Next Meeting January 24, 2011
"Bowl Party"
| August 18 | Mike Gottfried, ex- HFC at Kansa, Cincinnati,
Pittsburg, @ Sneakers |
| Sept | Phil Fulmer as Keynote Speaker |
| September 13 | RC Slocum, ex- HFC at Texas A & M, @ Sneakers |
| September 27 | George O'Leary, HFC at UCF, @ Sneakers |
| October 11 | Jeremy Foley, AD at UF, @ Sneakers |
| October 25 | "Border Wars" (UF vs. U Ga.), @ Sneakers |
| November 1 | Dirk Koetter, Offensive Coordinator, JAX
Jaguars, @ Terrace Suites/Everbank Stadium |
| November 15 | Phil Fulmer, ex-HFC at U. Tenn. |
| December 6 | Mark Richt, HFC at U. Ga. |
December 13
| Possibility of Jimbo Fisher as Keynote Speaker
|
| January 24 | "Bowl Party" |
| January 31 | Team Focus Charity Auction |
Jeremy N. Foley
Athletics Director
University of Florida
Jeremy Foley has handled virtually every aspect of the University of Florida’s $94.6 million athletic program during his athletic administrative career - which began with an internship in the Gator Ticket Office in 1976 - was named UF’s Director of Athletics in March of 1992.
A man with great vision and experience, Foley, 57, brings a passionate top-to-bottom team approach to the top athletic post at the University of Florida. Foley’s philosophy involves the continued building of a comprehensive athletic program, with the goal of having the overall UF program ranked as the top athletic program in the nation.
Says Foley, who had served as UF’s Senior Associate Athletic Director since 1987 and is the longest active tenured athletic director in the Southeastern Conference, “We have an outstanding academic institution and fantastic coaches, student-athletes, administrators, facilities and fans. With hard work, patience and a commitment to excellence and integrity, we will achieve the success this University deserves.”
Foley’s commitment to the overall athletic program includes a plan of increased opportunities for women, as three women’s sports have been added under his tenure – soccer, softball and, most recently, lacrosse.
Also, in an era when the NCAA estimates 90 percent of Division I schools are losing money on intercollegiate athletics, the University of Florida Athletic Association has contributed more than $55 million since 1990 to help fund University of Florida academic endeavors.
Florida has been equally successful on the field of play and in the classroom during Foley’s administrative tenure. The Florida athletic program is the only one to rank among the nation’s top 10 in national all-sports standings for 27 consecutive years (1983-84, 2009-10). Florida ranked among the top five for 14 of the last 21 years, according to national all-sport rankings.
UF became the first program in collegiate history to own both the men’s basketball and football national titles in the same calendar year, after capturing crowns in 2006. The men’s basketball team then became the first repeat champions in their sport in 15 years after cutting the nets down again in 2007.
Foley is the only athletic director in Division I history to supervise a program that has won multiple national titles in football (1996, 2006, 2008) and men’s basketball (2006, 2007) and overall 15 Gator athletic teams been crowned national champions under his watch.
The 2009-10 athletic year was the best in school history. On the strength of national championships by the women’s swimming and diving team and the men’s indoor track and field team, the Gators finished second in the national all-sports rankings, the best finish in school history. It also marked the first time UF had finished in the top three in consecutive seasons after a third place showing in 2008-09. A school-record14 teams finished in the top 10, including nine in the top-five. In Southeastern Conference action, Florida picked up seven league crowns in 2009-10 action, raising its total to 95 league titles since 1992, the top totals in the SEC over that time span. Florida turned in the league record for SEC titles in a single season (8) in 1991-92 and has twice since earned seven titles in the 1996-97 and 1997-98 seasons.
UF’s commitment in the classroom is equally impressive. Under Foley, UF student-athletes have been honored 78 times as Academic All-Americans, the fourth-highest among all Division I colleges since 1992. For the 2009-10 academic year, the University of Florida had 177 Academic Honor Roll honorees, giving Florida a league-high 1,718 recipients in the last 10 seasons.
The Gator athletic coaching family, which Foley had a large part in assembling, has collected 67 SEC Coach of-the-Year awards during the last 18 years.
(sited from http://www.gatorzone.com/foley)
Coach George O’Leary
University of Central Florida
In his six years at UCF, George O'Leary has helped the Knights achieve dozens of historic firsts including games in front of sellout crowds on campus, individual accolades for student-athletes, a conference championship and trips to prestigious bowl games.
Since taking over the program in 2004, O'Leary has made sure that UCF has reached new heights. On and off of the field, the veteran head coach has molded his program into a consistent winner.
In 2005, O'Leary's second season at UCF, he engineered one of the top turnarounds in the history of college football. Just one year removed from an 0-11 campaign, he guided the Knights to a historic season, complete with the program's first bowl appearance.
