|
GRAHAM JOINS TENNESSEE COACHING STAFF
Vols letterman returns to alma mater to coach running backs
Tennessee
head football coach Derek Dooley announced today the addition of Vols
letterman Jay Graham to the Tennessee coaching staff as the running
backs coach. Graham, most recently the running backs/tight ends
coach at South Carolina, fills the vacancy on the staff created by the
departure of associate head coach/wide receivers coach Charlie Baggett,
who will not return to his position for the 2012 season.
“Jay
is not only one of the most accomplished running backs in Tennessee
history, but he has also proven to be one of the top running backs
coaches in the SEC,” said Dooley. “Jay understands what it means to be
a Vol, and we are thrilled to have him on our staff.”
Graham
has spent the last three years on the coaching staff at South Carolina
(2009-11) and coached sophomore running back Marcus Lattimore, who has
rushed for a combined 2,015 yards and 27 touchdowns during his first
two seasons with the Gamecocks. Lattimore was on pace to become
the first South Carolina back to post consecutive 1,000-yard seasons
since Heisman Trophy winner George Rogers posted three consecutive from
1978-80 before an injury sidelined Lattimore for the final five
games. South Carolina ranked third in the SEC this season with
198.0 rushing yards per game.
“I am thankful to Coach
Dooley for giving me the opportunity to return to Tennessee,” said
Graham. “Tennessee is a program with great football tradition and
fan support, and I am honored to join the coaching staff for the Vols.”
As
a player for Tennessee, Graham rushed for 2,609 yards as a Vol from
1993-96 and ranks seventh all-time on the Vols’ career rushing
chart. His most prolific season was in 1995, when he rushed for
1,438 yards on 272 carries, the second-highest rushing total in a
season in UT history and the third-most attempts by a Vol running back
in one year. Graham earned All-SEC Second Team honors as both a
junior and a senior in 1995 and 1996, respectively, and helped the Vols
to three bowl victories.
Graham’s 1995 total of 11
100-yard games is the most in Tennessee history in a single season and
included a school-record nine consecutive 100-yard rushing
efforts. He also posted 14 100-yard games in his Tennessee
career, a total that ranks only behind Travis Henry (15) in school
history. Additionally, Graham’s 25 rushing touchdowns rank tied
for ninth on the Tennessee career list, and he rushed for a career-high
211 yards against Vanderbilt on Nov. 25, 1995.
A
third-round pick of the Baltimore Ravens in 1997, Graham spent six
seasons in the NFL, including four with the Ravens (1997-2000) and
single seasons with the Seattle Seahawks (2001) and Green Bay Packers
(2002).
In 2004, Graham returned to Knoxville and
graduated with a degree in psychology. He also served the 2005
season as a graduate assistant on the Vols staff and completed his
master’s degree in sports management from UT in 2008. In addition
to stints at South Carolina and his graduate assistant season at
Tennessee, Graham has also served as an assistant coach at Miami, Ohio
(2008), UT-Martin (2007), the University of San Diego (2007), and UT
Chattanooga (2006).
Graham and his wife, Kelly, are the parents of two daughters, Nia and Denae, and two sons, Jayson and Kellan.
Baggett
spent two seasons at Tennessee from 2010-11 as associate head coach and
wide receivers coach and joined the Vols after spending the 2009 season
with the St. Louis Rams.
“I appreciate Charlie’s
contributions to the Tennessee football program during the last 22
months,” said Dooley. “Charlie has made an incredibly positive
impact toward our efforts to build a strong foundation for future
success. He has had an excellent career as a coach, and I am grateful
for his efforts during his time at Tennessee.”
Baggett
previously coached in college at Washington (2007-08), Michigan State
(1983-92) and Minnesota (1981-82) and has also coached for multiple
teams in the NFL, including the then-Houston Oilers (1993-94), Green
Bay Packers (1999), Minnesota Vikings (2000-04), Miami Dolphins
(2005-06) and St. Louis Rams (2009).
|
