05-16-2006, 11:33 AM
Ratliff returns to Herd football
By GRANT TRAYLOR â The Independent
HUNTINGTON â One of Lawrence County and Marshall Universityâs most prominent sons is returning to coach at the school where he won two All-American Awards.
Marshall football coach Mark Snyder announced the hiring of Phil Ratliff as tight ends coach Monday.
âI am excited about being able to bring home one of our own,â Snyder said. âPhil is an outstanding coach and a quality individual that has a great rapport with his players.â
Like Snyder, Ratliff was a local high school standout who moved on to Marshall to become one of the greats in Marshall history before pursuing coaching.
Ratliff, who starred at Lawrence County High School, comes to MU after spending two years as tight ends coach at James Madison. Prior to that, he was head coach at Spring Valley High School following a stint as assistant at Lawrence County.
During his stay at James Madison, Ratliff guided a tight end to All-Conference honors in each of his two seasons. Tom Ridley was All-Atlantic 10 in 2004 and Casime Harris received the same honor last year.
Ratliff and Ridley also helped lead the Dukes to the 2004 NCAA I-AA football title. While it was the schoolâs first such title, it marked the second time Ratliff had been on top of the NCAA I-AA ranks.
As a Marshall offensive lineman, Ratliff was a captain on the 1992 Marshall squad that defeated Youngstown State 31-28 for MUâs first national title.
âIt has always been a dream of mine to coach at my alma mater,â Ratliff said. âI believe in what coach Snyder is doing with the program and I am ready to take it to the next level.â
By GRANT TRAYLOR â The Independent
HUNTINGTON â One of Lawrence County and Marshall Universityâs most prominent sons is returning to coach at the school where he won two All-American Awards.
Marshall football coach Mark Snyder announced the hiring of Phil Ratliff as tight ends coach Monday.
âI am excited about being able to bring home one of our own,â Snyder said. âPhil is an outstanding coach and a quality individual that has a great rapport with his players.â
Like Snyder, Ratliff was a local high school standout who moved on to Marshall to become one of the greats in Marshall history before pursuing coaching.
Ratliff, who starred at Lawrence County High School, comes to MU after spending two years as tight ends coach at James Madison. Prior to that, he was head coach at Spring Valley High School following a stint as assistant at Lawrence County.
During his stay at James Madison, Ratliff guided a tight end to All-Conference honors in each of his two seasons. Tom Ridley was All-Atlantic 10 in 2004 and Casime Harris received the same honor last year.
Ratliff and Ridley also helped lead the Dukes to the 2004 NCAA I-AA football title. While it was the schoolâs first such title, it marked the second time Ratliff had been on top of the NCAA I-AA ranks.
As a Marshall offensive lineman, Ratliff was a captain on the 1992 Marshall squad that defeated Youngstown State 31-28 for MUâs first national title.
âIt has always been a dream of mine to coach at my alma mater,â Ratliff said. âI believe in what coach Snyder is doing with the program and I am ready to take it to the next level.â