His hard work contributed to the construction of Bright House Networks Stadium. Interest in the program has never been higher. His student-athletes are enjoying record success in the classroom, and the Knights are winning on the football field.
In 2007, O'Leary guided the Knights to arguably the finest campaign in program history. UCF won 10 contests, claimed the Conference USA Championship and participated in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl in front of a nationally-televised audience on ESPN.
O'Leary was recognized the C-USA Coach of the Year award for the second time in three campaigns. Both CBSsports.com and SportsIllustrated.com named him the national coach of the year.
For the Knights and their fans, 2007 was truly a year to remember. For the college football world, the season was more evidence that O'Leary has built the Knights into a powerful program. Two short years later, O'Leary and the Knights earned a bid to the 2009 St. Petersburg Bowl.
Excellence off the Field
O'Leary has reshaped the UCF program in every facet, including improved results in the classroom. The Knights turned in a successful effort in the classroom during the 2008 campaign, registering the highest in-season grade-point-average in program history at 2.782. A total of 55 student-athletes recorded a GPA of least 3.0 during the fall 2008 semester.
Success at Georgia Tech
O'Leary was the head coach at Georgia Tech from 1994-01 after taking over as interim head coach for the final three games of the 1994 season. During his seven-year stint at Georgia Tech, O'Leary guided the Yellow Jackets to a 52-33 record. The squad made five bowl appearances under O'Leary.
From 1995-01, Georgia Tech recorded five winning seasons in six years. His 1998 squad won the Atlantic Coast Conference Championship and played in the Gator Bowl on New Year's Day. O'Leary's Georgia Tech teams won at least seven games on four occasions , including a 10-win campaign in 1998 and nine victories in 2000. The 2000 Bobby Dodd National Coach of the Year, O'Leary was named the ACC Coach of the Year in 1998 and 2000.
One trademark of O'Leary's tenure as a head coach has been the quality of his coaching staffs. While at Georgia Tech, he had three assistants who later garnered head coaching jobs. Ralph Friedgen (Maryland), Randy Edsall (Connecticut) and Ted Roof (Duke) all served under O'Leary. Both Friedgen and Edsall have led their schools to BCS conference titles.
NFL Experience
Prior to coming to UCF, O'Leary served on Minnesota's NFL coaching staff for two seasons. In 2003, he was the Vikings' defensive coordinator. In his first season with the team in 2002, he guided the defensive line into becoming the strength of the Minnesota defense. He also served as the squad's assistant head coach.
O'Leary also served as the defensive line coach for San Diego from 1992-93. In 1992, the defense had 51 sacks as the Chargers won the AFC West with an 11-5 record.
Moving Up the Ranks
O'Leary had the first of two stints at Georgia Tech from 1987-91. He served as the defensive coordinator/defensive line coach. The team finished 11-0-1 in 1990 and won the national championship, defeating Nebraska in the Florida Citrus Bowl.
A Long Island native, O'Leary received his first coaching job at the collegiate level at Syracuse (1980-86). He coached the defensive line and was also the assistant head coach his final two seasons.
He started his coaching career at the high school level. From 1968-76, he coached at Central Islip (N.Y.) High School. O'Leary was the head coach at the school from 1975-76, before taking over as the head coach at Liverpool High School. He posted a 37-8-1 record in five seasons as a prep head coach, including a perfect 10-0 campaign in 1979.
O'Leary was born in Central Islip, N.Y., and attended Central Islip High School. He attended the University of New Hampshire and earned his degree in physical education. O'Leary and his wife, Sharon, have two daughters, Chris and Trish, and two sons, Tim and Marty. The O'Leary's welcomed their first grandchild in 2006 as Tim and his wife Jennifer gave birth to a son named Tate. The couple had a second son, Cullen, in 2008.
(sited from http://ucfathletics.cstv.com)
R.C. Slocum
R.C. Slocum is the winningest football coach in Texas A&M's history. After his last season at A&M in 2002, he had compiled a career record of 123-47-2 (.721). The 123 victories in his first 14 years ranks eighth all-time and puts him in the company of coaching legends such as Barry Switzer (137), Tom Osborne (137), Steve Spurrier (132), Joe Paterno (131), LaVell Edwards (129), Amos Alonzo Stagg (128), and Bud Wilkerson (124).
Slocum won six championships as head coach of the Aggies; three SWC titles, two Big 12 South Division titles, and the 1998 Big 12 Conference Championship. He was league Coach of the Year four times and was runner up for National Coach of the Year honors in 1994. His teams went to 11 bowl games with five of those being New Year's Day bowls. On 10 occasions, the Aggies, under Slocum, finished ranked in the AP Top 25 and three times finished in the Top Ten. During Slocum's tenure, the Aggies were especially hard to beat at home where they won .854 of their games at Kyle Field. At home, the Aggies compiled 22 and 29 game winning streaks. In conference play, A&M compiled a Southwest Conference record unbeaten streak of 29 games; four straight seasons without a loss. As Texas A&M closed out the Southwest Conference era, Slocum's winning percentage of .865 (44-6-2) was the best in league history besting the .797 percentage set by the legendary Darrel Royal of the University of Texas.
