Rob Ambrose - Senior Analyst/Defense - Football Support Staff

Rob Ambrose

Title:
Senior Analyst/Defense
Email:
DukeFBRecruiting@duke.edu
Phone:
(919) 684-2635

Rob Ambrose joined the Duke coaching staff in March 2026 and serves as a senior analyst working primarily with the defense.

Ambrose has more than 34 years of coaching experience, including 21 as an offensive coordinator or head coach.

Ambrose came to Durham after a one-year stint (2025) as the offensive coordinator at Shepherd University. The Middletown, Maryland, native helped the NCAA Division II Rams to a 7-4 overall record and 6-1 conference mark. Shepherd dropped its first four games of the season before ripping off the final seven and finishing second in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) East Division. Ambrose's offense produced 17 rushing touchdowns for Jordan Barnett to lead the PSAC and 209.8 passing yards per game for Michael Hardyway to stand fifth in the league.

Prior to arriving at Shepherd, Ambrose served two seasons (2022-23) as a defensive analyst at the University of Maryland. From 2009-22, Ambrose was the head coach at his alma mater, Towson University. He led the Tigers to six winning seasons, two Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) championships, three playoff appearances and a trip to the 2013 FCS National Championship game.

In 2018, Towson returned to the NCAA FCS Playoffs and stood in the top-20 nationally for eight weeks in a row with victories over three then-top-15 programs: Villanova, Stony Brook and Elon. Tom Flacco matched the Towson record with 28 passing touchdowns to earn CAA Offensive Player of the Year while Shane Simpson was the CAA Special Teams Player of the Year.

In his third season, Ambrose guided Towson to one of the most dramatic turnarounds in college football history. Only one year removed from a 1-10 record, the 2011 team became the “Turnaround Tigers” by going 9-3. Their 7.5-game improvement was the most dramatic improvement in NCAA Division I history. Towson posted a 9-2 regular season record, beat six nationally-ranked teams and won the CAA championship outright with a 7-1 record. The Tigers also made their first appearance in the FCS playoffs, becoming the first program to earn playoff berths at the Division III, Division II and FCS levels.

After the 2011 season, Ambrose was the recipient of the Eddie Robinson Award, honoring the top coach in the FCS. He was also named the CAA Coach of the Year, AFCA District Coach of the Year and was a finalist for the Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year. Ambrose was not the only Tiger to be honored after the season as freshman running back Terrance West was named the Jerry Rice Award winner, recognizing the top freshman in the FCS. West finished his first season as a collegiate with 1,294 rushing yards and 29 touchdowns.

Ambrose returned to Towson after spending seven seasons (2002-08) as an assistant coach at Connecticut, helping the Huskies from an FCS program into a major college contender. During his time in Storrs, Ambrose helped the Huskies to 49 victories, three bowl appearances and a share of the 2007 Big East championship.

Ambrose spent the final three seasons with the Huskies as the team’s offensive coordinator. The 2008 offense was anchored by running back Donald Brown, who led the nation with 2,083 rushing yards on 367 carries. Brown would be named the Big East Offensive Player of the Year on his way to earning All-America honors. He would later become the first UConn player to be selected in the NFL Draft's first round.

Ambrose joined the Huskies’ staff as the quarterbacks coach in 2002. He played a major role in the development of quarterback Dan Orlovsky, the first UConn quarterback to play in the NFL as a fifth-round draft pick of the Detroit Lions.

The 2001 season was the first as a head coach for Ambrose. He spent one season as the head coach at Catholic University, leading the Cardinals to a 3-7 record.

Ambrose’s coaching career began where his playing career ended as he joined the Tigers as a wide receivers coach in 1993 after spending the 1992 season as a student assistant.

Ambrose, a 1993 Towson graduate with a bachelor's degree in English, began his football career for the Tigers at quarterback before moving to wide receiver.