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Jan. 4, 2009
OXFORD, Ohio--New Miami Head Football Coach Mike Haywood announced Sunday the retention of Jay Graham and the addition of MORRIS WATTS and KIJUAN WARE to his staff. The three assistants will serve under Offensive Coordinator Peter Vaas.
Watts will coach the RedHawk quarterbacks while specific offensive responsibilities are still to be determined for Graham and Ware.
"I am very pleased that Jay, Morris and KiJuan have decided to join our staff," said Haywood. "The combination of their coaching knowledge, commitment and enthusiasm will help make Miami's football program successful."
Jay Graham -- Assistant Offensive Coach (responsibilities to be determined)
Hired by Miami in March of 2008 and retained by Haywood for his new RedHawk coaching staff is Jay Graham. His specific responsibilities will be determined in the near future.
Under Graham's supervision, Miami's 2008 running backs gained nearly 1,300 yards on the ground and almost 400 more through the air.
"Having the opportunity to watch Miami University's 2008 football team on tape, I really liked the progress of the running backs from their technique and fundamentals," Haywood said. "While interviewing Jay, I realized that Jay was a talented coach and was doing a good job in recruiting. So, we decided to retain him."
Graham, a former Tennessee Vols star and a six-year veteran of the National Football League, came to Miami from the University of Tennessee-Martin, where he served one year as running backs coach and recruiting coordinator. Under Graham's tutelage, Skyhawk running backs averaged nearly five yards per carry in 2007. (continued below)
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Graham came to Tennessee-Martin from the University of San Diego were he was the running backs coach and co-special teams coordinator. He spent the 2006 season as a running backs coach at Chattanooga. In 2005, he returned to his alma mater as an offensive graduate assistant.
Graham rushed for 2,609 yards in his career (1993-96), ranking sixth on the Vols all-time rushing list. He is second on the all-time carries list with 540 and he scored 25 touchdowns in his four-year career as a Volunteer. Graham had season best totals in 1995 when he rushed for 1,438 yards on 272 carries putting him second in both categories in Vols school history. He tallied a career-best 211 yards against Vanderbilt. He also holds the single-season record for the most 100-yard rushing games with 10.
Graham was a third-round draft pick in 1997 by the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League. In his first season, he put up career numbers when he played in 13 games, rushed for 299 yards on 81 carries, and scored two touchdowns. Graham spent six seasons in the NFL for three different organizations--the Baltimore Ravens (1997-2000), the Seattle Seahawks (2001) and the Green Bay Packers (2002). He played in the Canadian Football League in 2003 for the Montreal Alouettes.
In 2004, Graham returned to the University of Tennessee to finish his undergraduate degree in psychology. He is currently working toward his master's degree in sports management.
Graham attended Concord High School in Concord, N.C., where he was a USA Today All-American football player in 1992.
He and his wife, Kelly, are the parents of two daughters, Nia and Denae, and a son, Jayson.
"I'm very excited about the future under Coach Haywood and what he brings to the program," said Graham. "I'm going to pay attention to all of the veteran coaches that are joining the staff and soak in as much as possible to become a better coach."
MORRIS WATTS -- Quarterbacks Coach
One of college football's most innovative and experienced coaches, Morris Watts will tutor Miami's quarterbacks.
Watts has been in the coaching profession for 44 years and has competed at every level of the game. Coach Haywood is thrilled at the chance to join forces with Watts again in Oxford.
"In 1995, I had the opportunity of meeting Morris Watts at LSU," said Haywood. "I was a 30-year-old running backs coach at that time under Morris who was the offensive coordinator. Coach Watts took me under his wing and was a great mentor. He taught me everything I know about the running game and a tremendous amount of knowledge about protection and the passing game. I've always been grateful. to him. The opportunity to work with Morris one more time is God-given."
Watts, who assisted Broken Arrow (Oklahoma) High School last season, has worked with a number of all-star quarterbacks over the years. Watts's former professional signal-callers include Indiana's Tim Clifford, MSU's Jim Miller, Tony Banks and Jeff Smoker, Cliff Stoudt of the USFL's Birmingham Stallions, and Vinny Testeverde of the Tampa Bay Bucs.
Collegiately, Watts most recently spent one season at Mississippi State (2003), joining Jackie Sherrill's staff as offensive coordinator.
He spent three different terms as offensive coordinator at Michigan State, first from 1986-90 and 1992-94 under head coach George Perles, then again from 1999-2002 under Nick Saban and Bobby Williams. Watts was the Spartans' interim head coach for the final three games of the 2002 season. Two of his greatest athletes included receiver Charles Rogers and running back T.J. Duckett. In 2001, Watts was nominated for the Broyles Award, given annually to the nation's top assistant coach. MSU led the Big Ten in passing offense (a school-record 292.5 yards per game) and total offense (447 yards per game), and was third in scoring offense (31.2 points per game) that year. That total offense mark was the second-best average in school history. Altogether, MSU won two Big Ten titles and made seven postseason bowl appearances.
