When Ted Gilmore decided to join Lane Kiffin's staff as the wide receivers coach in February of 2011, the Midwest native was looking forward to a warmer climate and clear blue skies. Little did he know, that his first season in Troy would be just as sunny and bright on the field as it was off it.Â
Gilmore (pictured right by Ted Gilmore Youth Football Camp), a former WRs coach at Nebraska (2005-2010), Colorado (2003-2004), Purdue (2001-2002), Houston (2000) and Wyoming (1997-1998), came to USC with a renowned pedigree of getting the most out of his players. Â In 2011, his work would be made a little bit easier, as a talented WR corps led by sophomore Robert Woods (conference-record 111 catches, 1,292 receiving yards and 15 TDs) and freshman Marqise Lee (73 catches, 1,143 receiving yards and 12 TDs) took the nation by storm during his first year on the job.
"This year was a lot of fun to say the least," Gilmore said. "To be able to coach a group of young men, who were humble and serious about their craft, was a real pleasure."
As for the terrific tandem of Woods and Lee, Gilmore admits he has never had the chance to coach two receivers quite like the pair USC currently has lining up out wide.
"I've never coached young men quite like these two," said Gilmore, referring to the former Serra HS stars. "They have god-given natural abilities, but more importantly, they are two of the most humble and most professional young men I have ever been around. Right after Robert [Woods] found out he didn't win the Bilentikoff Award (nation's best WR), he came back and told me that it's time to go back to work. That just speaks volumes about these two guys. They show up every day always wanting more."Â
While a lot of the talk continues to surround the Trojans' star-studded 1-2 punch, Gilmore, a former All-Wac 2nd team WR at Wyoming (1988-1989), believes USC's offensive output in 2011 had as much to do with the work ethic and leadership of the lesser talked about wideouts (Brandon Carswell and Brice Butler), as it did with the playmaking abilities of No.2 and No.9. And, together, as the season went along, both the unit and the coach grew together.
"I felt like this was a challenge for me as a coach to make this move to USC," said Gilmore. "Just as it was for my players, this year for me was about learning a new system and a new way of doing things, and it was a blast."
For rising to occasion this year after making the move from Nebraska to USC, Gilmore (pictured above by Daily Trojan) was named earlier this month as the 2011 Wide Receivers Coach of the Year by FootballScoop.
