in agricultural business management. He and his wife, Kimber, have a 4-year-old son, Xen.
The Bossard File
Personal
Date of Birth: June 29, 1967
Hometown: Dover, Del.
Alma Mater: Delaware, '89
Coaching Experience
Maryland 2005-pr.: Assistant Coach - Wide Receivers
Delaware 2002-04: Assistant Coach - Wide Receivers
1994-98: Assistant Coach - Wide Receivers
1990: Graduate Assistant - Defensive Backs
Wyoming 2000-01: Assistant Coach - Defensive Backs
U.S. Military Academy 1999: Assistant Coach - Wide Receivers
Bucknell 1992-93: Assistant Coach - Defensive Backs
West Chester 1992: Assistant Coach - Defensive Backs
Morehouse College 1991: Assistant Coach - Defensive Backs
Glasgow High School 1989: Assistant Coach - Running Backs/Defensive Backs
Playing Experience
Delaware 1985-88: Defensive Back
Recruiting Areas
Maryland (Prince George's County), Washington D.C., eastern Pennsylvania and Delaware.
