Marcus Ray is in his first season as a graduate assistant at CMU. He will work primarily with the Chippewas’ secondary.

Ray comes to CMU after spending the 2007 season as a strength and conditioning graduate assistant at the University of Michigan, his alma mater.

A 1998 graduate of Michigan, Ray started 33 games in his career and was a defensive co-captain as a senior in 1998. He was an All-Big Ten first team selection and All-America second team honoree (Associated Press, Sporting News) in 1997, the same season the Wolverines finished 12-0, defeated Washington State in the Rose Bowl and were crowned national champions by the Associated Press.

Ray spent one season in the National Football League, appearing in eight games for the Oakland Raiders as a rookie in 1999. He spent the 2000 season with the Scottish Claymores in NFL Europe and helped lead the team to a World Bowl appearance that season.

A native of Columbus, Ohio, Ray’s first coaching assignment was as co-defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach at Linden McKinley High School in Columbus in 2001. He then served as assistant head coach and defensive coordinator at Eastmoor Academy in Columbus in 2002 and assistant head coach and defensive coordinator at Northland High School in 2003.

Ray broke into the college ranks in 2004 coaching defensive backs at Ohio Dominican University, an NCAA Division II institution in Columbus. He coached three all-conference selections in his three seasons at Ohio Dominican.

Ray and his wife, Lynda, are the parents of two sons: Marcus II (Deuce) (6) and Malik (3). Lynda is a graduate of Capital University (1999) and Stanford University (2000).