Football: Engram joins staff

New Pitt football coach Paul Chryst has almost finished assembling his staff of assistant… New Pitt football coach Paul Chryst has almost finished assembling his staff of assistant coaches.

On Friday morning, Chryst announced former Penn State and NFL pass catcher Bobby Engram as his wide receivers coach. Engram’s hiring makes him the eighth confirmed member of Chryst’s staff, leaving one more opening available.

Chryst said he believes that Engram – who statistically is the best receiver in Penn State history and retired from a 15-year NFL career after the 2010 season – will provide valuable experience to his staff.

“Bobby Engram is an outstanding addition to our staff,” Chryst said in a press release. “I’m really excited that our players will have the opportunity to learn and benefit from Bobby’s tremendous experience and knowledge of the game.”

Having lived locally in Murrysville, Pa. for over a decade with his wife and four children, Engram said taking the job at Pitt was the perfect chance to work close to home and further his young coaching career.

“This is a phenomenal opportunity that I have here,” Engram said in an introductory conference call. “I’m extremely excited and I’m looking forward to doing everything I can to get my guys prepared and help this University win a lot of football games.”

Engram served as an offensive assistant in the NFL this past season with San Francisco 49ers, who reached the NFC Championship game. But it was during his playing career where Engram made his name.

From 1993-1995, Engram destroyed the Penn State pass catching record books.

His illustrious career with the Nittany Lions garnered him All-Big Ten and All-American selections in each of his three seasons and he won the inaugural Biletnikoff Award as the nation’s best collegiate wide receiver in 1994.

Engram still holds the school records for receiving yards and receiving touchdowns at Penn State.

After an impressive three-season college career, Engram was drafted in the second round of the 1996 NFL Draft by the Chicago Bears.

Over the course of his 15 years as a professional, Engram provided consistent and solid wide receiver play for the Bears (1996-2000), the Seattle Seahawks (2001-2008) and the Kansas City Chiefs (2009). In 2006, he caught six passes for 70 yards as a member of the Seahawks in a loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XL.

On his first day on the job, Engram said most of his receiving corps wasted no time in going out of their way to meet him.

“Those guys took the initiative to come in and introduce themselves which I think says a lot about them,” he said. “We talked football and we talked life and I told them a little bit about me and my philosophy.”

Coach Chryst also said that Engram’s influence on his players will stretch far beyond the football field.

“He will be a great teacher on the field and make an even greater impact on our players off the field,” Chryst said.