TOWSON, Md. - Coach Rob Ambrose has agreed to an extension to his current agreement that will see him coach the Tigers through the 2016 season, Director of Athletics Mike Waddell announced today.

"Rob and his staff are building a strong foundation that will give our football program an opportunity to sustain success over the long term,” said Waddell. “The 2011 season has energized our campus with a swell of Towson pride and as we move into a new year that will only continue to build. Our student-athletes are achieving on the field, in the classroom and represent our university in the community as we drive to establish ourselves as Baltimore's college football team. It takes time to build a football program and after three years, Rob's leadership has put us ahead of schedule in many aspects."

"First of all, it is an honor to get an extension and a new five-year contract,” said Ambrose, a 1993 Towson graduate. “As a football coach, I have always wanted to have some stability for myself and my family.  The commitment from Towson University is outstanding. My commitment to this university and the Towson University community is strong and very meaningful to my family. I am grateful to Towson for their confidence in our staff and the direction that our football program is moving.  I am confident that we can win a national championship at Towson as everyone is showing a strong commitment to create a positive environment across the board.”

In his third season as the head coach at Towson, Ambrose led the “Turnaround Tigers” to their first Colonial Athletic Association championship. The most improved team in NCAA FCS football in 2011, the Tigers posted a 9-3 record this past season, a vast imp rovement over the 1-10 mark they had in 2010. The Tigers went from an 0-8 mark in the CAA last year to 7-1 this year, winning the championship outright while beating six nationally ranked opponents over the balance of the campaign.

In recent weeks, Ambrose was named the 2011 CAA Coach of the Year and the WNST Radio Baltimore Sportsperson of the Year. The Tigers' head coach was also selected as one of the five Regional Coaches of the Year by the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA).  Ambrose is a finalist for the Eddie Robinson National Coach of the Year Award, the AFCA National Coach of the Year Award and the Liberty Mutual National Coach of the Year Award. 

When the eighth-ranked Tigers qualified for the NCAA FCS playoffs, they became the first team ever to go to the NCAA post-season at the Division III, the Division II and the FCS levels.

Coach Ambrose was born on July 30, 1970 in Skokie, Illinois. He and his wife, the former Melissa Grady, are the parents of two children, Grace (11) and Riley (8).  Ambrose is the son of Tim Ambrose, one of the most successful high school football coaches in the state of Maryland. He was the head football coach and Athletics Director at Middletown High School for 31 years.