R.C. is a native of Orange, Texas where he was an All-District end at Stark High School. He attended college at McNeese State University in Lake Charles, La. There, he was a four year letterman and set school records for receiving as an end. Following his senior season he was named Most Valuable Lineman. R.C. received his undergraduate degree from McNeese and was a member of Blue Key National Honor Fraternity. He also received a Master of Education Administration. In 2002, he was recognized as a Distinguished Alumnus and in 2003 was inducted into the McNeese Athletic Hall of Fame.
Lake Charles High School, in 1968, was the first stop in R.C.'s coaching career. He was there two seasons before moving to Kansas State University where he coached the 70 and 71 seasons. In 1972, R.C. started a long association with Texas A&M as an offensive assistant with new head coach Emory Bellard. In 1973, he moved over to the defensive side of the ball as defensive ends coach. Later he would coach the linebackers and become defensive coordinator for the 79 and 80 seasons. The next stop, in 1981, was the University of Southern California where R.C. was the defensive coordinator under John Robinson. Slocum's defense led the Pac-10 Conference that year and the team played in the Fiesta Bowl. In 1982, R.C. returned to Texas A&M as defensive coordinator with new head coach Jackie Sherrill. Prior to the 1985 season, Slocum was promoted to Assistant Head Coach. That season saw the Aggies lead the SWC in defense and win the conference championship. The first of three straight championships and foundation of the reckless style of defensive play that later led A&M's defense to be called the "Wrecking Crew". In 1989, R.C. Slocum was named head football coach at Texas A&M
He coached in the East/West Shrine All Star game, the Japan Bowl, and the Hula Bowl and has been involved in many charities including the Children's Miracle Network, the Peaceable Kingdom Retreat for Children, the Houston Live Stock Show and Rodeo, and Special Olympics. R.C. has also served as a Trustee of the American Football Coaches Association and is currently the President of the American Football Coaches Foundation. Since 2002, R.C has served as a Special Advisor to the President of Texas A&M. In February 2006, Coach Slocum was inducted into the Texas Sports Hall of Fame. His hobbies include golf, horse back riding, hunting and fishing.
Slocum is married to the former Nel Jennings and has two sons, Shawn Slocum, an assistant football coach with the Green Bay Packers and John Harvey Slocum, who is in the oil field services business. Nel has a son, Randy Jennings who is a student at Texas A&M.
Ray Goff, Former Georgia Bulldogs Head Football Coach
Goff attended the University of Georgia, where he played quarterback from 1974-76, leading the team to
19 wins over his final two seasons under coach Vince Dooley. As a player, he was named Southeastern Conference player of the year in 1976, when the team he captained won the SEC title.
He was a three year letterman at Georgia.
Ron Simmons
Born in Perry, Georgia, Simmons attended Warner Robins High School, where he played American football as a tight end and linebacker. In 1976, he was named lineman of the year, and first team All-State by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Simmons was an All-American football player at Florida State University from 1977-80 under coach Bobby Bowden (whom Simmons described as "a second father"), spending four years as a defensive nose guard. The Seminoles were 39-8 during Simmons' years at the school, finishing in the Associated Press Top 20 three times ('77,'79 and '80), earning back-to-back Orange Bowl trips after Simmons' junior and senior seasons.[4] In 1979 Simmons finished ninth in the Heisman voting,[5] behind winner Charles White. In 1988, Simmons' jersey (number 50) was retired by Florida State University,[6] the third time a number has been retired in FSU history. In addition, Simmons was inducted into the Orange Bowl Hall of Fame for his accomplishments while playing at Florida State University. He was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame in 2008.[7]
He later had a brief career in the National Football League, selected as pick #160 in the 1981 NFL Draft. He played for the Cleveland Browns, and the USFL's Tampa Bay Bandits in 1984 and in 1985, but it was in Tampa where he was a teammate of future professional wrestler Lex Luger and Dallas Cowboys offensive lineman Nate Newton.
Joe Tiller, Head Coach Purdue
In 1989 and 1990, Tiller was assistant head coach, offensive coordinator and offensive line coach at Washington State (under Mike Price). While with the Cougars he recruited and helped develop longtime NFL quarterback Drew Bledsoe. Prior to that, Tiller was offensive coordinator and offensive line coach at Wyoming (under Paul Roach) in 1987 and 1988. The Cowboys won back-to-back WAC titles and went to two Holiday Bowls.
Tiller's first stint at Purdue was from 1983 to 1986 as assistant head coach, defensive coordinator and defensive line coach (under Leon Burtnett). Among the players he coached was perennial NFL All-Pro defensive back Rod Woodson. In 1984, the Boilermakers played in the Peach Bowl.
