Ambrose leaving UConn to become head football coach at Towson University

Ambrose has played an integral role in the growth of the Huskies’ program, from its status as an NCAA Division I-AA team to a nationally-ranked program that is a top contender for the Big East Conference championship

Rob Ambrose, offensive coordinator for the University of Connecticut’s football program, has been named Head Football Coach at Towson University, Maryland.

Ambrose will still coach UConn on Jan. 3 when the Huskies play in the International Bowl against Buffalo.

“I think that Towson University has made an outstanding choice in selecting Rob Ambrose as its head football coach,” says Coach Randy Edsall, the Huskies’ tenth-year head coach. “He is an outstanding leader and an excellent football coach. Rob has all the ingredients to help student-athletes grow and develop. I know he will have a tremendous amount of success at Towson.

“Rob did a great job for us here at UConn,” Edsall added. “He helped us grow as a football program and he was a tremendous mentor for Dan Orlovsky. A few years ago, we promoted him to offensive coordinator and he made a very smooth transition.”

Ambrose is the fourth Edsall assistant coach to be named as a college head coach in the last seven years. He will be the fourth head coach in the 40-year history of Towson football. He was signed to a five-year contract.

Ambrose is a 1993 Towson graduate. He spent nine seasons as a member of the coaching staff at Towson, starting his coaching career even before he graduated.

When he suffered a career-ending injury prior to his senior season, he joined the coaching staff as a Student Assistant Coach and coached the wide receivers.

After rising to the position of Offensive Coordinator in 1998, he was named as the Tigers’ Associate Head Coach for the 2000 season.

In 2001, he was the Head Football Coach at Catholic University.

After one season with the Cardinals, he joined the staff at the University of Connecticut.

In his seven seasons at UConn, Ambrose has played an integral role in the growth of the Huskies’ program, from its status as an NCAA Division I-AA team to a nationally-ranked program that is a top contender for the Big East Conference championship on an annual basis.

Coach Ambrose joined the Huskies’ staff in 2002 and served as the Huskies Quarterbacks Coach. During that time, he worked with record-setting quarterback Dan Orlovsky, currently the starting quarterback for the Detroit Lions.

In his seven seasons at UConn, Ambrose helped the Huskies post a 48-36 record.

In 2002, the Huskies compiled a 6-6 record before improving to 9-3 in the 2003 season.

In 2004, the Huskies made their Big East Conference debut and posted an 8-4 record, which included a 39-10 win over Toledo in the Motor City Bowl. It was the Huskies’ first appearance in a bowl game.

In its Big East debut, the Huskies were second in the conference in passing offense.

Orlovsky, who was selected in the fifth round by Detroit in the 2005 NFL draft, finished his college career by setting school records for pass completions (916), passing yardage (10,421) and touchdown passes (84).

Coach Ambrose was promoted to Offensive Coordinator in 2005.

In his third season as the Huskies’ Offensive Coordinator, he helped UConn win a share of the 2007 Big East Conference championship and make an appearance in the Meineke Car Care Bowl.

UConn finished the 2007 season with a 9-4 record.

This past season, Coach Ambrose’s UConn offense was led by junior running back Donald Brown, the Big East Offensive Player of the Year.

A first team All-American selection, Brown has rushed for 1,822 yards and scored 17 touchdowns. He has been the NCAA rushing leader for most of the season.

For More Information

http://mansfield.htnp.com/sports/ambrose_leaving_uconn_football.html

Mansfield volunteers step up to help No Freeze shelter

Help is needed with signing people in, filling out a form that helps track the demographics of the people staying at the shelter, and maybe serving coffee or otherwise assisting the main staff.

The No Freeze Shelter in Willimantic has been shuffled from one location to another over the last five years – from a Main Street storefront church, to an old furniture store, to a vacated state agency office building, to temporarily sharing the Housing Authority building and now – a new home at 1110 Main St.

Finding a permanent home has been an ongoing problem, but of more immediate concern is finding volunteers to help with tasks in the evening, now that the University of Connecticut and Eastern Connecticut State University are on semester break – since college students make up a large percentage of the help at the shelter.

A group of eight Mansfield town office workers, including Human Services Director Kevin Grunwald, decided to help and went through a volunteer orientation session earlier this month.

Grunwald put in his first volunteer hours just before Christmas, and says that it was “a very positive experience.”

The shelter is open from 8 p.m. to 7:30 a.m. Volunteers, however, do not need to stay overnight, Grunwald said. Basically, help is needed with signing people in, filling out a form that helps track the demographics of the people staying at the shelter, and maybe serving coffee or otherwise assisting the main staff, which is headed by Director David Fenn.

Town employees or other Mansfield residents interested in helping can call Kevin Grunwald at 429-3315 during office hours.

Number in need is growing

Last year, the No Freeze center provided shelter to 150 individuals. There are usually between 20 and 30 people at the shelter each night.

The only other facility of this kind in the area is the Holy Family Shelter, which is for women and children only. The next closest are in Norwich and Danielson and they tend to be full this time of year.

Of those who sought shelter last year, about 22 percent had lost their jobs and another 20 percent could not find housing they could afford.

Most were between the ages of 20 and 49.

Almost 25 percent of those seeking shelter had been homeless for up to a year. And 28 percent had never been homeless before.

Got socks?

Those who cannot volunteer at the shelter can help in other ways, including donation of much needed items such as socks – often, homeless people don’t have access to laundry facilities and will wear the same socks for days and then discard them. So, a fresh supply of wool socks – especially during cold and wet months – is welcome.

Other needed items include: blankets, bath towels, paper towels, toilet paper, coffee, sugar, coffee cups, and hand sanitizer. Gift cards in $5 and $10 amounts for places such as Dunkin Donuts and Stop & Shop also are helpful.

Monetary donations of any kind will help the shelter pay rent and utility costs, and can be sent to: No Freeze Hospitality Center, P.O. Box 46, Willimantic, CT 06226

Donations of socks and other items can be dropped off at the shelter after 8 p.m.

Other ways to volunteer

Volunteers also are needed for such things as:

• Transportation: this could be to medical appointments or other errands
• Committees: The No Freeze Project has a variety of committees, but the two that need the most help are the Fundraising and Volunteer Committees
• Special projects

Those interested in volunteering can contact Volunteer Coordinator Randy Owen at 487-0226 (but please do not call after 9 p.m.)

Help cupid lift some hearts

Another fun way to help out is to attend the Valentine’s Day fundraiser dance on Feb. 14, 2009 at the Windham Mill/ArtSpace on Main Street, featuring Bruce John and his friends. (Details to be announced.)

Note: Donations of clothing are accepted at the Windham Area Interfaith Ministry (WAIM), and food donations should be dropped off at the Covenant Soup Kitchen which is housed in St. Paul’s Episcopal Church at the corner of Valley and Walnut Streets.

More information about the No Freeze shelter is also available online at www.nofreeze.org

For More Information

http://mansfield.htnp.com/news/mansfield_employees_help_no_freeze.html