London adds ODU assistant to staff

Hampton Roads native key recruiter for Monarchs

Staff Report
UVa. sports: www.virginiasports.com

Virginia head football coach Mike London announced today that Chip West has joined the Cavalier football coaching staff.

West becomes the fifth member of London¹s staff. His specific position assignment will be announced at a future date.

A Hampton native, West most recently was the assistant head coach, recruiting coordinator and defensive backs coach for head coach Bobby Wilder at Old Dominion. He was responsible for recruiting the Hampton Roads and Tidewater areas for the Monarchs. ODU went 9-2 in 2009 in its first season as a NCAA FCS program.

“Chip West has a measured amount of success as both a coach and a recruiter,” London said. “He is a local product from the Tidewater area, and he has earned the respect of a lot of coaches in that area who feel he does a very good job, including Bobby Wilder, his coach at Old Dominion. He will be an excellent addition to our staff in terms of both the Xs and Os of teaching and coaching and his enthusiasm and energy as a recruiter. He is committed to helping bring some of the top student-athletes in the state to UVa. to pursue their athletic and academic goals.”

Prior to joining the staff at Old Dominion, West coached at James Madison for three seasons (2004-2006) overseeing the defensive backs, including free safety Tony LeZotte, a 2005 All-American and Atlantic-10 Defensive Player of the Year, as well as the Atlantic 10 co-rookie of the year as a freshman. The Dukes won the NCAA Division I-AA national championship in 2004, finishing 13-2. In 2006 JMU returned to the FCS playoffs, losing in the first round at Youngstown State.

“It is an honor to be a part of the University of Virginia, and I am very excited to join Coach London’s staff,” West said. “After I finished my graduate assistant position at West Virginia, I worked the Virginia summer football camps, and I was able to get to know coach London. We have stayed in touch over the years, so I think this will make for an easy transition.

“As a native of Virginia, I take great pride in having the opportunity to work for and represent the University of Virginia and its football program. I plan on working as hard as I can and being the best coach I can be.”

West coached the defensive backs at Fordham in 2003 when the Rams were 9-3. He served as the wide receivers coach at Colgate for four years and worked as a graduate assistant at West Virginia. Colgate shared the 2002 Patriot League title with Fordham, finishing with a 9-3 overall record and a 6-1 league mark. The Raiders led the Patriot League in 2002 in total offense, averaging 392.5 yards per game, including 215.0 yards per game passing. In 1999 Colgate won the Patriot League title and competed in the NCAA Division I-AA playoffs.

As a graduate assistant at West Virginia for two seasons, West worked with the defense as the Mountaineers participated in the Carquest and Insight.com bowls.