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July 23, 1998

CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA — Ty Smith, an assistant football coach at Baylor University last year, has been named defensive ends coach at the University of Virginia by head football coach George Welsh. Smith takes the place of Bob Petchel on the Virginia staff. Petchel, an original member of Welsh’s UVa coaching staff since 1982, resigned recently.

Smith brings nearly 20 years of college coaching experience to the UVa staff. He coached the defensive line at Baylor last season and was the defensive coordinator and linebackers coach at Purdue in 1995-96.

From 1988-94 he coached linebackers and defensive ends at the University of Louisville and was the defensive coordinator from 1991-94. In five of his seven seasons at Louisville, the Cardinals were ranked among the nation’s top-30 defenses. He was the linebackers coach at Florida from 1982-87, coaching professional standout Wilbur Marshall, among others.

Smith began his coaching career at Western Carolina as the linebackers coach from 1979-81. A native of Sylvia, N.C., he was a four-year starter at Western Carolina and all-conference middle guard from 1974-78. He earned his B.S. degree in physical education in 1979 and a master’s degree in physical education in 1980. Smith and his wife, Dorla, have one daughter.

Petchel resigned to pursue business opportunities in the Charlottesville area. He was an original member of Welsh’s first staff at Virginia, coming to UVa from Navy with Welsh in 1982. While at UVa, he served as wide receivers coach for five seasons, offensive tackles and tight ends coach for two seasons and as defensive ends coach since 1989. Petchel also coached at Shippensburg University (Pa.) from 1976-77, Dartmouth in 1978, and at Penn State from 1979-80, before joining Welsh at Navy in 1981.

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