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Jeff Ramsey took over the reigns as Oberlin's head football coach in 1999. He is the 31st football coach since the Yeomen began play in 1891, and he has rejuvenated the storied tradition of a program that has spanned three centuries. Ramsey has worked wonders at Oberlin, guiding the team from the bottom of the North Coast Athletic Conference standings to contention for top honors in the league.
Ramsey bears all the markers of a quality head coach. He has been an assistant on both sides of the football and has experience at the Division I, I-AA, II, and III levels. He landed at Oberlin on the heels of a successful stint as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Sonoma State University in Northern California.
Prior to his time at Sonoma State, Ramsey coached the tight ends and wide receivers at the University of Nevada. The Wolfpack led Division I-AA in scoring and passing offense during Ramsey's tenure, and the squad reached the national championship game in 1990. Coach Ramsey has also assisted with the defensive backfield at Marietta College; completed a graduate assistantship at the University of Illinois, where he coached running backs and tight ends; and assisted at the University of California at Davis, where he coordinated the offense and coached the tight ends and freshmen. UC-Davis completed one of its greatest playoff runs with Ramsey as an assistant coach, landing in the Division II championship in 1982, making the semifinals in 1983, and competing in the quarterfinals in 1984 and 1985. He has tutored seven All-Americans and coached 12 players who have gone on to the National Football League.
"Our players and staff hear about the rich tradition of Oberlin College football, and they too want to make history with their efforts on the field," Ramsey says. "Our motto is never quit when you are ahead, and never give up when you are behind." As a player, Ramsey started at wide receiver and played backup quarterback for two seasons at UC-Davis, where he won the conference championship twice. He earned his bachelor's degree in physical education in 1983 and a master of science degree in kinesiology and athletic administration from Illinois in 1988.
"Our athletes are students first, and they have a great camaraderie with all students on campus. You can see our students at recitals in the Conservatory of Music, at lectures in Craig Hall, and in study groups on campus. Our studentathletes match the values of the College academically, athletically, and socially, and they share both their academic and athletic success with their peers."
Ramsey and his wife, Elizabeth, have two children - C.J. and Shane. The family resides in Oberlin. |
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Associate Head Coach/Defensive Coordinator
Andrew Stillman was named associate head coach in 2006 and began as the defensive coordinator for the Oberlin football team in 2005. A former defensive end and captain at Ohio Wesleyan University, Stillman brings solid leadership and tremendous knowledge of North Coast Athletic Conference football to the Yeomen coaching staff. His recruiting areas for Oberlin include Northwest Ohio, Michigan and Southeast Texas.
Stillman’s first season with Oberlin in 2005 was a resounding success. The Yeomen defense placed four players on the All-Conference team, including first team selection Vance Murphy. The defense held its opponent to 20 points or less four times and helped finished the season plus three in turnover margin by recording 13 interceptions and 13 fumble recoveries. Opponents also were held to the fewest number of total yards since the 1980's.
Stillman spent the 2004-2005 year teaching and coaching high school football in Roxboro, North Carolina. He served as the linebackers coach and co-defensive coordinator at Person High School, where he also led the strength and conditioning program. His teaching duties included eighth grade health and physical education.
Stillman has been a strength and conditioning coach at the Division I and high school level. While pursuing his master's degree at Bowling Green State University, he assisted with the strength and conditioning program for the Falcons 22 varsity sports. From 2002-2004, Stillman headed the strength and conditioning program at St. John's Jesuit High School in Toledo.
A four-year letter winner at Ohio Wesleyan, Stillman captained the Bishops his senior year. He graduated in 1999 with a bachelor's degree in sports science and played five seasons on semi-pro football in Columbus and Toledo. Stillman and his wife, Kendy, live in Oberlin with their daughter Tyrah. |
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Defensive Line
Joel Houston began as an assistant coach at Oberlin College in 2002. Houston has guided several players to All-NCAC honors while with the Yeomen, including two-time selections Jon Ramsier and Jesus Juarez, and Steve Barlow. Houston has coached at many different levels throughout his career and brings decades of experience to the Yeomen staff.
Houston is retired from PPG Industries, where he worked for 37 years. Houston lives in Avon Lake with his wife Patricia. |
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Offensive Line
Alan Estep joined the Oberlin College football coaching staff in 2005. After assisting with the offensive linemen his first season with the Yeomen, Estep took over the lead in their development in 2006. His recruiting areas include Southeast Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Florida.
Estep has made a tremendous impact on the program thus far in his tenure at Oberlin. Sophomore Caleb Buck earned All-Conference honors under his guidance, while Yeomen running back R.V. Carroll ran for 691 yards and eight touchdowns behind his offensive line.
A 2005 graduate of Bluffton University, Estep majored in health and physical education. He lettered four years in football and captained the team his senior year. During the spring of 2005, Estep interned with the Bluffton coaching staff, participating in recruiting and assisting with spring practice. |
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Defensive Line and Special Teams
Kevin Wahl began his first season as an assistant football coach at Oberlin College in 2006. He works with the Yeomen's defensive line and special teams. Recruiting areas for Wahl include Central Ohio, Southwest Ohio, Dallas, Texas and adjacent areas.
