Friedgen A Success At Maryland

Ralph Friedgen is in his seventh year as head coach at the University of Maryland with a reputation as one of the top offensive minds in college football.

Friedgen has lifted the Terrapins to unprecedented heights in his tenure, taking the team to four bowl games, including a pair of New Year's Day appearances, and a school record three-straight bowl victories. Prior to Friedgen's arrival, Maryland had just one bowl game appearance in the previous 15 seasons.

He is the 33rd head coach in school history and ranks second in Maryland annals in career winning percentage (.676), trailing only legendary coach Jim Tatum, who is the only other mentor to lead the Terps to three 10-win seasons and multiple New Year's Day bowl appearances.

Last year Friedgen took on added responsibility, assuming the duties of the team's offensive coordinator, marking the first time he has called the plays in his head coaching tenure at Maryland. The team went on to post a 9-4 record, marking the fourth nine-win campaign in the last six seasons and 13th in school history. The Terps culminated the season with a convincing 24-7 victory over Purdue in the Champs Sports Bowl.

A long-time successful assistant coach at Georgia Tech, where he was credited with overseeing one of the nation's most potent offensive attacks, Friedgen continues to build a new level of pride and glory to his alma mater's football program, guiding the Terps to a 50-24 record, including an Atlantic Coast Conference title and a pair of second-place finishes in his first six years.

Not only are his 50 wins after six seasons more than those of Terps legend Jerry Claiborne, they also fall just shy of the all-time ACC mark of 51, set by Clemson's Danny Ford in the early 1980s. In addition, in his first three seasons at the helm of the Terrapin program, Friedgen became the first coach in conference lore to lead a team to three-straight seasons of 10 wins or more, while his 36 wins in his first four years ranked him in the top 10 in NCAA history, surpassing the fourth-year marks of coaches such as Frank Leahy and Joe Paterno.