PRESS RELEASE • 8000 York Road, Towson, Maryland 21252 410-704-2232 • Fax: 410-704-3861

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE January 6, 2008 Football Contact: Dan O’Connell (410-704-3102)

ROB AMBROSE PRESS CONFERENCE QUOTES

Towson University Director of Athletics Mike Hermann:

“Welcome to Towson University. Thanks for being here. It’s the first capacity crowd of the Ambrose era, so congratulations for being a part of that crowd. Let’s hope for more of the same this fall against Coastal Carolina, Richmond, New Hampshire, Villanova and Delaware.” “This is an exciting day for Towson University football. It’s an exciting day for the Towson University Athletics program, an exciting day for Towson University. We’re welcoming home today one of our own.” “People have asked me since we made this announcement a few days ago ‘Did you always plan on hiring Rob Ambrose?’ And the answer is really no. Rob was always on our list. He would have been on any A.D.’s list. He’s a Towson alum and a former coach here at Towson University … a former head coach … a successful BCS coordinator in a program that has enjoyed increasing success during his time there. He has all of the ingredients you would covet as a Director of Athletics. This really wasn’t the process to hire Rob Ambrose for the job. Rather, the process was to hire the best coach for our football program.” “Some outstanding coaches were interested in this job. It’s an attractive job. It’s a credit to our University in terms of what Towson University has become. That’s one of the main reasons and that credit belongs to our administration and to our faculty. It’s a credit to the coaches who have been here before and the great foundation they have laid over the last 40 years. And while I have a chance, I do want to recognize our first head coach, Carl Runk, who is with us in the audience.” (Applause) “It’s a credit to this outstanding facility, Doc Minnegan Field at Johnny Unitas® Stadium, the best game day facility in our league. And speaking of our league, it’s a credit to our league. We play in the best FCS conference in the country and we’re in a great location. I talked to coach after coach and they called it a gold mine, a sleeping giant because of this great recruiting location that we’re in. Every candidate mentioned that as we talked.” “We were able to bring four outstanding candidates to campus. But, when we looked at all of the candidates, one name came to the top and he really came to the top for three primary reasons.” “First, he’s a Maryland guy. A State of Maryland guy, son of a Hall of Fame high school coach from Frederick County. We are pleased to welcome his father, Tim Ambrose, here today. Thanks for coming. Good to have you back at Towson.” (Applause) “He’s recruited this state for Towson and the University of Connecticut.”

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Mike Hermann – continued

“Second, he’s a proven leader. You know that from the first time he was here at Towson. He moved up the ranks - a student coach, a full-time position coach, a passing game coordinator, an offensive coordinator, Associate Head Coach before he left Towson. He became a head coach at another institution and then, at UConn, moved up the ranks again from quarterbacks coach to offensive coordinator. So, that’s the second reason – a proven leader.” “And the third reason and probably the biggest reason is that he has a great passion for Towson. He has a great vision for Towson. He has a great plan for where this Towson football program can go. It became clear the more I talked to Rob that he has thought about this opportunity not just in the last few weeks or the last few months, but he has been thinking about this job for a long time. He has a focus and a vision and a plan to take Towson to the top of the CAA. And if you’re at the top of the CAA, you’re at the top of the nation.” “Rob is not our choice because he’s a Towson guy, but we’re proud that he is. He’s our choice for our head coach of our football program because he’s the best man to lead the program into this new era. So, yes, his name was on the list at the beginning and it was there at the end as well.” “But, before we bring out the star of today’s show, I want to recognize a couple of members of the supporting cast if you will. Earlier, you met Coach Ambrose’s father, Tim. I would like to introduce Rob’s parents, Tim and Jan Ambrose. Again, welcome back. I know you have been here many times.” “Rob’s brother, Jared, also a college football coach. And we particularly want to welcome three new members to the Towson family - three new Tigers who are coming to join us – Rob’s wife, Melissa, daughter, Grace, and son, Riley. We’re glad they’re Tigers.“ “Now, I would like to invite our president, Dr. Robert Caret, to come up with the traditional ballcap for the traditional ball coach.” (Dr. Caret joins Mike Hermann at the podium) “Ladies and gentlemen, it is my pleasure to introduce the next head coach of the Towson University football program. Please welcome, Rob Ambrose.” (Applause as Rob Ambrose joins Dr. Caret and Mike Hermann onstage and is presented with Towson baseball cap) “It’s a great welcome home. He earned his spurs at Towson. He went away for eight or nine years and returned to the University as a dynamic leader and is ready to move this University forward and this program forward. As you know, it’s the description of our football coach, but it’s also the path of our president, to whom we turn to bring new heights to Towson.” “To offer his welcoming comments is our president, Dr. Robert Caret.” (Applause)

