KALAMAZOO, Mich. - Western Michigan University announced Tuesday that A.J. Ricker (offensive assistant coach) and Desmond Kitchings (wide receivers coach) will join the Bronco football coaching staff for the 2008 season. Ricker will not have to go far as the former All-Big 12 center from Missouri has served as the Broncos' offensive graduate assistant over the past two seasons. Kitchings joins WMU from Furman, where he has spent the past four seasons leading the Paladin tight ends and special teams units.
Ricker brings the knowledge of a Bill Cubit offense to the Broncos, having played for Cubit while earning All-Big 12 honors three times at Missouri and spending the past two seasons working as a graduate assistant. He has been hands on with the offensive line, providing support for position coach Bob Stanley and former offensive line coach Mike Sullivan. In 2006, the Bronco offensive line produced a 1,000-yard running back and ranked 14th in the nation in sacks allowed. It has produced a two-time Rimington Trophy candidate in Robbie Krutilla, who was also an Outland Trophy candidate in 2007, and a pair of All-Mid-American Conference selections in Krutilla and James Blair. Blair was also selected to participate in the 2008 Hula Bowl All-Star Classic and the Texas vs. the Nation Challenge.
"I am very happy to continue my coaching career with Western Michigan University and Coach Cubit. It was an honor playing for him and it has been an equal honor being a member of his staff over the past two seasons," commented Ricker. "I look forward to the challenge of this new position and to the challenges our team will face during the upcoming season."
Ricker signed a free-agent contract with the Chicago Bears in 2004 and was allocated to the Rhein Fire of NFL Europe in 2005 where he was named the offensive team captain prior to the season opener. He spent the 2006 season, and part of the 2007 campaign, as a member of the Tampa Bay Storm of the Arena Football League. He saw action in 16 games, starting 10 in 2006. He made seven tackles, playing both offense and defense, and recovered four fumbles.
Kitchings, a native of Wagner, S.C., coached at his alma mater from 2004-07. During that time he directed the play of a three-time All-Southern Conference receiver (Willis Sudderth) in 2004. The Paladins finished that season with a 10-3 mark, a SoCon championship and a No. 5 final national ranking. In 2005, Furman advanced to the national semifinals and finished the year ranked No. 3. Furman averaged a SoCon best 477.0 yards per game. During the season, Kitchings coached a second All-SoCon receiver (John Rust), who hauled in 33 receptions for 455 yards and three touchdowns. In fact there has been a tight end named all-conference under Kitchings three of his four seasons at Furman.
"I know what Coach Cubit has done with this program over the past three seasons and I am very excited to be a part of that," commented Kitchings. "I look forward to working with the receivers to enhance the things we did well last year and work to improve on areas where it is needed. My family and I are very happy to be Broncos."
A 2000 Furman graduate with a degree in health and exercise science, Kitchings posted some of the school's top receiving and return totals. His 112 receptions and 1,808 receiving yards rank fifth all time, and 11 touchdown catches stand sixth on the school's career ledger. As a specialist he averaged a SoCon record 29.3 yards on 33 kickoff returns, four of which went for touchdowns -- also a school record. His outstanding speed also netted him seven rushing touchdowns in his career, two of which came in a 52-6 rout of William & Mary in 1999 when he rushed five times for 117 yards.
A consensus all-conference selection as both a receiver and return specialist on Furman's 1999 conference championship team, he was honored as an All-America return specialist that season after leading NCAA I-AA with a 35.1 yards per return average. One of his top performances came in the Paladins' 28-3 win over North Carolina in 1999 when he caught seven passes for 169 yards and two touchdowns.
He was selected by the Kansas City Chiefs in the seventh round of the 2000 NFL Draft. He was later signed off the Chief's practice roster by the New York Jets and later spent time with both the Indianapolis Colts and the St. Louis Rams.
Another familiar face will rejoin the Western Michigan University football program in 2008. Former quarterback Ryan Cubit will step into Ricker's role of offensive graduate assistant this season. Cubit, who mastered his father's offense during his time in the Brown & Gold will work with the offensive unit as a whole and assist the coaching staff where necessary. Cubit finished his playing career at WMU tied for the career completion percentage record (60.2) and ranked fifth all-time in career passing yards (4,729). He is also tied for sixth for completions in a game (29) and has the seventh and eighth-best single-season completion percentages, 61.4 in 2006 and 60.2 in 2005.
Western Michigan will open the 2008 campaign with its first trip to Lincoln, Neb., when the Broncos take on the Cornhuskers at Memorial Stadium on Aug. 30.