From 1974 to 1982, Tiller spent nine seasons with the Calgary Stampeders of the Canadian Football League. He was an assistant coach (offensive and defensive lines) from 1974 to 1976, interim head coach for six games in 1976 (2-3-1 record), assistant general manager from 1977 to 1980 and director of administration and player personnel from 1980 to 1982.
Tiller was an assistant coach at Washington State from 1971 to 1973, spending one year as defensive line coach and two years as offensive coordinator and offensive line coach (under Jim Sweeney).
In 1965, Tiller began his coaching career as an assistant (offensive and defensive lines) at Montana State (under Sweeney). He was with the Bobcats through 1970.
A native of Toledo, Ohio, Tiller attended Rogers High School and earned a B.S. degree in secondary education from Montana State in 1965. He was an honorable mention All-America offensive tackle and team captain for the Bobcats. Tiller was drafted by the Boston Patriots of the American Football League in 1964 (18th round) but did not sign. He played for Calgary of the CFL during the 1964 season.
Tiller (born Dec. 7, 1942) and his wife, Arnette, have three children: Renee, Julie and Mike. They also have two golden retrievers, Sami and Maggie.
Tiller is a member of the American Football Coaches Association and is in constant demand as a public speaker. In 2004, he was instrumental in the formation of the Northwest Indiana chapter of the National Football Foundation, promoting youth football. The chapter was renamed in his honor in June of 2007. His autobiography, Tiller: Not Your Average Joe, was published in 2006.
Randy Spetman
Florida State University President, Dr. T.K. Wetherell, introduced Randy Spetman as the university's new Director of Athletics. Spetman, a former Air Force colonel, takes over at FSU after serving as Athletics Director at Utah State since July 1, 2004 and at the United States Air Force Academy from 1996-2003.
"Randy Spetman has a strong record of leadership with honesty and integrity. His experience and organizational and management skills set him apart as one of the best athletics directors in the country," Wetherell said. "We're very pleased that he is joining the Florida State Family."
Spetman, 55, was lauded over his tenure at Utah State for the success of the Aggies' athletic programs both on the field or court and in the classroom. Utah State joined the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) in 2005 and Utah State claimed four conference championships in its first two years. Even more impressive is the fact that USU's student-athletes lead the WAC with a 78 percent graduation rate and have maintained over a 3.0 cumulative grade point average.
Under Spetman's leadership, Utah State moved forward with several facility projects, including profile improvements to the football stadium. He also spearheaded fundraising and building efforts for a $12.5 million facility that will serve to meet the academic and athletic needs of the 16 intercollegiate sports at Utah State. He crafted a unique business partnership for medical health coverage that improved the overall coverage of USU student-athletes and reduced medical costs. In addition, he negotiated a lucrative new marketing agreement for Aggie Athletics with Learfield Sports Properties.
"Florida State University is one of the finest college athletics programs in the nation. To be asked to serve as its athletics director is a great compliment, and I was thrilled to accept. I proudly served my country for many years with honor, commitment and pride. And I now look forward to bringing my skills as an athletics director to this university and serving Florida State University with the same honor, commitment and pride."
Prior to his stint at Utah State, Spetman spent eight successful years (1996-2003) as Director of Athletics at the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Co. During his tenure, he administered the school's 27-sport intercollegiate program as well as the physical education and intramural programs. Under his command, athletics teams at the Academy enjoyed unmatched success as the football team participated in four bowl games, while the men's basketball team advanced to its first-ever NCAA Tournament.
Born and raised in Council Bluffs, Iowa, Spetman graduated from the Air Force Academy in 1976. He earned three letters as a defensive end for the Falcons and was a team captain as a senior. He also won a pair of heavyweight Wing Open Boxing Championships.
Spetman's 28 and one-half year military career took him around the world in a variety of positions. A command pilot with more than 3,000 hours of flight time, Spetman's range of positions took him from assistant football coach at his alma mater to a pilot, and from the Chief of Bomber Planning in Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm to serving as Chief, Command and Control Division, Operations Directorate of the U.S. European Command in Stuttgart, Germany.
A graduate from Squadron Officer School, he attended the National War College and earned a master's degree in National Security Strategy. Spetman also holds a master's in management and supervision from Central Michigan University. He is currently the second Vice President of the National Association of Collegiate Director's of Athletics (NACDA).
He and his wife, the former Becky Luhring of Des Moines, Iowa, are the parents of two grown children, Brian and Kim.
Spetman was unanimously selected from a large field of candidates that was narrowed to four formal applicants that went through the on-campus interview process.
Kerwin Bell
Kerwin Bell had a well-traveled football career. He was drafted by the Miami Dolphins of the NFL in 1988 (7th round, 180th pick overall) but did not play for the team. He did play for the Orlando Thunder of the World League of American Football. He threw for 2214 yards in 1991 but was a backup in 1992 when the team went to the World Bowl.
