Staten Island, NY – Mike Teel, the all-time leading passer in Rutgers University history and a sixth-round draft choice of the NFL's Seattle Seahawks, has been named quarterbacks coach, Wagner College Athletic Director/Head Football Coach Walt Hameline announced today.

Teel served as quarterbacks coach and pass game coordinator at Kean University last season, helping to lead the Cougars to a 10-2 record and a No. 10 ranking in the final D3football.com Poll. Kean reached the second round of the 2011 NCAA Division III Playoffs where the Cougars dropped a heartbreaking 49-47 triple-overtime decision to Salisbury.

In addition to his one year at Kean, Teel has served since 2000 as a quarterbacks coach at the Phil Simms Quarterbacks Camp. Since 2010, he has also served in this capacity at the Greg Toal Ironman Football Camp as well as the All American Football Academy.

Teel is the third assistant coach to be added to the 2012 Seahawk staff as he joins associate head coach/special teams coordinator/secondary coach Tom Masella and defensive coordinator Malik Hall.

“I am excited to bring Mike Teel aboard as our quarterbacks coach,” said Hameline. “Mike is a flat-out winner. He never lost a game as a starting quarterback (23-0) in one of the nation's elite high school programs at Don Bosco Prep, he competed at the highest level of college football, leading Rutgers to three bowl victories, and was also an NFL draft choice who was a part of three organizations.

“Our quarterbacks will benefit from his wide array of experiences,” Hameline added. “Mike is serious about the game, eager to make coaching his life's work, and I believe the success he enjoyed and his name recognition in this region will resonate in recruiting.”

A three-year starter and two-time captain at Rutgers, Teel closed out his career as the Scarlet Knights' all-time leader with 9,398 passing yards and 59 touchdown passes. His passing yardage is the third-highest total in BIG EAST history while his 9,173 yards of total offense were also a program record and sixth in BIG EAST history. In addition, he threw for 300 yards or more in a game 10 times, which tied a school record and ranks second in BIG EAST history.

As a senior in 2008, Teel threw for a school-record 3,418 passing yards (third in BIG EAST history) as well as a school-record 25 touchdown passes (tied for the seventh in BIG EAST history). During that 2008 campaign, Teel earned USA Today National Player of the Week honors after throwing for six touchdowns and 362 yards passing in a victory at 17^th-ranked Pittsburgh, before closing out the regular season with school records of 447 yards and seven touchdown passes in a win over Louisville. 

In his final collegiate game, the Oakland, NJ native earned Most Valuable Player honors of the 2008 PapaJohns.com Bowl Game, after rallying Rutgers from a 17-6 deficit to finish with 319 yards and two touchdowns in a 29-23 victory over NC State as Teel became the first quarterback in Rutgers history to lead the Scarlet Knights to three bowl championships. Following the 2008 season, Teel was named the BIG EAST Player of the Year by the New Jersey Sports Writers Association.

 “I am extremely excited from a personal standpoint to advance my career. I spent a year at Kean University, a Division III school, and now to take the next step, to come here and join Wagner is a great opportunity,” Teel said. “I can't wait to get started, to work with Coach Hameline and the staff. I'm also excited to get to know the players and the people around the campus and the community.”

Teel earned a spot on Seattle's active roster as a backup quarterback throughout the 2009 season and also spent time with the New England Patriots and Chicago Bears.

A two-time All-State selection as a scholastic star, Teel led perennial national power Don Bosco Prep to a state championship in the parochial division while leading the Ironmen to a perfect 23-0 record as a starter. 

He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in business management from Rutgers in 2008 and has been actively involved in numerous charity organizations. 
 
What They're Saying About Mike Teel

"I have known Mike Teel since he was in 7th grade. I knew then he was going to be a terrific quarterback. Through the years watching him progress and seeing how hard he worked, I was not surprised to see him have a chance to become a professional quarterback. He will no doubt bring those qualities to Wagner and have great success in coaching."
- Phil Simms, Former NY Giant Great, MVP of Super Bowl XXI/Current CBS Sportscaster
 
“Mike was a great player for us and even in his playing days you could already see that he would make a fantastic coach. This is a great opportunity for him to fulfill that promise and I know that he will do a phenomenal job.  Wagner is lucky to have a bright young mind like his.”
- Greg Schiano, Tampa Bay Buccaneers Head Coach/Former Rutgers University Head Coach
 
“I'm sure Mike will do a great job as far as preparing and being ready to attack the other team's defense each week. He'll also be great working with quarterbacks as far as making the right decisions and with their footwork. I think he's going to bring a lot to Wagner football and I think Wagner is fortunate to get a guy with Mike's experience. I expect to hear some great things about Wagner football in the next couple of years and Mike's going to be a big part of that.”
- Greg Toal, Don Bosco Prep Head Football Coach