RELEASE DATE: 8/6/04

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: RYAN EDEN AND DAVID MELENDEZ ADDED TO MOUNTAINEER FOOTBALL STAFF

MANSFIELD – Ryan Eden and David Melendez have joined the Mansfield University football staff as assistant coaches head coach Jim Shiffer announced today.

Eden will serve as wide receivers coach while Melendez will be responsible for the defensive secondary.

Eden comes to Mansfield from Indiana University of Pennsylvania where he served as an assistant to the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for the past two seasons. He was a quarterback for the perennial NCAA Division II power Indians in 2000 before receiving his BS in sports management in 2004.

IUP was ranked in the NCAA Division Top Ten in each of his three seasons with the Indians, won three Lambert Cups and twice advanced to the NCAA Division II Playoffs.  

Melendez served as the defensive secondary coach at McDaniel College (MD) in 2003. He served as an assistant coach at Mount Ida College (MA) in 2001 and 2002.

Melendez played four seasons at the University of Massachusetts as a defensive back (1997-2000) where he was a member of the 1998 NCAA Division I-AA National Championship team and 1999 Atlantic 10 Conference Champions. He graduated from Massachusetts with a BS in sports management in 2000.

Mansfield, which opened camp last evening, is coming off a school record 8-3 season and opens the 2004 campaign at California University of PA on August 28.