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Email: agrinch@uwyo.edu Alex Grinch will have the advantage of working with an experienced secondary for the second consecutive season at Wyoming. Grinch joined the Cowboy coaching staff in December of 2008 from the University of New Hampshire. He will be entering his eighth season as a college coach in 2010. In Grinch's seven previous seasons coaching at the college level, he has helped guide six of those teams to postseason play, including Wyoming's victory in the 2009 New Mexico Bowl. All four starters return in the Wyoming secondary in 2010. That group includes 2009 Second Team All-Mountain West Conference free safety Chris Prosinski, brothers Marcell and Tashaun Gipson at cornerback and 2009 Freshman All-American Shamiel Gary at strong safety. Prosinski ranked 10th in the NCAA in tackles in 2009, averaging 10.8 per game. His 140 total tackles in `09 ranked as the fourth best single-season total in school history. Prosinski needs only 10 more tackles to break into the UW Career Top 10 List. Gary earned First Team Freshman All-America honors from the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) in `09. He is the first Wyoming Cowboy to earn that honor since the FWAA established the team in 2001. Last year, Gary was one of only 28 freshman in the nation to receive the honor. Of those 28 freshman honored, he was one of only 14 true freshmen named to the team. Grinch coached at New Hampshire for four seasons from 2005 through 2008. His first two seasons at New Hampshire, he coached the cornerbacks before being promoted to secondary coach and recruiting coordinator for the 2007 and 2008 seasons. In Grinch's final season at New Hampshire, the Wildcats concluded the season ranked No. 7 in the nation in the final Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) Coaches' Poll and were ranked No. 8 in the final Sports Network Rankings. UNH advanced to the quarterfinals of the 2008 FCS Playoffs, defeating Southern Illinois, 29-20, on the road in the first round before losing at Northern Iowa, 34-36, in the quarters. During Grinch's four seasons at New Hampshire, the Wildcats posted records of 11-2 in 2005, 9-4 in 2006, 7-5 in 2007 and 10-2 in 2008. UNH advanced to the FCS Quarterfinals in 2005, 2006 and 2008. It also made it to the First Round of the Playoffs in 2007. The 2005 squad was the No. 1 seed entering the FCS Playoffs after capturing the Atlantic 10 Conference Co-Championship. In 2006, UNH defeated Northwestern of the Big Ten in the season opener. The following season, New Hampshire defeated another Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) team in Marshall. Grinch coached two Second Team All-CAA defensive backs in 2008. Senior John Clements was named Second Team at safety and sophomore Dino Vasso earned Second Team honors at cornerback. In 2007, Grinch coached First Team All-Conference senior safety Jeff Pammer and Second Team All-Conference junior cornerback Clements. The 2006 season saw Clements earn Third Team All-Conference honors as a corner. His first season at New Hampshire, Grinch tutored Second Team All-Conference honoree Corey Graham, a cornerback, who was drafted in the fifth round of the 2007 NFL Draft by the Chicago Bears. As recruiting coordinator his final two seasons at New Hampshire, Grinch oversaw all of the Wildcats' recruiting efforts. Prior to his four seasons as an assistant coach at UNH, Grinch was the defensive graduate assistant coach at Missouri for the 2003 and 2004 campaigns, and was an administrative graduate assistant at Mizzou for the 2002 season. The Tiger defense ranked No. 2 in the Big XII Conference in total defense in 2004 and was No. 1 in pass defense. The 2003 season saw Mizzou post an 8-5 record and advance to the Independence Bowl. Grinch enjoyed an outstanding college playing career at Mount Union College in Alliance, Ohio. He was a member of three NCAA Division III National Championship teams at Mount Union in 1998, 2000 and 2001. Over his four-year career, Grinch's Mount Union teams posted a 54-1 record and won four consecutive Ohio Athletic Conference Championships. His senior season of 2001, he was named a Third Team All-America safety by D3football.com. He also earned National Defensive Player of the Week honors twice during his career from Don Hansen's National Football Gazette. Not only did he receive All-America honors on the field, but Grinch was a First Team Academic All-Conference selection his senior season. He completed his bachelor's degree in sports management with a focus in marketing and a minor in business administration from Mount Union in May 2002, and earned a master's degree in educational leadership and policy analysis from the University of Missouri in Dec. 2004. Grinch was married to the former Rebecca Blaser of Alliance, Ohio on June 28, 2003. Their first child, son Tyler, was born during the Grinches first year at Wyoming in 2009. Grinch recruits the Northeastern United States, East Texas and Wyoming for the Cowboys. |
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