KINGSVILLE, Texas – With the 2018 opener just around the corner, Texas A&M-Kingsville football head coach Daren Wilkinson announced the additions of Parker Cundiff and Ross Fiegener to full-time positions on his staff ahead of the regular season.

"I have been fortunate in the caliber of coach that has been on my staff," said Wilkinson, "and the additions of Parker and Ross will continue that excellence.

"Both have been on our staff in a graduate assistant capacity and have earned their stripes through dedication and hard work. They have the utmost respect for the team and staff members and I look forward to them helping this program strive for, and attain, excellence."

Cundiff will spend the 2018 season as the tight ends coach and assistant special teams coordinator, while Fiegener will serve as the defensive line and strength and conditioning coach.

The son of former Javelina head coach Richard Cundiff (2000-06), Parker Cundiff spent the last two seasons as the tight ends, full backs and special teams assistant coach before moving into his current position.

"I love Javelina Nation," said Cundiff, "and I look forward to helping our student-athletes earn degrees and find success on the field."

A 2012 graduate of the University of Texas at San Antonio, Cundiff first joined the TAMUK staff in December 2015 as the defensive line and special teams graduate assistant coach while working towards his M.S. in educational administration.

During his current tenure, Cundiff helped coach five All-LSC selections in Julio De la Garza (2015 – second team, 2016 – first team), Stehly Reden (2016 – first team, 2017 – first team) and Torrey Thomas (2016 – first team), while Reden (D2CCA) and Thomas (Don Hansen) both earned All-Region honors in 2016 in addition to Thomas' Don Hansen Second Team All-America selection.

Prior to that, Cundiff spent a year working for Wood Group as an oil and gas-measurement technician from 2013 to 2014 following a stint as a substitute teacher at Northside ISD.

While at UTSA, Cundiff was a member of the inaugural Roadrunner football team from 2010 to 2012 as a punter and placekicker before graduating with a B.A. in English and minor in communications.

A 2015 graduate of Occidental College, Ross Fiegener joined the TAMUK staff as a kinesiology and strength and conditioning graduate assistant in 2016 while working towards his M.S. in kinesiology before stepping into his current role.

"I'm grateful to continue to be part of the program," said Fiegener, "and to continue to work for them. We had a great winter and spring workout, and built a lot, so I'm looking forward to keeping up with the process and capitalizing on it in the fall.

"I'd like to thank coach Wilkinson for hiring me and keeping me on, and I'm looking forward to keeping up the grind and getting some wins under our belt."

During his time at TAMUK, Fiegener also spent the summer of 2017 as an intern at the University of Texas Athletic Performance Department working with all Olympic sports UT has to offer in addition to developing a yearlong strength and conditioning program tailored for volleyball.

Prior to that, Fiegener became a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) by the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) as well as earning his CPR and AED certification from the American Heart Association in June 2016.

Fiegener's first coaching gig was at Vista del Lago H.S., where he was a First Team All-Conference and Defensive Player of the Year prior to his graduation in 2010, and took over as the assistant coach for linebackers as well as strength and conditioning.

While at Occidental, Fiegener was a two-time selection to the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) All-Academic team and graduated with his B.A. in kinesiology in 2015.

The Javelinas kick off the 2018 campaign on the road against A&M-Commerce on August 30, while the first home game is scheduled for September 7 against Texas Wesleyan.

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