Watts's tenure at Michigan State was interrupted by a one-year term as quarterbacks coach of the National Football League's Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1991), where he tutored Testaverde. Watts' professional football experience also includes a stint as quarterbacks coach of the Birmingham Stallions of the USFL (1984-85).
Watts spent four years at LSU, where he helped the Tigers to a combined 31-16 record from 1995-98, including a school-record three consecutive postseason bowl triumphs. Under his direction, the Tigers won back-to-back Southeastern Conference rushing titles (1996-97) and produced three of the highest-scoring teams in school history. The `95 LSU team beat Michigan State, 45-26, in the Independence Bowl, the `96 squad capped a 10-2 season with a victory over Clemson in the Peach Bowl, and the `97 Tigers beat Notre Dame 27-9 in the Independence Bowl to culminate a nine-win campaign. He also worked with the quarterbacks in Baton Rouge in 1983.
Watts was offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Kansas in 1982, served as quarterbacks and wide receivers coach for Coach Lee Corso at Indiana (1973-81), was offensive coordinator, quarterbacks and wide receivers coach at Louisville in 1972, and at Drake (1965-71). Watts helped Indiana to the 1979 Holiday Bowl, one of 11 postseason classics in which he has coached.
A 1961 graduate of the University of Tulsa, Watts played running back for the Golden Hurricane. He earned a master's degree from Pittsburg (Kan.) State in 1964.
His family includes wife, Marlene, his daughter Charlavan, and his son, Danny.
"I'm really excited about this opportunity at Miami," said Watts. "I was bored to tears after 40-some years of getting up and working from six to midnight. I missed the association with the fellow coaches and the players. I'm thrilled to work with Mike. We worked together at LSU on offense. I know he's going to be a great head coach. It's a great feeling walking down the hall here at the Cradle of Coaches and seeing the pictures of the men you've admired and idolized through the years."
KiJUAN WARE -- Assistant Offensive Coach (responsibilities to be determined)
KiJuan Ware will join offensive coordinator Peter Vaas's staff and his specific responsibilities will be announced shortly.
In 2008, Ware served under Haywood at Notre Dame as an offensive intern. He was responsible for film breakdowns, scouting reports, playbooks and various other duties. Ware first worked with Haywood when he served as an instructor at Notre Dame's summer camp.
"KiJuan did a tremendous job in working with me and the running backs." said Haywood. "Having the opportunity to watch his technique and fundamentals, I suggested to Coach (Charlie) Weis that we hire him as an intern and once again he lived up to our expectations. He has done a wonderful job in learning the offensive scheme which we're going to implement here at Miami."
Prior to joining the Fighting Irish staff, Ware was an assistant football coach at Georgetown University where he coached the wide receivers in 2006 and `07 and also was the team's recruiting coordinator in 2007. From 2004-05, he was an assistant coach at Dartmouth College where he tutored the wide receivers in 2005 and the defensive backs in 2004.
Ware received his first collegiate coaching job at his alma mater, Springfield College, and was an assistant coach from 2002-03. He spent five years as a teacher and the offensive coordinator at Weaver High School in Hartford, Connecticut.
Ware graduated from Springfield College in 1997 with a bachelor of science degree in mathematics and computer science. While at Springfield, Ware was a quarterback on the football team and was a pitcher and first baseman on the baseball team. In 2004, Ware earned a master's degree from Springfield in physical education and athletic administration.
Ware was awarded a Fullbright Scholarship in 2000 and studied in Japan and, in 2006, was one of 15 selected participants for the NCAA football Coaching Academy.
Ware, who is married to his wife, Michelle, says that he is looking forward to his new post at Miami.
"This is a great opportunity to work here at Miami, the Cradle of Coaches," said Ware. "I'm excited to be on Mike's staff. He's going to be a great head coach."
More additions to the Miami coaching staff will be announced in the near future.
Miami's Football Coaching Staff as of January 4:
MIKE HAYWOOD--Head Coach
BILL ELIAS--Assistant Head Coach, Recruiting Coordinator and Linebackers Coach
CARL "BULL" REESE--Defensive Coordinator and Linebackers Coach
PETER VAAS--Offensive Coordinator
JAY GRAHAM--coaching responsibilities to be determined
ANTOINE SMITH--Defensive Line Coach
KiJUAN WARE--coaching responsibilities to be determined
MORRIS WATTS--Quarterbacks Coach
--www.MURedHawks.com--
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