Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, January 8, 1993 TAG: 9301080029
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-5 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: SCOTT BLANCHARD STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: HATTIESBURG, MISS. LENGTH: Medium
TECH HIRES CORNELL ASSISTANT
Cornell University assistant football coach Rod Sharpless will fill one of the vacancies on Virginia Tech's staff, the Roanoke Times & World-News has learned.Tech sources said Sharpless, previously an assistant at Maryland (twice), Kentucky and Richmond, has accepted Frank Beamer's offer and probably will coach on defense.
Sources who attended the recent football coaches' convention in Atlanta say another ex-Maryland assistant, John Zernhelt, is one of the contenders for the remaining vacancy on Tech's staff. Zernhelt, who played at Maryland, began his coaching career at Ferrum College in the early 1980s.
Sharpless, reached Thursday in his Cornell office, said he did not want to comment until Beamer made a public statement. Beamer could not be reached for comment Thursday.
Cornell coach Jim Hofher said he could not confirm Sharpless' hiring by Tech, but he gave his opinion of Sharpless:
"He has a real positive temperament and attitude toward college football and the players in college football. He has certainly shown me a real aptitude toward positive recruiting.
"[These days] a guy really has to be the complete package, and I think Rod is that."
Hofher never had worked with Sharpless before hiring him last year after Joe Krivak resigned at Maryland. He described Sharpless as "being able to make a direct impact across the board in a program."
Tech sources have said Beamer hopes to have his staff intact by this weekend. Beamer has been searching for two coaches to replace departed offensive coordinator Steve Marshall and Keith Jones, the former secondary coach who left after being reassigned to coach receivers.
Marshall coached the offensive line, which was Zernhelt's area of responsibility for five years at Maryland.
Sources close to the team said Beamer was considering promoting quarterbacks coach Rickey Bustle to offensive coordinator. When asked, Bustle said that idea had been discussed, but he wouldn't comment further.
Sharpless coached the defensive line at Cornell. He was a receivers coach in his last stint at Maryland (1990-91), the only time in his 15-year career he has not coached a defensive position.
He would give the Hokies six defensive coaches - including coordinator Phil Elmassian, Bud Foster and Mike Clark (linebackers) and Terry Strock and Todd Grantham (defensive line) - likely necessitating more staff-shuffling for Beamer. Tech has two offensive coaches: Bustle and Billy Hite (running backs).
Sharpless, a 43-year-old native of Jacksonville, N.C., graduated from Maryland and coached there until 1981, when he joined the staff at Richmond. In 1982, he went to Kentucky, where he coached the defensive line until 1989, when he returned to Maryland as receivers coach.