Wilmington College head football coach Stacey Hairston has added a former National Football League (NFL) first-round draft pick to his coaching staff for the upcoming season.

Derrick Alexander, who was drafted 29th overall by the Cleveland Browns in 1994, joins the Fightin' Quakers staff thanks to the NFLPA Coaching Internship program. The former University of Michigan receiver finished with almost 7,000 yards and 40 touchdowns in his professional career. After the Browns moved to Baltimore, Alexander continued his career with the Ravens and also played for the Kansas City Chiefs and Minnesota Vikings before retiring.

"We are very fortunate to add Derrick Alexander to our coaching staff this year," said Hairston. "He has played at the highest level, being an NFL receiver. I think he will be tremendous for our receiving corps."

Alexander will be coaching the receivers along with Marque Jones.

"I have been trying to get into coaching for a while, and I saw this as a great opportunity to get some experience," said Alexander. "This is something I feel I want to do. I have played sports all my life and being on the field feels like home. It doesn't feel right to be sitting at a desk, so getting into coaching is the direction I want to go."

Since his retirement from the NFL in 2003, he has worked in various capacities in Information Technology in the Kansas City area. However, the itch to return to sports never waned.

"I've always wanted to do it," said Alexander. "The timing wasn't right. When I first retired, I wanted to get away, take a break, get away for a while and relax.

"I want to learn how to coach, this is what I want to pursue," he continued. "I want to learn the game from a coaching perspective. I want to help the players become good guys on and off the field."

Alexander is married to his wife of 14 years, Kim, and they have three girls, Alexis, 15, Mackenzie, 8, and Brooke, 7.