Former Arizona football star safety and National Football Foundation College Hall of Fame member Chuck Cecil has been hired as the program's Director of Player Development, head coach Rich Rodriguez announced Friday. Cecil will begin work next week with the Wildcats, who report to preseason camp Sunday evening and hold their first official practice on Monday.
"Chuck will be an outstanding addition to our staff," Rodriguez said. "His playing career both collegiately and professionally speaks for itself, and he's been a very successful professional coach. I'm excited to utilize his experience and connections as a former Wildcat to fill a variety of key roles within our program."
Cecil was a three-time Pac-10 All-Academic selection and culminated his education as a recipient of the NCAA VI Award, one of the nation's top scholar-athlete citations. He was named Arizona's male winner of the Pac-10 Conference Medal.
Cecil finished his UA career with the then No. 1 mark in passes defended, 38, which currently is second to Michael Jolivette's 44 from 2000 to 2003. He led the Wildcats with 80 solo tackles his senior year and also posted the school record that season with four interceptions at Stanford.
Today, Cecil still ranks No. 7 on Arizona's all-time tackles chart with a total of 392. Additionally, he holds the Arizona career record with 21 interceptions and among those returned one 100 yards for a touchdown against Arizona State in 1986, a play that likely rests atop many UA partisans' choice as the single-most electrifying and revered moment in UA football history.
The Wildcats report to camp on Sunday, with their first official practice taking place on Monday.