He began a 7 year Canadian Football League career in 1993, with the Sacramento Gold Miners, part of the failed CFL expansion into the United States. As a back-up quarterback in 1993, Bell threw for 296 yards, but this increased to 1812 yards in 1994. Bell played for the Edmonton Eskimos in 1995.
In 1996, Bell landed a roster spot with the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League and in week 15, entered the game being played against the Philadelphia Eagles. Bell attempted 5 passes and completed all of them, throwing for 75 yards total on the day. One of his 5 passes was completed for a touchdown in the only NFL game played in his career.
After the 1996 season with the Indianapolis Colts, and a two-year break from the CFL, Bell returned in 1998 with the Toronto Argonauts, and had his best professional year, throwing for 4991 yards and completing 67.3 percent of his passes (a team record.) He would throw for 501 yards against Edmonton on September 26 1998. Bell was named a CFL Eastern Conference All-Star that year. He spent 1999 and 2000 with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, but would return to the Argonauts for part of the 2000 and the 2001 CFL seasons. Bell would throw for 8811 career yards in 46 regular season games in Toronto. During his second stint with the Argos, he is remembered for a play in which he hit himself in the groin after spiking the ball during a touchdown celebration.
Coaching career
After winning a 2006 2B state championship as head coach of Ocala, Florida's Trinity Catholic High School (quarterbacked by eventual fellow Gators QB John Brantley), Bell was hired in 2007 as head coach of the Jacksonville University football program. In 2008, he was named Pioneer Football League Coach of the Year and a finalist for the Eddie Robinson Award after his Dolphins went 9-4 and won that league's championship.
Tony Barnhart
Tony Barnhart is a reporter for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, currently appears as a college football insider for CBS sports on their college football coverage. Tony graduated with a degree in journalism from the University of Georgia in 1976. He began his career as a reporter for the Greensboro News & Record. He moved to Atlanta in 1984, where he covered mostly ACC action. In July, 1987, he started a stint as the college sports editor of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, a position he still holds. Before going to CBS, he was a reporter for ESPN’s college football coverage beginning in 1993. He started appearing as a regional beat reporter on the “halftime blitz.” Starting with the 1997 season, he began appearing on College GameDay.
2008 Speakers
Mike Gottfried
Mike Gottfried, who spent 12 successful seasons as a college football coach is now one of television’s most respected game analysts. Since 1990, he’s served as an ESPN college football analyst for ESPN’s Saturday Primetime telecasts.He also worked for the first half season of the Thursday Night Game of the Week, as well as the NFL Draft. Gottfried joined the network in 1990 and provided analysis on late afternoon CFA games for one season.In 2001, Mike founded Team Focus, a comprehensive community outreach program for boys. The goal of Team Focus is to provide fatherless young men ages 10 to 18 with leadership skills, guidance, Godly values and a continual relationship with a mentor.
September 15, 2008
Dennis Franchione
Dennis Franchione commonly known as Coach Fran, coach who was most recently the head coach of the Texas A&M Aggies football team in College Station, Texas. In his 23 seasons as head coach, Franchione has won eight conference championships and one divisional crown.
Franchione received his Bachelor of Arts in 1973 from Pittsburg State University in Pittsburg, Kansas. Franchione and his wife, the former Kim Kraus, began dating after he took her on a tour of his alma mater, Pittsburg State University, at the request of her father. They married shortly after, in 1977. The couple have two daughters, Elizabeth Ann and Ashley Renee. Franchione also has a son, Brad, who is the head football coach at Blinn College, from a previous marriage. Brad and his wife, Rebecca, have two children.
Gary Darnell
Gary Darnell is the former defensive coordinator of the Texas A&M Aggies football team. A long-time defensive coordinator, Darnell was previously the head coach at Western Michigan University and Tennessee Technological University, and interim head coach at the University of Florida. Coach Darnell attended Oklahoma State University as a personal management major and linebacker for the Cowboys football team. As a senior in 1969, he earned All-Big Eight Conference linebacker honors. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1969 and again joined the Oklahoma State football team as a graduate assistant
September 29, 2008
Jim Grobe, Head Coach Wake Forrest University
Wake Forest head football coach Jim Grobe is in the midst of piloting the Demon Deacons through the most successful period in school history.
After seven seasons at the helm, Grobe has built a football program that that has been to back-to-back bowl games and proven itself to be an annual contender for the Atlantic Coast Conference championship.
In 2007, Grobe led the Deacons to a 9-4 record including a 24-10 win over Connecticut in the Meineke Car Care Bowl. Combined with last year's 11-3 record, Wake Forest has won 20 games in the last two seasons. Only 18 members of the NCAA's Football Bowl Subdivision have won 20 or more games since the start of the 2006 season. Among the nine wins in 2007 were victories over North Carolina, North Carolina State and Duke. Never before had Wake Forest swept the Tobacco Road series in consecutive seasons. And never before had Wake won as many as 20 games in just two seasons.
