Football
Ambrose, Ashley
vs
BYU
Sep 27 (Sat)
8:15 PM
Ashley Ambrose
- Title:
- Assistant Coach/Cornerbacks
- Email:
- ashley.ambrose@colorado.edu
Last updated on July 19, 2018
Ashley Ambrose is in his first season of his second stint as cornerbacks coach at Colorado, hired on January 18, 2018 in returning to where he had worked three seasons under then-head coach Dan Hawkins from 2008-10.
Ambrose, 48, brings a wealth of experience to the Buffalo staff, as he is now a veteran collegiate coach which has followed a long and distinguished career in pro football, including being honored as the 1996 AFC Defensive Back of the Year.
He returned to CU from Boise State, where he had served as its defensive backs coach for the 2016 and 2017 seasons. In his nine years coaching in college has mentored 10 defensive backs that have earned some level of all-conference honors. Among the DBs that he has guided to all-conference honors came in 2010, CU's Jimmy Smith, a first-team All-Big 12 selection and Jalil Brown, an honorable mention All-Big 12 performer. Smith was taken 27th overall in the first round by the Baltimore Ravens in the 2011 NFL Draft while Brown was selected in the fourth round by the Kansas City Chiefs.
In his two seasons at Boise State, cornerback Tyler Horton drew first-team All-Mountain West honors in 2017 while safety Kekoa Nawahine (2017), safety Chanceller James (2016) and corner Jonathan Moxey (2016) all garnered second-team honors playing under Ambrose.
In 2015 he coached the cornerbacks at Texas State, held the same position at Idaho in 2014 and from 2011-12, was the secondary coach at California. Ambrose spent the 2013 season as an intern with the New Orleans Saints in the NFL, where he began his coaching career in 2006 as an intern with the Atlanta Falcons.
In March 2008, he initially joined the CU staff as its defensive technical intern; he actually was being groomed to become the receivers coach by Hawkins until the defensive backs position opened up when Greg Brown left for a coordinator’s job at Arizona. Ambrose was thus promoted to cornerback coach on February 12, 2010.
Ambrose starred collegiately at Mississippi Valley State and was selected by Indianapolis in the second round (29th pick overall) of the 1992 NFL draft. He would go on to become a 13-year veteran in the league, playing four seasons with the Colts (1992-95), three with Cincinnati (1996-98), three with New Orleans (1999, 2003-04) and three with Atlanta (2000-02). He earned All-Pro honors with the Bengals in 1996, when he was also the AFC Defensive Back of the Year. During his career, he had 42 interceptions, returning three for touchdowns, and also had 178 pass deflections to go with 514 tackles (464 solo).
In 1996, he was named All-Pro and the American Football Conference’s Defensive Back of the Year after recording a career-best eight interceptions (second-most in the league) with the Bengals.
The NFL started tracking career pass deflections in 1994; he had 173 of his overall total in the final 168 games of his career, with that average of 1.03 per game ranking him fourth overall in the NFL between 1994 and 2009, and just one of eight players to average one or more per game. After 192 games (which included 141 starts), he retired from professional football after the 2004 season, and started to enjoy his retirement. But he would get right back into football a year later, spending the 2006 season an intern coach with the Atlanta Falcons.
Ambrose earned his degree in Industrial Technology in 1992 from MVSU, where he lettered four years at cornerback. He had 17 interceptions, 40 pass deflections and 110 tackles during his college career, when he also had seven kick returns for touchdowns (four punt, three kickoff).
He has long been active in community service, as he developed the “Ashley Ambrose All-A’s Club” that rewarded high school football players who excelled academically. He participated in VH-1’s Save the Music program and in the NFL United Way Hometown Huddles Campaign among many things he did as a professional, which included donating hundreds of tickets to scholar-athletes.
A native of New Orleans, he graduated from Alcee Fortier High School in 1988, where he lettered in football, basketball and track. He is the father of two children, Aisha (18) and A.J. (16).
Ashley Ambrose is in his first season of his second stint as cornerbacks coach at Colorado, hired on January 18, 2018 in returning to where he had worked three seasons under then-head coach Dan Hawkins from 2008-10.
