Rockets' Amstutz has 2 staff openings to fill

2/9/2006

University of Toledo football coach Tom Amstutz will have two openings to fill for next season's coaching staff.

The Rockets announced yesterday that offensive line coach Mike Devlin and defensive line coach Randall McCray had resigned to accept other positions.

Devlin will coach the offensive line for the NFL's New York Jets, joining rookie head coach Eric Mangini. Devlin played seven seasons in the NFL with Buffalo and Arizona before coaching with the Cardinals before joining the UT staff.

McCray has accepted a position at Rice University where he will coach safeties and coordinate recruiting.

Both coaches spent two seasons on Amstutz's staff at Toledo.

"They both did good jobs for us, helping us win a [Mid-American Conference] championship, two MAC West titles and go to two bowl games," Amstutz said in a statement released by UT. "We wish them good luck in their new jobs."

ABOVE AVERAGE: Toledo athletic director Mike O'Brien said he was especially pleased with performances by the football and men's basketball teams in the most recent graduation success rate (GSR) figures announced by the NCAA.

Based on graduation figures over a four-year period ending in spring of 2005, UT graduated 70 per cent of its football players and 67 per cent of its men's basketball players. The national averages were 65 per cent for football and 58 per cent for basketball.

"Our overall department GSR was very good," O'Brien said of Toledo's 82 per cent overall score. "But it's very important due to the exposure of football and men's basketball that those two sports are ahead of the national average."

IN THE SWIM: Sophomore Leah Woodard has been named MAC swimmer of the week for the second time this season.

Woodard won two individual events and led two relay victories in a meet against Akron last Saturday. The 200 free relay team set a UT pool record with a time of 1:35.09.