During his first seven seasons at Wake, Grobe has set numerous milestones that were never previously achieved by a Deacon football coach. Grobe has taken the Deacons to back-to-back bowl games for the first time in school history. He is the only coach to take Wake Forest to three bowl games in a career. And, with a 46-39 record in seven seasons with the Deacons, he is the first coach in over 50 years to have a career mark of seven games over .500.
The success of the Deacons in 2007 came as no surprise to those who have watched Grobe build the Wake Forest program from the ground up. In his first five years on the job, Grobe was busy building respectability. In the last two years, he has been busy chasing championships.
The 2006 season was one to remember for all Wake Forest fans. Grobe led Wake Forest to its second-ever ACC Championship and its first since 1970. The Deacons won the ACC's Atlantic Division title after being picked to finish last by the league's media in the preseason. The 11 wins posted by the 2006 team set a school record as Wake was the most improved team in the nation, following a 4-7 record in 2005. The Deacs were ranked in the AP top 25 for nine straight weeks in 2006, the longest streak in school history and beat Florida State in Tallahassee for the first time since 1959 while posting their first win over N.C. State in Raleigh since 1984. Grobe's hard work was rewarded by his unanimous selection as the ACC Coach of the Year. He was selected as the National Coach of the Year by the American Football Coaches Association, the Bobby Dodd Foundation, the Associated Press, The Sporting News and CBS Sportsline.com.
Grobe was hired in December 2000 to take over a Demon Deacon football program long regarded as an afterthought in the ACC. He inherited a Wake Forest program that won only 38 games in the 1990's.
Football observers have recognized Grobe's efforts in transforming Wake Forest into one of the rising programs, not just in the ACC, but on a regional and national basis.
The levels of excitement and expectation surrounding Demon Deacon football have reached unprecedented heights. That is a tribute to Grobe and his staff who believe the best is yet to come.
Grobe, 56, has gained a national reputation as a builder of programs.
He came to Wake Forest after turning a struggling Ohio University program into a contender for the Mid-American Conference championship.
In the six seasons before Grobe left his assistant's position at the Air Force Academy to become Ohio University's head coach, the Bobcats won nine games. In the six years under Grobe, they won 33 and finished with winning records in the Mid-American Conference five straight seasons.
Grobe coached at Ohio for six years (1995-2000). After taking over the reigns of a program that went 0-11 and was ranked last among Division I-A programs in 1994, Grobe led the Bobcats to a cumulative six-year record of 33-33-1.
A 1975 University of Virginia graduate, Grobe gained valuable experience as an assistant to Fisher DeBerry at the Air Force Academy prior to going to Ohio. He served as linebackers coach from 1984 to 1994, during which time the Falcons produced a record of 84-50 and appeared in seven bowl games.
Grobe was born on Feb. 17, 1952. A native of Huntington, W. Va., Grobe earned his undergraduate degree (B.S.) in education from Virginia in 1975 and earned a Master's degree in guidance and counseling in 1978.
He and his wife, Holly, are the parents of two boys, Matt and Ben, and have two grandchildren.
October 13, 2008
Urban Meyer, Head Coach University of Florida
When University of Florida Athletics Director Jeremy Foley hired Urban Meyer on December 4, 2004, the goal was to return Florida football to Southeastern Conference and national prominence.
Mission accomplished.
After a 41-14 win over No. 1 ranked Ohio State in Glendale, Ariz., on January 8th, 2007, Meyer and The Gator Nation stood center stage basking in the glory of the second national championship in school history.
Meyer, 43, became the seventh head coach in NCAA history to win a national championship in his first or second year at a school and the 14th- youngest head coach to win a national title since 1950.
Meyer is one of only four active coaches to win a national championship, coach a Heisman Trophy winner and coach a number one pick in the National Football League Draft.
Florida’s run to the 2006 national championship featured a school-record 13 wins, including the school’s seventh Southeastern Conference Championship with a 38-28 win over Arkansas in the SEC Title tilt.
The magnitude of the national championship grows when one considers that the 2006 Florida schedule ranked as the toughest in the country by the NCAA, featuring six ranked teams and 11 teams that played in bowl games – the top total in the nation. Meyer was named the National Coach of the Year by the All-American Football Foundation at the conclusion of the season.
The three-year tenure of Coach Meyer in Gainesville extends beyond the 2006 National Championship and Southeastern Conference Championship. UF is 31-8 during the last three seasons, tied for the third-best win total in the nation during that time, and no other SEC Eastern Division school posts a better league mark than UF’s 17-7 record during that span.
Meyer, who has 22 years of coaching experience, including seven as a head coach, became the only coach in school history to post seven-consecutive wins against UF’s traditional rivals – Tennessee, Georgia and Florida State. Overall, Meyer has won eight of nine against the trio.
