June 12, 2002

Philadelphia - The University of Pennsylvania football program has announced the hiring of Andrew Christ as defensive assistant coach for the upcoming 2002 season. Christ, who becomes the third addition to the Red and Blue coaching staff during the off season, joins the Quakers with four years coaching experience.

Last season, Christ served as outside linebackers coach at the University of Albany, after a three-year stint at Swarthmore College (1998-2000) as the defensive backs and kickers coach at Swarthmore College.

Christ was a four-year letterwinner at the University of Chicago, where he was named to the All-UAA team as a defensive back and kicker three times. In addition, he was also the Maroons Special Teams Most Valuable Player four-straight seasons and Chicago's Most Valuable Player in 1996.

After his collegiate playing days were over, Christ spent one season (1998) as a member of the Madison Maddawgs of the Professional Indoor Football League at defensive back and kicker.

Christ, a 1997 graduate from the University of Chicago with a Bachelor of Arts in economics, joins Damian Wroblewski and Jim O'Neil, who also joined the Quakers' coaching staff this off season. Wroblewski was tabbed Penn's tight ends coach, while O'Neil will serve as offensive assistant coach. In addition to the new hirings, Trey Brown was promoted from tight ends to wide receivers coach this off season.

The Quakers are coming off a second-place Ivy League finish in 2001, where they finished 6-1, losing only to eventual League-champion Harvard. Penn went 8-1 overall, the second time in four seasons that Head Coach Al Bagnoli's team finished with at least eight wins. The Red and Blue kick off the 2002 season on September 21 at Lafayette.