July 19, 2004

COLLEGE PARK, Md. - Frank Costello, a two-time national champion and former NCAA Coach of the Year, will return to his alma mater and join the Terrapin track staff as a volunteer assistant coach, head coach Andrew Valmon announced Monday. Also joining the program as a volunteer assistant is Jason Grimes, a seven-time All-American from the University of Tennessee and silver medalist at the World Championships, Valmon said.

At Maryland, Costello, who specialized in the high jump as an athlete, will be responsible for helping to coach the hurdles and high jump. Grimes, a former long jumper, will assist in the development of the jumpers, short sprinters and relay teams.

Costello, one of the most decorated track athletes in Maryland's rich history, coached the Terrapin men from 1975-80 and led them to six consecutive indoor ACC Championships, five consecutive outdoor ACC titles and an eighth-place finish at the national championships. In 1975, he was named the NCAA District Coach of the Year and served as the head coach of the United States National Indoor Team.

He recruited and coached three-time NCAA Champion Renaldo Nehemiah and served as the meet director for the U.S. - U.S.S.R. Outdoor Track and Field Meet in Byrd Stadium in 1976. He also served as the U.S. National high jump coach from 1980-84.

"Frank adds another level of expertise in the technical events." Valmon said. "He is a great teacher and our athletes will really benefit from his knowledge."

Following his time as Maryland's head track and field coach, Costello served as an assistant athletic director and headed the Terrapins' strength and conditioning program. He went on to serve as a strength and conditioning coach for the Washington Capitals and was honored in 1998 as the top ISAA strength and conditioning coach in the country, receiving the prestigious Stan Jones Award.

As an athlete, Costello excelled for the Terrapins as a high jumper. After achieving All-America honors both indoors and outdoors in 1965 and 1966, he suffered a knee injury that threatened to end his career. However, he returned to competition after missing the 1967 season and earned All-America honors again in 1968 at the NCAA Championships.

While competing for the Terrapins, he also won titles at the Penn Relays, Millrose Games, Eastern European Championships, Southern Hemisphere Games and the French National Championships.

Costello graduated from Maryland in 1968 with a degree in exercise physiology and earned his master's of sport science from the International Sport Science Association.

Grimes attended the University of Tennessee from 1977-81 and was a three-time SEC Champion and seven-time All-American for the Volunteers. Grimes left Tennessee as the school record-holder in both the indoor (26-04.25) and outdoor (26-02.75) long jump. His outdoor record still stands as the best in Volunteer history.

"Jason is going to be a great asset to our program," Valmon said. "He will support our jumps coach while honing the skills of our sprinters."

After college, Grimes ran for Nike Athletics from 1981-85. A silver medalist in the long jump at the 1983 World Championships in Helsinki, Finland, Grimes was ranked second in the world from 1983-84 in the event. He was also an alternate on the 1984 Olympic team and has a personal best in the long jump of 28-01.50.

He has also worked as a speed enhancement consultant for several NFL players.

Grimes, a former FBI agent out of Washington, D.C., is currently the Director of Investigations in the District of Columbia office of the Inspector General. He graduated from Tennessee in 1981 with a degree in criminal justice.

"Maryland is a powerhouse institution and recognized nationally in athletics," Grimes said. "Coach Valmon has the right vision and we both know what it takes to become a world-class athlete. Maryland has what it takes to get back to being not just a conference competitor but a national power and I look forward to that."

Rounding out the track and field staff is recent graduate Heather Houston. Houston, a former jumper for the Terrapin women, will serve as an intern for the 2004-05 season. While at Maryland, Houston was an outdoor All-ACC selection after her senior campaign and was a runner-up in the heptathlon at the ACC Championships.