Ambrose, 48, brings a wealth of experience to the Buffalo staff, as he is now a veteran collegiate coach which has followed a long and distinguished career in pro football, including being honored as the 1996 AFC Defensive Back of the Year.
He returned to CU from Boise State, where he had served as its defensive backs coach for the 2016 and 2017 seasons. In his nine years coaching in college has mentored 10 defensive backs that have earned some level of all-conference honors. Among the DBs that he has guided to all-conference honors came in 2010, CU's Jimmy Smith, a first-team All-Big 12 selection and Jalil Brown, an honorable mention All-Big 12 performer. Smith was taken 27th overall in the first round by the Baltimore Ravens in the 2011 NFL Draft while Brown was selected in the fourth round by the Kansas City Chiefs.
In his two seasons at Boise State, cornerback Tyler Horton drew first-team All-Mountain West honors in 2017 while safety Kekoa Nawahine (2017), safety Chanceller James (2016) and corner Jonathan Moxey (2016) all garnered second-team honors playing under Ambrose.
In 2015 he coached the cornerbacks at Texas State, held the same position at Idaho in 2014 and from 2011-12, was the secondary coach at California. Ambrose spent the 2013 season as an intern with the New Orleans Saints in the NFL, where he began his coaching career in 2006 as an intern with the Atlanta Falcons.
In March 2008, he initially joined the CU staff as its defensive technical intern; he actually was being groomed to become the receivers coach by Hawkins until the defensive backs position opened up when Greg Brown left for a coordinator’s job at Arizona. Ambrose was thus promoted to cornerback coach on February 12, 2010.
Ambrose starred collegiately at Mississippi Valley State and was selected by Indianapolis in the second round (29th pick overall) of the 1992 NFL draft. He would go on to become a 13-year veteran in the league, playing four seasons with the Colts (1992-95), three with Cincinnati (1996-98), three with New Orleans (1999, 2003-04) and three with Atlanta (2000-02). He earned All-Pro honors with the Bengals in 1996, when he was also the AFC Defensive Back of the Year. During his career, he had 42 interceptions, returning three for touchdowns, and also had 178 pass deflections to go with 514 tackles (464 solo).
In 1996, he was named All-Pro and the American Football Conference’s Defensive Back of the Year after recording a career-best eight interceptions (second-most in the league) with the Bengals.
The NFL started tracking career pass deflections in 1994; he had 173 of his overall total in the final 168 games of his career, with that average of 1.03 per game ranking him fourth overall in the NFL between 1994 and 2009, and just one of eight players to average one or more per game. After 192 games (which included 141 starts), he retired from professional football after the 2004 season, and started to enjoy his retirement. But he would get right back into football a year later, spending the 2006 season an intern coach with the Atlanta Falcons.
Ambrose earned his degree in Industrial Technology in 1992 from MVSU, where he lettered four years at cornerback. He had 17 interceptions, 40 pass deflections and 110 tackles during his college career, when he also had seven kick returns for touchdowns (four punt, three kickoff).
He has long been active in community service, as he developed the “Ashley Ambrose All-A’s Club” that rewarded high school football players who excelled academically. He participated in VH-1’s Save the Music program and in the NFL United Way Hometown Huddles Campaign among many things he did as a professional, which included donating hundreds of tickets to scholar-athletes.
A native of New Orleans, he graduated from Alcee Fortier High School in 1988, where he lettered in football, basketball and track. He is the father of two children, Aisha (18) and A.J. (16).
AT-A-GLANCE—He has coached in 87 Division I-A (FBS) games as a full-time coach, and has coached in three bowl games (2011 Holiday, 2016 Cactus, 2017 Las Vegas).
| COACHING EXPERIENCE | ||
| 2008-09 | Colorado | Defensive Technical Intern |
| 2010 | Colorado | Cornerbacks |
| 2011-12 | California | Defensive Backs |
| 2014 | Idaho | Cornerbacks |
| 2015 | Texas State | Cornerbacks |
| 2016-17 | Boise State | Defensive Backs |
| 2018- | Colorado | Cornerbacks |
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