Randy Douglas Edsall is an American college football

College football

College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...

 coach. He is currently the head coach at the University of Maryland

University of Maryland, College Park

The University of Maryland, College Park is a top-ranked public research university located in the city of College Park in Prince George's County, Maryland, just outside Washington, D.C...

. Edsall was the head coach at the University of Connecticut

University of Connecticut

The admission rate to the University of Connecticut is about 50% and has been steadily decreasing, with about 28,000 prospective students applying for admission to the freshman class in recent years. Approximately 40,000 prospective students tour the main campus in Storrs annually...

 from 1999 until the 2011 Fiesta Bowl

2011 Fiesta Bowl

The 2011 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl game was a post-season college football bowl game played as part of the 2011 Bowl Championship Series of the 2010 NCAA Division I FBS football season...

, and oversaw the program's promotion from the NCAA Division I–AA level to Division I–A. He has the most wins for a head football coach in Connecticut history. On January 2, 2011, Edsall replaced Ralph Friedgen

Ralph Friedgen

Ralph Harry Friedgen is an American football coach. He was the head coach at the University of Maryland from 2001 to 2010. Friedgen was previously an offensive coordinator at Maryland, Georgia Tech, and in the National Football League with the San Diego Chargers...

 at the University of Maryland

University of Maryland

When the term "University of Maryland" is used without any qualification, it generally refers to the University of Maryland, College Park.University of Maryland may refer to the following:...

.

Coaching career

A native of Glen Rock, Pennsylvania

Glen Rock, Pennsylvania

Glen Rock is a borough in York County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 2,025 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Glen Rock is located at ....

, Edsall is a protege of current New York Giants

New York Giants

The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, representing the New York City metropolitan area. The Giants are currently members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...

 head coach Tom Coughlin

Tom Coughlin

Thomas Richard Coughlin is an American football coach who is currently head coach for the New York Giants of the National Football League . Coughlin has led the Giants to victory in Super Bowl XLII. Coughlin was also the inaugural head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars, serving from 1995–2002 and...

. Edsall played for Coughlin at Syracuse University

Syracuse University

Syracuse University is a private research university located in Syracuse, New York, United States. Its roots can be traced back to Genesee Wesleyan Seminary, founded by the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1832, which also later founded Genesee College...

 and later coached under him at Syracuse, at Boston College

Boston College

Boston College is a private Jesuit research university located in the village of Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, USA. The main campus is bisected by the border between the cities of Boston and Newton. It has 9,200 full-time undergraduates and 4,000 graduate students. Its name reflects its early...

, and with the Jacksonville Jaguars

Jacksonville Jaguars

The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida, U.S. They are currently members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...

. In 2009, Edsall was mentioned in Notre Dame

University of Notre Dame

The University of Notre Dame du Lac is a Catholic research university located in Notre Dame, an unincorporated community north of the city of South Bend, in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States...

's search for a new head football coach following the firing of Charlie Weis

Charlie Weis

Charles Joseph "Charlie" Weis is an American football coach. He currently serves as offensive coordinator for the Florida Gators. For five years, from December 2004 through 2009, he was the head football coach at the University of Notre Dame...

. On December 10, 2009, sources reported that Notre Dame had extended a contract offer to University of Cincinnati

University of Cincinnati

The University of Cincinnati is a comprehensive public research university in Cincinnati, Ohio, and a part of the University System of Ohio....

 head coach Brian Kelly

Brian Kelly (coach)

Brian Keith Kelly is an American football coach and former player in the United States. He is currently the head football coach at the University of Notre Dame, a position he has held since the 2010 season...

.

Connecticut

Edsall was named the 27th head football coach at the University of Connecticut

University of Connecticut

The admission rate to the University of Connecticut is about 50% and has been steadily decreasing, with about 28,000 prospective students applying for admission to the freshman class in recent years. Approximately 40,000 prospective students tour the main campus in Storrs annually...

 on December 21, 1998 and led the Huskies from Division I-AA into Division I-A. UConn was the first school to ever make this move and also become a member of the Bowl Championship Series

Bowl Championship Series

The Bowl Championship Series is a selection system that creates five bowl match-ups involving ten of the top ranked teams in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision , including an opportunity for the top two to compete in the BCS National Championship Game.The BCS relies on a combination of...

, as a member of the Big East

Big East Conference

The Big East Conference is a collegiate athletics conference consisting of sixteen universities in the eastern half of the United States. The conference's 17 members participate in 24 NCAA sports...

. In 2004, he led the Huskies to the first bowl game

Bowl game

In North America, a bowl game is commonly considered to refer to one of a number of post-season college football games. Prior to 2002, bowl game statistics were not included in players' career totals and the games were mostly considered to be exhibition games involving a payout to participating...

 in school history, the Motor City Bowl

Motor City Bowl

The Little Caesars Pizza Bowl is a post-season college football bowl game certified by the NCAA that has been played annually since 1997. The first five games were played at the Pontiac Silverdome in Pontiac, Michigan. Starting in 2002, the game was moved to 65,000-seat Ford Field in downtown...

, which UConn won by defeating Toledo

University of Toledo

The University of Toledo is a public university in Toledo, Ohio, United States. The Carnegie Foundation classified the university as "Doctoral/Research Extensive."-National recognition:...

, 39–10.

In 2007, the Huskies were picked in the pre-season Big East Coaches Poll to finish seventh, however they ended up tying for the conference championship with West Virginia, and earned a trip to the Meineke Car Care Bowl

Meineke Car Care Bowl

The Belk Bowl is an annual college football bowl game played at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina. First played in 2002, it was certified by the NCAA as the Queen City Bowl and was previously known as the Continental Tire Bowl and the Meineke Car Care Bowl before Belk acquired...

.

On September 11, 2010, Edsall became the winningest coach in Connecticut football history when the Huskies defeated Texas Southern. His 67th victory placed him ahead of the 66 wins compiled by J. Orlean Christian

J. Orlean Christian

J. Orlean Christian was an American football, basketball, and baseball coach and college athletics administrator in the United States. He served as the head football coach at the University of Connecticut from 1934 to 1949 and as the head baseball coach there from 1936 to 1961...

 between 1934 and 1949.

Maryland

Edsall was hired after the 2010 firing of Maryland alumnus Ralph Friedgen. In Edsall's inaugural season, the Terps finished with a record of 2–10.

Personal

Edsall has two children with his wife, Eileen, a son and a daughter. He is a graduate of Syracuse University

Syracuse University

Syracuse University is a private research university located in Syracuse, New York, United States. Its roots can be traced back to Genesee Wesleyan Seminary, founded by the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1832, which also later founded Genesee College...

, where he played as a backup quarterback

Quarterback

Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...

.

Head coaching record

External links

• http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/terps/bs-sp-terps-contracts-0715-20110714,0,2712222.story
• Connecticut profile