Ron Vanderlinden is known for his recruiting ability on the East Coast and within his native state of Michigan.
13 Facts About Ron Vanderlinden
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Ron Vanderlinden's father was one of 14 children born to Dutch immigrants of Flemish descent.
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Ron Vanderlinden played high school football at Divine Child High School in Dearborn, Michigan, where he was a member of two state championship teams.
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Ron Vanderlinden reunited with McCartney as a coach after his playing career ended.
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In college, Ron Vanderlinden played football as a four-year starting center at NCAA Division III Albion College and twice earned All-MIAA conference honors.
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From 1983 to 1991, Ron Vanderlinden was a defensive line coach at Colorado under head coach Bill McCartney, reuniting him with his high school football head coach.
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From 1992 to 1996, Ron Vanderlinden served as assistant head coach and defensive coordinator at Northwestern.
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In 1997, Ron Vanderlinden was hired as the head coach of the Maryland Terrapins, a team without a bowl game and only one winning season since 1990.
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Ron Vanderlinden's staff recruited players who would be instrumental in the team's meteoric rise in 2001 to an ACC championship, a Bowl Championship Series game, and a top-ten final ranking.
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Also during Ron Vanderlinden's tenure, running back Lamont Jordan set the school record for single-game rushing with 306 yards.
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Ron Vanderlinden has recruited several prominent players such as Allen Robinson, Sean Lee and Gerald Hodges.
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In 2012, Ron Vanderlinden was retained as linebackers coach under new coach Bill O'Brien.
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Ron Vanderlinden later earned a master's degree at Penn State.