Florida has been ranked in the each of the 47 polls under Coach Meyer, including 23 weeks in the top 10.
A three-time national Coach-of-the-Year, his career record stands at 70-16 and his .814 winning percentage ranks third nationally among active coaches with at least five years of coaching experience. Just as impressive, Meyer owns an 11-3 record against the other top 10 active winningest coaches in college football. He is one of nine coaches in the history of Division I-A football to reach 70 wins in seven seasons or less.
He owns a 41-3 record at home in his career, including 19-1 in The Swamp. Few are better than getting a team ready to play, as Meyer sports a 23-3 record when having more than a week to prepare for a game.
Fourteen Gators have been selected in the NFL Draft, including a nation’s best nine in 2007. Overall, 31 Gators have signed NFL contracts under Meyer.
Off the field, Meyer established the Gators’ Leadership Committee, a group of players charged with acting as spokesmen for the team and handling situations related to team policy issues, academic affairs, off-campus circumstances and other topics.
His priority on academics has resulted in more than 38 percent of the University of Florida football scholarship student-athletes earning above a 3.0 GPA in the 2008 Spring Semester and 70 players have been named to the Southeastern Conference Academic Honor Roll in the last three years. Tim Tebow became the first Florida football player named to First Team Academic All-America since Danny Wuerffel in 1996. Tebow also is only the second sophomore football player in school history and the fourth sophomore athlete overall at UF to earn first-team Academic All-America honors.
Chris Leak was a finalist for the 2006 Draddy Trophy, dubbed the Academic Heisman and was selected as the 2006 Fall Graduating Outstanding Leader for all students on campus. Leak was the featured speaker at UF graduation ceremonies and joined 11 of his senior teammates who earned their degrees in December of 2006. In addition, Mike Degory was named to ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District III Team in 2005 in Meyer’s first year.
Meyer’s 2007 Gator team produced one of the most prolific offensive attacks in school history. Behind Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow, the Gator offense ranked third nationally (42.5 ppg) and was just eight points shy of tying the school mark for most scored in a season. The team led the nation and established a school record by converting on 53 percent of third downs and posted the second-highest passing efficiency mark in the country (170.17). UF was the only school in the nation to rush for a touchdown and pass for a touchdown in every game.
Against the third-toughest schedule in the nation, UF won nine games for the third-straight year for the first time since 1999-2001 and extended its school record with its 17th straight bowl appearance – the longest active streak in the SEC.
Meyer’s first year at Florida produced a nine-win season and January Bowl game victory, the Gators’ first since 2001. Not only did Florida defeat three of its biggest rivals (Tennessee, Georgia and Florida State), the Gators never trailed in each of those games – a first in program history. Florida’s final ranking of No. 12 in the Associated Press Poll was also its highest season-ending ranking since 2001.
Meyer became the first coach in UF history to defeat four ranked opponents in his initial season at Florida and his nine wins tied a school record for most wins by a first-year coach in Gainesville.
Meyer’s 2005 team continued to follow his blueprint for success. Take care of the ball, control the clock, win the field position battle and put the ball in the hands of the best players. Florida ranked third nationally in turnover margin at +18, just one shy of the school record set in 2000 and its average time of possession was 32:37, second-best in the SEC and best in UF records dating back to 1986. UF’s average starting field position was also tops in the league, thanks in large part to a punt return unit that allowed just 3.3 yards per return – the best in school history and second nationally. For the fifth straight season under Meyer, a wide receiver ranked among the top 20 nationally in catches per game – this time Chad Jackson tied a school record with 88 receptions, sixth-best in the nation and tied for fourth-best all-time in the SEC.
“Urban Meyer represents the qualities that we were looking for in our head coach,” Florida Athletics Director Jeremy Foley said. “He is an innovator of the game with proven success as a head coach. He has shown the ability to attract recruits and is a tremendous teacher. Urban’s accomplishments speak for themselves. He is a man of high values and principles and we welcome him and his family to the University of Florida family.”
“I am certainly excited about the opportunity to be the head coach at the University of Florida,” said Meyer. “There were a lot of factors that went into this decision that our entire family had to consider. The opportunity to compete at the highest level at one of the nation’s most-respected academic institutions is something that was attractive for us. The passion of Gator fans is legendary in collegiate athletics and I am eager to be a part of that environment.
“The quality of recruits within the state of Florida and the Southeast Region offers a tremendous recruiting base for us,” Meyer continued. “The support from the University’s administration is evident in their commitment to my family and I am looking forward to leading the Gator football program.”
“Urban Meyer is an outstanding coach with a strong record, great leadership skills and a very promising future,” said UF President J. Bernard Machen. “I am very happy to welcome him along with Shelley and the Meyer family to UF and Gainesville.”
