After receiving a Juris Doctor degree, he took a pay cut from $22,000 to $8,500 and became an assistant ticket manager at his alma mater. He rose through the ranks of the Maryland athletic department and became athletic director in 1981, succeeding Jim Kehoe.Dull touted for Kehoe's UM post, The Baltimore Sun, June 9, 1981. In January 1982, Dull hired Bobby Ross to succeed Jerry Claiborne as the school's head football coach.K.C. aide Ross to be Terps' grid coach, The Baltimore Sun, January 12, 1982. The hire was somewhat surprising as Ross, then an assistant coach for the Kansas City Chiefs, was not a high-profile coach. Ross described himself as a "no name".Bobby Ross: 'no name' no longer, The Baltimore Sun, November 28, 1982. Nevertheless, Maryland had great success under Ross, and quarterback Boomer Esiason excelled in his pro-style offense. Champion of the underdog, Time Herald-Record, August 8, 2004.