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Towson University President Dr. Robert Caret “Thanks for being here. This is a critical point in the history of Towson University. Those of you who have been here over the years know we’re building a great university. We’ve been building that university for over 140 years, but we’ve been accelerated that growth in the last five years.” “I like to use that term ‘that other state university.’ For too long, there has only been one university in Maryland. There’s only been one state university and it’s time for another one to emerge and that second university is Towson University.” “My Kiwanis speech is that there is a Michigan-Michigan State, a Florida-Florida State and an Arizona-Arizona State. There’s always been a Maryland State University, but we happened to call it Towson University and it’s emerging as that second partner here in the state both academically and athletically. But, to build a great university, you need to do it block by block and piece by piece. You have to build a foundation and then, you have to build the rest of the superstructure. We’ve been doing that and a big part of it is athletics. But, it also involves grants and contracts, which we have tripled. It involves fundraising, which we’ve tripled. It’s involving an expansion of graduate education with four doctoral programs and more to be coming. But, it also involves athletics and when you get to athletics, football is a critical component.” “We have Unitas Stadium, which Athletic Director Mike Hermann has just mentioned. We have the new field that is part of Unitas Stadium, Minnegan Field. We have a wonderful scoreboard we put in this past year. We’ve been building an infrastructure and for those of you who have been as long as I have, 30 years, we have bathrooms in this facility, which wasn’t true in the first facility we built here.” (Laughter) “But, most importantly, we found the right conference – the Colonial Athletic Association. The Colonial has done great things for us and we want to do great things within the Colonial. But, the critical feature always comes down to people, no matter what you are doing. It comes down to people. In this case, it’s the Athletic Director and his people. It’s the coaches and their teams and the student athletes in particular. And at this campus, the academic and athletic sides of the student-athlete are very important. All of our sports have met the NCAA criteria and hurdles from the Academic Performance Rating they instituted a few years ago. And we intend to continue that. But, we also need to excel on the athletic arena. We need to win.” “I mentioned in my Fall address that winning is no longer an option here at Towson University. In athletics, we have to win if we are going to take our place as the other institution in the state that people recognize and respect as a truly mature campus that has taken its place in Maryland history.” “Mike has already given you some idea as to why we chose Rob. I can concur with Mike. We had an extremely strong group of candidates and the finalists were very strong and they did a great job at the interviews.” “Let me take a minute to mention the advisory group that worked with me and most of them are here. They did a great job of screening the candidates for the committee. We have Ted Zaleski, my Chief of Staff, over here. Jim Clements, the Provost, is here someplace. Gary Gill from the Board of Visitors and Mike Hermann himself and we also had Bob Skalstad, a student athlete from yesteryear and the football program, the 1974 team that went with no losses.” “So, we had a good committee. We went through and worked with a head hunter and scoured the nation and talked to a lot of candidates and came up with Rob Ambrose. Why? Mike has given you an idea. For Rob, this is personal. This is coming home and I came home just six years ago. It seems like just yesterday, but I can tell you that you come home with a different kind of energy and a different kind of commitment than if you are just coming to another campus to do something. That’s because you’ve never been a part of that campus. When you come home, you are taking your rightful place in a place that is already yours.” “What turned me on, got me excited and got my blood going were the characteristics that Rob exhibited during the interview. Mike only mentioned passion and the passion is there. Mike mentioned the desire to win and Rob made it very clear that winning is not an option for him either. It is a necessity. And most importantly, he believes that we can do it and we need to believe that to get there, to make it happen. I only have a few years left, but I want to see it happen while I’m still president. So, I’m putting a lot of pressure on this new team and this new coach. It’s time to really take our place in Maryland history.” “Rob, welcome home. We look forward to your leadership and we look forward to a winning season as soon as you can muster it.”

