Ron Vanderlinden
Ron Vanderlinden is the linebackers coach at Penn State University, a position he assumed in 2001. Vanderlinden has continued the level of coaching excellence that has helped establish Penn State University as “Linebackers U.” Vanderlinden came to Penn State after serving as head coach at the University of Maryland from 1997-2000. A native of Livonia, Michigan, he was defensive coordinator at Northwestern from 1992-‘96 and spent nine years as a defensive assistant at Colorado. He was an important element in the Wildcats’ emergence, which produced Big Ten championship seasons in 1995 and 1996. At Colorado, Vanderlinden coached several NFL draft choices and helped the Buffaloes win the 1990 national championship. He began his career as a graduate assistant at Bowling Green in 1978 and has also coached at Michigan and Ball State. A four-year starter at center at Albion College, he twice earned All-Conference honors.
