Gerard Wilcher is in his third year with the Cornell squad as the defensive secondary coach.
Wilcher had previously coached the wide receivers at the University of Massachusetts before joining the Big Red staff in 2001. He was instrumental in a very successful three-year run at Massachusetts. In 1999, the Minutemen reached the I-AA national quarterfinals and won the Atlantic 10 championship. One year earlier, the Minutemen earned the I-AA national championship and were named the New England Sports Network Team of the Year. In 1998, Wilcher's group of receivers set school records for receptions (306) and receiving yards (4,050). His 1999 receivers followed that up by catching 271 passes for 3,230 yards, with both marks ranking as the second-highest totals in school history. Wilcher helped in the development of UMass' all-time leading receiver who earned All-America honors and was the 1998 Atlantic-10 Rookie of the Year.
In addition, Wilcher completed an internship with the Chicago Bears in the summer of 2000, working with the Bears' wide receivers. In 2002, he received an intern position with the Arizona Cardinals and worked with the defensive backs.
Wilcher went to UMass after spending the 1995 and 1996 seasons as a graduate assistant coach at Boston College, where he worked with the defensive secondary and ran the scout teams. Wilcher also assisted the defensive coordinator with daily planning and the recruitment of student-athletes.
Prior to his stint at Boston College, Wilcher was the assistant football coach at Cheyney University, where he was in charge of the defensive secondary as well as videography and recruiting. From 1992-94, he served as an assistant football coach at Morehouse College in Atlanta, Ga., where he coached the running backs for nearly two years, before taking over the defensive secondary in February of 1994.
Wilcher earned his undergraduate degree in business administration with a concentration in finance from Morehouse College in 1992 and is currently working on his master's of science degree in administrative studies at Boston College. While at Morehouse, Wilcher lettered in both football and baseball, while serving as the captain of the football team's defensive backs in 1991.
Wilcher and his wife, Ayanna, have a son, Xavier, and two daughters, Jalen and Jehlani.