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Towson Coach Rob Ambrose

“I have some notes because this is important enough that I needed to take notes. No pressure at all, by the way. I don’t feel any pressure at all. Did anyone count how many times President Caret said win?” (Laughter) “I heard Mike say that before we get to the star of the moment. First of all, thank you for coming. As an alum, to see this kind of support at this time of year for football is something that touches my soul and I appreciate it and it is personal for me. But, for you to understand why I am standing here, everyone needs to thank these two gentlemen right here because if it wasn’t for them, I wouldn’t be coming home. For the leadership and the direction that the university has with Dr. Caret and the direction that Mike wants to take it, they deserve a round of applause.” (Applause) “On a personal note … Riley (his son), this is kind of cool, isn’t it? (Laughter) They heard your name, too. He made the newspaper in Connecticut last week, so he’s pretty high right now. And I’m impressed that he’s sitting still right now.” “To talk about what we’re going to do and where we’re going to go is not right without considering the history of this place. I sincerely want to acknowledge the founding fathers. I showed up today and Carl Runk gave me a picture of a Tiger. I know he is here. Carl, seriously, how old is that picture? Doc Minnegan gave it to you and it will have a place in the football office downstairs. Thank you, Carl.” “Carl was the first football coach here and he is a Hall of Famer himself. He chose to leave football and move on to lacrosse. But, he is the beginning – block number one. And none of us are in this room today without him.” “Carl was followed by , who got me to come here and get my education from here. In the world of football, he is a god for what he has done and for the change and growth that he took this place from nothing through Division 3, Division 2, the 1974 team, the Stagg Bowl teams, all of those years of being ranked all under Phil.” “I will never be able to thank him enough for what he did for me as a player and for what he has done for this university. When he was done, Gordy (Combs) jumped in and went full steam and we went from the bare bones at the bottom and another league and another growth period and we immediately started winning again and he held onto the rings the whole time. He, along with Rich Bader, Carl and Phil, deserve all of our respect. They are the past and without the past, there is no future.” “As some of you have found out, I was an English major and one of the things that I have held on to my entire life is a quote that I read as a little kid. It’s that the downfall of mankind that we forget. We should never forget those men and never forget those teams that played for them and those players and what they have done to bring us to this point today.” (Applause) “If we have one tradition, our tradition is change. We have a tradition of going from a bunch of guys playing club ball at Division 3 and we took it to Division 2 and I-AA. I am still not going to get those acronyms right. I can’t even do it at UConn. But, we’re growing. We’re constantly growing and constantly changing and looking for that plateau to be able to stand on and build from. And now, we’re here.”

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“We’re moving towards the future because of a great vision from our administration and a tremendous path. I’m grateful to be a part of it and that I have the opportunity to follow these men who have done so much for this school, it is with great humility that I take on this role as the leader of the future.” “Now, with that being said, this is for everyone in the room and everyone watching and everyone that is going to read about this in the newspaper. This is not about me - not at all. It’s about the players in this room who I have not even met yet. It’s about all of you. It’s about all of the people outside this room – the community and the faculty and the fans and the students and the rest of the state that hasn’t figured it out yet. And it’s all of our jobs to take this thing and make it that thing that we know it can be and know that it is supposed to be and it’s about damn time. So, tell your friends, tell your buddies and call them all up. They’re invited. I came home.” “I’m not a big fan of Bear Bryant. I think he was a little crazy, but he got it done. But, I read the book and Dan O’Connell really wanted me to say this, so I have to point it out, that I believe I have this kind of passion. And Dr. Caret, it is personal. Your alma mater is like your mother and when momma calls, you better come home. If it weren’t for these guys and if it weren’t for the people in this room and the vision of this university, I wouldn’t have come home and man, I’m happy to be home.” “So, tell all your friends and tell your buddies, they’re invited. They’re all invited to this beautiful new house and let’s turn this thing around and win some ballgames and please, please schedule Maryland. Schedule Maryland every year.” (Applause) “Now, let me just finish by saying a few thank you’s and then, I know you will want to ask a few questions. You’re going to have a million of them.” “First, I want to thank the one person who has my back completely and she will tell you if she were up here that the only reason that I am standing here is because of her. The woman who rescued my tortured soul because I am insane and yes, she is a therapist. My wife, Melissa. Thank you.” (Applause) “My lovely daughter who is an angel and my son, who is pretending to be one currently. (Laughter) Thank you very much. To my father, who has made me become the football coach that I am and hopefully, a decent dad, thank you. To my mom, who has taught me to be extremely wordy. She’s a judge, so don’t argue with her. Thank you. To my brother. Oh my god, that’s the best dressed you’ve been in 10 years. Thank you Ashley, his lovely wife.” “Enough with the thank you’s. I am glad that you’re here. The future is bright. I am trying to contain it. I know there are enough players that we could go scrimmage right now and see how good we really are. Buy season tickets. You’re invited to come home. Thank you.” (Applause) Okay. For the local media, raise your hand if you’re the guys. Anyone who is not part of this family, welcome to the family. You just got the pen. So, go ahead. I don’t know any of your names, so I am going to screw it up.”

