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Jan. 21, 2003

Charlottesville, Va. – Offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave is returning to the NFL after a two-year stint at UVa to take over as offensive coordinator of the Jacksonville Jaguars. He was introduced at a press conference this afternoon (Jan. 21) in Jacksonville.

Musgrave joins the staff of head coach Jack Del Rio, who was named Jaguars’ head coach just last week, replacing Tom Coughlin who had been the team’s head coach since its inception.

Del Rio also presented Mike Smith as defensive coordinator and Bill Bates as special teams coordinator.

“I identified these guys early in the process. They were at the top of my list. People may want to put older people on the staff, but these are the guys I wanted,” said Del Rio. “The vision I have for our offense, Bill has been doing the last couple of years. They’re the best coaches out there to do what we need to do,” he added.

In his two years in Charlottesville, Musgrave added to his reputation as one of the top offensive minds in the game. Named the “Best Coordinator” in the ACC by The Sporting News this past season, he was instrumental in the development of QB Matt Schaub. One of a host of players who flourished under Musgrave’s innovative scheme, Schaub almost completely rewrote the Virginia record book for passing and was named ACC Player of the Year.

Overall Virginia threw 32 touchdown passes this past season, including a record 28 by Schaub. Five different players threw at least one scoring strike this season, a display of Musgrave’s willingness to use every weapon at his disposal.

Freshman tight end Heath Miller joined Schaub in blossoming under Musgrave. Miller caught 33 passes this season, including nine for touchdowns, an ACC record for a tight end, and was named a Freshman All-American.

Tailback Wali Lundy rushed for 826 yards this season, including 127 in each of the last two games against Virginia Tech and West Virginia, to set a school record for rushing by a freshman. Lundy also caught 58 passes, to tie the ACC record for receptions by a freshman.

In Musgrave’s first year at UVa in 2001, his offense shook off the loss of its top returning tailback-Antwoine Womack-and turned to wide receiver Billy McMullen. As the focal point of the offense, McMullen responded by catching a school-record 83 passes for 1060 yards and 12 TDs.

Despite a decrease in his numbers, McMullen had another tremendous year in ’02. Named first-team All-ACC for the second year in a row he caught 69 balls for 894 yards as the team’s leading receiver.

Musgrave returns to the NFL for the first time since 2000 when he served as offensive coordinator under head coach George Seifert. Selected by the Dallas Cowboys in the fourth round of the 1991 NFL draft, Musgrave played for the San Francisco 49ers from 1991-94 and the Denver Broncos from 1995-96. He played in the 49ers’ Super Bowl XXIX win over San Diego in 1995, backing up game MVP Steve Young. While in Denver, he played behind future NFL Hall-of-Fame quarterback John Elway.

With the Jaguars he will be coaching former Cavaliers TE Chris Luzar and FB Patrick Washington. Luzar caught 33 passes as a senior at UVa in 2001 in Musgrave’s first season.

Musgrave was a four-year starting quarterback and three-year football captain at Oregon. He finished his collegiate career as the Ducks’ all-time leading passer and set a total of 15 school records. His 60 career passing touchdowns ranked second only to Elway in PAC 10 history. He was a three-time All-Academic selection at Oregon and was the nation’s All-Academic Player of the Year as a senior. He received his bachelor’s degree in finance from the Eugene, Ore., school in 1990.

A native of Grand Junction, Colo., Musgrave was a standout athlete at Grand Junction High School. He was named the Colorado High School Athlete of the Year in 1985.

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