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Ralph Friedgen (b. April 4, 1947 in Harrison, New York) is the current head coach of the University of Maryland football team.
A coach's son, Friedgen has long been regarded as one of the sharpest offensive-minded coaches at any level of the game. "The Fridge", as he's known around College Park, matriculated at Maryland in the mid-1960's, where he played the position of offensive guard. After completion of his Bachelor's in Physical education in 1970, Friedgen served as a graduate assistant at his alma mater, before later accepting positions on the staffs of The Citadel, William and Mary, and Murray State. Joining him on many of these coaching stops was Frank Beamer, who would later become a compatriot for life as well as a highly successful coach at Virginia Tech.
He returned to Maryland in 1982 to serve as offensive coordinator under Bobby Ross, who was his mentor during his stop at The Citadel. During this time period, he had a hand in the development of quarterbacks Stan Gelbaugh and Frank Reich, and, especially, Boomer Esiason. It was also during this time that Maryland was a perennial top-20 team, winning consecutive ACC titles from 1983 to 1985 and appearing in prominent bowl games. Following a sub-par 1986 season, and admist an athletic department quagmire due in large part to the Len Bias incident, Friedgen followed Ross to Georgia Tech, a stint lasting four years. In 1990, Tech went from being unranked in the preseason to achieving an 11-0-1 record and a national championship. In 1992, Friedgen followed Ross once again, this time to the NFL's San Diego Chargers, where he orchestrated an offense that led the franchise to their first (and of this writing, their only) Super Bowl appearance. In 1997, Friedgen returned to Georgia Tech, where, as offensive coordinator, he developed the balanced offensive attack (200 yards on the ground, 200 yards through the air) that would become his trademark. During his second year, the Yellow Jackets were co-champions of the ACC, notched a win over Notre Dame in the Gator Bowl, and ended the season ranked among the nation's top 10 teams. In 1999, he was awarded the Frank Broyles Award, given to the nation's best assistant coach.
In November 2000, he was named the head coach of his alma mater. He was charged with rebuilding a program that hadn't been a contender in the ACC for a decade-and-a-half. In his first season, he performed what many deemed as nothing short of a miracle. He led the Terps to a 10-2 record, a top 10 national ranking, the first outright ACC title since Florida State entered the league, and an appearance in the BCS Orange Bowl. He went on to receive numerous "Coach of the Year" plaudits from various organizations. The proceeding two seasons would provide more of the same, culminating with dominating wins in both the 2002 Peach Bowl against Tennessee and the 2003 Gator Bowl against geographic rival West Virginia. Maryland became one of five programs nationally to reach the 10-win plateau from 2001 to 2003.
The 2004 season, a disappointment on many fronts, did provide some highlights for Friedgen. On October 30, his relatively young team upset fifth-ranked Florida State to earn the first Maryland win in that series, as well as the first win over a top-5 team since 1982. On November 27, a 13-7 win over Wake Forest gave Friedgen his 36th win as head coach, making him the winningest fourth-year coach in conference history.
Friedgen's efforts in rebuilding the Maryland program are far from over. His success has seen a substantial increase in ticket sales 1 (http://umterps.collegesports.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/120204aad.html), which has initiated discussions into the renovation of Byrd Stadium. His recruiting efforts have also seen Maryland compete head-to-head with many of the elite programs for blue-chip recruits. In a very innovative move, Friedgen and former Maryland placekicker Jess Atkinson launched FridgeTV (http://www.fridgetv.com) in 2003, an interactive experience that provides the viewer with an "inside the locker room" look at the personalties behind the program. In 2004, he appeared prominently in tv commercials promoting former Terp footballer Scott Plank's Under Armour brand of athletic wear 2 (http://www.underarmour.tv).
Friedgen has been married to the former Gloria Spina since 1973. They have three daughters.
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