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Questions from Media

(On the timetable for hiring assistant coaches): “When we’re done here, I am going to try to shake everyone’s hands and do the right things. Then, I am going to take my family for dinner. All of us are going since we never get to see each other all together with the exception of very, very few holidays because of my crazy travel schedule. Tonight is going be about the family. I have already made a couple of recruiting calls. I am taking my wife to the airport tomorrow and sending my wife and kids back home. By the way, if anyone wants to buy a house in northeastern Connecticut, I have a deal for you. After I get back from the airport, I am going to sit down with the current staff and we’re going to talk and see how things have been and where things are going to go. I am going to talk to some other guys and then, go to the convention after that and I’m hoping that by the end of next week, everything’s solidified.”

(On calling plays) “Everyone wants to know that. I am going to say yes. I don’t know who I am kidding. Everyone knows that when I was here before, I was a ‘chuck and duck’ guy and we threw it all over the yard. No one can believe in the International Bowl that I threw it only 6 times. So, I have covered the entire aspect of running and passing. I consider the offense sort of like your daughter. I just don’t know if I could trust anyone to date my daughter and I don’t want to trust anyone with my offense.”

(On the CAA and his knowledge of the league) “The CAA is the SEC of I-AA football. It’s the best of the best. I can remember when we played an independent schedule. I was here for that. Even the Patriot League had some good teams. And not to slight them, but these guys are comparable to the BIG EAST where every game is a 15-round prize fight. It doesn’t matter who you are playing. It’s a real game. There are no cupcakes. Now, I have two choices. This is psychology. You can either sit in the corner and cry about it. Or you can come out swinging. I have always preferred the swinging.”

(On upgrading the schedule to include FBS teams) “The idea of playing a I-A opponent was discussed when I was recruited to come here in 1988 and I was always promised that we would play Navy. Nobody told me the timetable. So, I was excited when the home school finally played Navy last year. As far as Northwestern, while I want to play Maryland, it’s entirely ironic that we play Northwestern because I was born in Chicago and Pat Fitzgerald (Northwestern coach) is a personal friend. So, Pat, I know you are going to catch on the internet and I am going to enjoy taking a run at you, buddy.” “As far as the growth of the school and as far as how far we are going to go in the future, Dr. Caret mentioned the Michigan to Michigan State. I was asked during the interview process how far did I think this could go. A little of that has to do with me. A lot of that has to do with us. We can be as big as you want to be. And they talked about filling up the stadium. I don’t want to fill up the stadium. I want to hear about expanding the stadium. I was here when they were making the plans to build this place and I was a little angry that it wasn’t built a little bigger than what it is because eventually, we are going to put something on the table where everyone’s going to want to be there and I hope that even the people in Rodgers Forge want to come and be here. “So, it’s going to be as big as we want it to be here and as big as we believe it can be. One of the few facts in life is that belief is stronger than fact. If we believe enough, this thing is going to be huge and that’s contagious. There are certain people in the University System of Maryland and hopefully, the University of Maryland, College Park, that are bothered by this and I have no problem with that. This is going to be really big and I hope everyone in here has bought into that.”

