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HEAD COACH GREG SCHIANO In total, 21 former Scarlet Knights who played under Schiano were on NFL rosters for the 2009 season. In the 2008 NFL Draft, two Rutgers players were selected – Ray Rice in the second round to the Baltimore Ravens and Jeremy Zuttah to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the third round. Both Rice and Zuttah started multiple games during their rookie seasons in the NFL. Eric Foster (Free Agent, Indianapolis Colts) and Ron Girault (Free Agent, Kansas City Chiefs) also signed professional contracts in 2008. Foster has been a starter the past two seasons for the Colts at defensive tackle. In the 2007 NFL Draft, three Scarlet Knights were drafted, including Brian Leonard in the second round to the St. Louis Rams. In all, seven players Cameron Stephenson (5th Round, Pittsburgh Steelers), Clark Harris (7th Round, Green Bay Packers), Darnell Stapleton (Free Agent, Pittsburgh Steelers), Derrick Roberson (Free Agent, Houston Texans), Ramel Meekins (Free Agent, Indianapolis Colts), Manny Collins (Free Agent, New York Jets) and Joe Porter (Free Agent, New Orleans Saints) from the 2006 squad signed NFL contracts prior to the 2007 NFL season. Following the 2005 campaign, five Scarlet Knights who played for Schiano signed with NFL teams, including All-American Ryan Neill (Buffalo Bills), AllBIG EAST standout Tres Moses (Baltimore Ravens), Val Barnaby (Detroit Lions), Chris Baker (San Francisco 49ers) and Sameeh McDonald (Detroit Lions). Other NFL Knights from Schiano's reign include OL Trohn Carswell (Carolina Panthers), DT Gary Gibson (Baltimore Ravens), DB Brandon Haw (Miami Dolphins), DB Jarvis Johnson (Baltimore Ravens), WR Aaron Martin (Dallas Cowboys), DE Raheem Orr (New York Giants), DT J'Vonne Parker (Cleveland Browns) and RB Dennis Thomas (Kansas City Chiefs). Another former standout, defensive back Nate Jones of the Miami Dolphins, was a remarkable talent on the field and in the classroom while at Rutgers. Jones became Rutgers football's first two-time Academic AllAmerica selection, and was a member of the prestigious National Football Foundation/ College Football Hall of Fame National Scholar Class of 2003, one of just eight Football Bowl Subdivision players honored. Jones was also the recipient of the BIG EAST/AÊropostale 2003 Football Scholar-Athlete of the Year Award, and was the BIG EAST's Co-Special Teams Player of the Year in 2002. The academic success is not just limited to individual players under Schiano, but the entire team. In the NCAA's most recent report, released in May 2009, the Rutgers football team ranked third in the nation with an APR score of 980 - the highest mark of any state university. Rutgers was the only institution in the nation to have its football team ranked in the top 10 percent of the APR and win a bowl game in each of the last three seasons. Achievement and success are nothing new to Schiano. Wherever he has been in his coaching career, success has followed. During Schiano's twoyear stint as defensive coordinator at Miami (1999-2000), the Hurricanes posted a 20-5 record, including an 11-1 mark, the No. 2 national ranking and the Sugar Bowl Championship in 2000. The Hurricanes boasted one of the top scoring defenses in the nation in 2000, and were the stingiest defensive squad in the BIG EAST Conference.
Under Schiano, the Miami defense showed rapid and marked improvement in his two seasons as defensive coordinator. The 'Canes defense closed out the 1999 season by not allowing a passing touchdown in 27 quarters, and was 12th nationally in scoring defense (allowing 17.2 points per game). In 2000, Miami surrendered just 15.5 points per game, the fewest allowed by any team in the BIG EAST and No. 5 nationally. Prior to his assignment at Miami, Schiano spent three seasons in the NFL with the Chicago Bears (1996-98). Schiano was a defensive assistant in 1996-97, and was the defensive backfield coach in 1998. The 1997 Chicago Bears' third-down defense showed measurable improvement under Schiano's leadership, finishing first in the NFC and fourth in the NFL as opponents converted just 31.7% of their third-down attempts. In 1996, the Bears' pass defense climbed from 27th to 11th in fewest yards allowed. Schiano was defensive backfield coach at Penn State University from 1991-95. While at Penn State, the Nittany Lions had 58 wins and made six bowl appearances in his tenure. Overall, in nine seasons as an assistant on the collegiate level, Schiano's teams advanced to eight bowl games. Schiano's first assignment as a coach in the college ranks came during the 1989 season, when he served as a graduate assistant coach at Rutgers, following a one-year stint as an assistant coach at his alma mater, Ramapo High School. Schiano was a standout linebacker at Ramapo, playing for head coach Mike Miello. After his initial stint at Rutgers in 1989, he moved on to Penn State as a graduate assistant coach in 1990. Schiano's influence reaches beyond the college playing fields, as his stable of NFL players continues to grow each season. In addition to former Scarlet Knights like Smith, Brackett and Jones, Schiano has helped guide such NFL standouts as Ed Reed, Dan Morgan, Kim Herring and Mike Rumph. Schiano is a 1988 graduate of Bucknell University where he was a threeyear letterman at linebacker. He was named to The Sporting News AllAmerica Preseason Team in 1987. He served as team captain his senior year and, as a junior, he topped the team with 114 tackles and was named all-conference. Schiano and his wife, Christy, are the proud parents of four children, Joey, John, Matt and Katie.