Wahl spent the 2005 season coaching running backs and recruiting for Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Worcester, Massachusetts. He also managed special teams, scouted opponents, and coordinated film exchange.
A 2004 graduate and four-year letter winner for the Yeomen, Wahl began his football coaching career as an assistant coach at Pandora-Gilboa High School in Pandora, Ohio. He coached the offensive and defensive lines, coordinated the running game, and developed off-season weight training and conditioning programs. |
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Linebackers
Jon Laird begain coaching with the Yeomen in 2005. A 1984 Oberlin graduate, Laird was inducted into the College’s Athletic Hall of Fame in 2002 for his prowess on the football field and baseball diamond.
With nearly 20 years of coaching experience, Laird brings high expectations to the Yeomen program. He assisted at Elyria and Elyria West High Schools from 1987 to 2004, and he spent one season as an assistant at Firelands High School.
Laird has coached linebackers, defensive backs, tight ends, running backs, punters, and place kickers, and he has sent players to numerous Division I programs and to the National Football League.
Laird was selected to the All-Ohio Athletic Conference teams as a linebacker for the Yeomen. He pitched and played shortstop for the baseball team, winning the squad’s Most Valuable Player award twice. |
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Running Backs
Ty Stillman entered his first season with the Oberlin College football coaching staff in 2006. A 2000 graduate of Ohio Wesleyan University, Stillman was a standout defensive back with the Battling Bishops, earning All-NCAC accolades after the 2000 season. Stillman coaches the running backs for the Yeomen and recruits the Cleveland Westside.
Stillman has had coaching stints at Olmsted Falls and John Marshall High Schools and has also served as an assistant at his alma mater, working with the Bishops’ defensive backs.
Stillman’s accomplished athletic career at Ohio Wesleyan wasn’t limited to football. He was the NCAA Outdoor Track Champion in the 400-meters in 1999 and 2000 and was a three-time All-American. He carried over his speed and talents to arena football, where he played for the Louisville Fire in 2002 and the Rochester Brigade in 2003. |
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Strong Safeties
T.J. Grose joined the Oberlin College football program in 2006 and coaches the Yeomen’s strong safeties. His recruiting areas at Oberlin include New Jersey, the Southeast United States and the Upper Midwestern States.
A native of nearby Wakeman, Grose was a four-year letter winner in football, wrestling, track and baseball at Western Reserve High School. He served as his alma mater’s offensive coach for the 2001 season.
Grose graduated from Western Reserve in 1999 and joined the Army Reserves in 2000, where he served in homeland security for the past two years guarding domestic bases. He currently works as a nuclear security officer at Davis-Bessie in Port Clinton. |
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Wide Receivers
Woody Schubert began coaching at Oberlin in 2005. In 2005, he coached Chris Schubert to second team All-NCAC honors and boasts a solid core of current receivers in Cassius Harris, Mike Loll, and James Brady.
Schubert is familiar with the NCAC, having played wide receiver for the College of Wooster, and is also a native of Oberlin. He coached Oberlin High School’s wide receivers and defensive backs for three seasons and he and his wife, Sue, were born and raised in Oberlin. His three brothers, Jim, John and Mike, all attended Oberlin College and played football for the Yeomen. |
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Tight Ends
Michael Passerrello joined the Oberlin football coaching staff in the summer of 2007 and will work with the Yeomen’s tight ends this season. A 2001 graduate of Heidelberg College and three-year football letter winner for the Student Princes, Passerrello is already an experienced football coach, with experiences ranging from youth leagues all the way to the collegiate level.
Passerrello has taught health and physical education at nearby Amherst High School since 2002, where he has also held numerous coaching positions. From 2002-2006, Passerrello coached the Comets’ tight ends as an assistant varsity coach and also led the team’s defensive backs from 2003-2005. In 2006, Passerrello’s role at Amherst expanded into defensive coordinator, linebacker’s coach, and the director of the strength and conditioning program.
Passerrello and his wife, Amanda, reside in Elyria with their daughter, Gabriella. |
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Defensive Backs
Darrell Thomas began his tenure coaching the Oberlin football team’s defensive backs in the summer of 2007. A native of Lorain, Thomas attended nearby Lorain Clearview High School where he was a standout on the gridiron. Thomas has played semi-professionally for two teams and assisted with the coaching of one squad. He was a wide receiver for the North Coast Outlaws from 2002-2003 and played at corner and running back for the Ohio Cardinals from 1998-2000.
Thomas served as the Tri-County Mustangs’ running backs’ coach from 2000-2001 and more recently, has coached youth football in Lorain since 2003. From 2003-2006, Thomas also worked at the Riddell All-American Sports Corporation in Elyria. |
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