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(On thinking about being the Towson Head Coach) “I was just relaying this story the other day. Gordy (Combs) and I went together to an in-home visit and I can’t tell you how long it has been. We’re in this home in Pennsylvania and the mother of a recruit says, ‘Coach Combs, how long are you planning to stay at Towson?’ We already had a pretty good run and we were doing okay. Gordy looks at this lady and looks at me and says, ‘Well, I thought about this on the way up here. If Rob wants to be the head coach, he’s going to have to wait another 10 years because I am just not ready to go yet.’ I kind of looked at him and asked him what he was talking about. That was the first time I thought about it. It was his idea.” “Now, my daughter was born and I left to take the job at Catholic University. As I was packing my things and going to Catholic University, I actually said ‘maybe in 10 years, I’ll come back here and be the head guy here just in a passing comment.’ But, as the years went on and I followed the progress of where the school has been going, there’s been a level of excitement that has been brewing about the growth and it’s part of my heart and part of my soul. It’s the place I grew up, the place that made me. So, it’s been a good 10 years and it’s always kind of crossed my mind. As I was telling Mike as we were walking up the steps, any other I-AA school in the country, I’m not doing it. Without the administration, I wouldn’t be here. The growth of this place is a piggyback off him. To where they’re going and where they want to go and the vision is clear, strong and focused. Anybody in their right mind wants to be associated with that, especially someone who was made here.”

(On influences in his career) “Are you trying to get me fired off the field? (Laughter) There have been some good ones. I have learned an immense amount from my father. I have to be like 8 and he’s interviewing this guy and we’re on the way home and he asks me, ‘So, what do you think?’ And I don’t know anything from anything and I said ‘Yeah, this guy sounds like he knows what he is talking about’ and my dad smacks me in the back of the head. That’s usually how he made his points. He said, ‘No. It’s not about what he knows. This guy is going to spend more time with you and me than I spend with your mother during football season. He better be our kind of guy.’ He taught me about continuity of staff, the personalness of the job, the commitment and the love of the game. There’s nothing better than football and there is no sport like it. They can say whatever they want about baseball, but football is America’s game. They don’t play it like we do in Canada and I can tell you from personal experience of being in Toronto. He taught me the love of the game.” “Phil (Albert) taught me a number of things. I played for four different offensive coordinators in college, so I learned a whole lot about football. It was really hard when I was a player. I found out when I got out of school that I knew a lot. Phil taught me that football could make you a better man and it wasn’t just about the X’s and O’s and it wasn’t just about the winning. It was about how the game could make you a leader if you put your heart and soul into it.” “Gordy (Combs) got me pretty fired up because you know Gordy wasn’t a real calm guy. He taught me that passion for the game can override just about anything and that if you spill enough love on something, it will grow.” “When I left and I went to work for Randy (Edsall) at UConn and I can’t tell you enough about that guy. What you read in the newspapers is all true. His background, his organization, how to build something from the ground up, how to take something no one believes in and make it a national contender, that’s amazing. I am honored to be part of their lives and to be mentioned with any of them in the same breath, I’m lucky.”

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(On the experiences of working at Catholic and Connecticut and how they helped him) “You talk about both ends of the spectrum. I told these guys in the interview that when I took the Catholic job, I figured out in about 5 minutes how much I knew about football and how smart I was. Then, after those 5 minutes, I figured out how stupid I was and I really didn’t know anything. Necessity is the mother of invention and I filled it up pretty quick.” “Then, I went to Connecticut where they would do anything facility wise, money wise, focus wise, state wise, legislature wise, to grow. The biggest thing I learned from all of those places is that it starts from the top. If the administration wants it bad enough and the focus is there, the growth will be there. And behind that are the people. Without good people, it doesn’t get done. I have met enough of them to know that anything can happen if you put enough good people together with enough focus and enough passion. Don’t use the word ‘can’t’ around me. I don’t believe in that word.”

(On speaking with Gordy Combs since accepting the job) “He left me a message two days after I took the job congratulating me. He is off in the sunset doing relaxing things now. I will leave to his privacy where he might be right now, but yes, he has called.”

(On the basis of where recruiting calls might go) “My calls are going to encompass for the moment between a 4 and 5 hour area from campus and I am going to tell you that within a week or two, the calls will be way beyond a 5-hour radius.”

(On the possibility of adding I-A transfers in addition to high school seniors) “We will be in the market for I-A guys to transfer down just like anybody else, but currently, my only phone calls are being made to high school seniors who are out there.”

(On the type of offense he expects to run) “I can give you the answer to that, but I am going to tell you to buy your season tickets and come find out.”

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