Meyer earned multiple National Coach of the Year honors in 2004 after leading Utah to a perfect 12-0 season, the school’s first in 75 years. Meyer collected the Home Depot National Coach of the Year, the George Munger Award for the Collegiate Coach of the Year presented by the Maxwell Club and the Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year (Named by the Football Writers Association of America). He also was named National Coach of the Year by Pro Football Weekly and earned the Woody Hayes Trophy Award and the Victor Award.
With its post-season bid to the Fiesta Bowl, Utah made history by becoming the first school from a non-Bowl Championship Series conference to earn a berth in a BCS Bowl. Utah finished as the outright 2004 Mountain West Conference champion to become the only back-to-back outright winners in the league’s history.
Under his direction, the Utes ranked in the top five nationally in six statistical categories. Utah ranked third nationally in scoring (45.3), total offense (499.7), net punting (40.8), turnover margin (+1.25) and passing efficiency (173.4), and was ranked fifth nationally in kick returns (26.2). The Utes were the only school in the nation to have their rushing offense (236.1, 13th) and passing offense (263.7, 19th) rank in the top 20 nationally.
Utah led the MWC in 11 categories, including scoring offense, total offense, pass efficiency offense, pass efficiency defense, turnover margin, kick returns and third-down conversions (52.3). The Utes were the MWC runner-up in rushing offense, passing defense (203.3), scoring defense (19.5), total defense (343.2), punt returns (10.9) and sacks against (18).
Meyer completed his Utah coaching career riding a 16-game winning streak, the second-longest in the nation behind only Southern California (21). The Utes did not trail at halftime of any 2004 game and their closest margin of victory was 14, a 49-35 win over Air Force on Sept. 25.
Meyer’s mark has been made on the NFL Draft as well, tutoring the No.
1 pick in the 2005 Draft. Quarterback Alex Smith, the first-round draft pick by the San Francisco 49ers that April, is one of 62 former Meyer players who have signed contracts with NFL teams.
Meyer was named the 2003 National Coach of the Year by The Sporting News after leading the Utes to a 10-2 record, their first outright conference championship since 1957, a bowl victory and a final national ranking of No. 21. He became the first coach from the MWC and just the second coach from a non-BCS program to receive the coveted TSN award. Meyer was also voted the MWC Coach of the Year, becoming Utah's first conference coach of the year selection since 1978. He became the only coach in the school’s 111-year football history to win a conference title in his first year.
Ironically, Utah’s 2003 wins came against one of the toughest schedules in school history. Two were against Pac-10 foes Oregon and California, and the Ducks were ranked No. 19 when Utah scored a 17-13 upset. The Utes also knocked off perennial league powers Colorado State, Air Force and Brigham Young. It was the first Ute sweep of that trio in 10 years and the first-ever road sweep against them. Meyer's Utes capped the season with a 17-0 victory over Conference USA champion Southern Mississippi at the AXA Liberty Bowl.
In 2003, Utah won five more games than the previous year, when it was 5-6, and matched BCS national champion LSU as the fifth-most improved team in the nation. Meyer's explosive spread offense and one of the nation's best defenses brought Utah local and national attention. The 2003 Utes shattered their previous home attendance record by averaging 41,478 fans. The largest crowd ever to attend a Utah athletic event (46,768) and a national ESPN television audience watched the Utes beat California, 31-24, in Rice-Eccles Stadium.
Known as a defensive power, Utah's reputation on that side of the ball held true while the offense simply took off using Meyer's system. Utah shut out its last two opponents, Brigham Young and Southern Mississippi, and finished No. 19 in the nation in scoring defense (19.1 points per game). On the other side of the line, Utah went from last in scoring offense in 2002 to third in the league by averaging 28.7 points per game in ’03. A similar improvement (seventh to fourth) was made in total offense. Red zone scoring, a Meyer point of emphasis, rose 11 percentage points (68 percent -79 percent, with 61 percent of those scores coming on touchdowns (versus 49 percent in 2002).
Utah's special teams, under Meyer's direct supervision, also improved dramatically from past years. The Utes led the nation in kick return average (28.2 yards per return) and ranked second in the league in kickoff coverage (16.4 yards per opponent return) in 2003.
Meyer began his head coaching career at Bowling Green in 2001, where he engineered the top turnaround in NCAA Division I-A football, showing a six-win improvement from the previous season. The Falcons rebounded from a 2-9 record to post their first winning season since 1994 with an 8-3 finish. For his efforts, he was named the 2001 Mid-American Conference Coach of the Year. A year later, he guided BGSU to a 9-3 record and its highest national ranking in school history (No. 16 ESPN/USA Today and No. 20 Associated Press). Bowling Green spent five weeks in the national polls and finished third in the nation in scoring offense, averaging 40.8 points per game.
The Falcons, who became the highest scoring team in MAC history, also finished ninth in the nation in total offense (448.9 ypg) and 11th in rushing offense (219.1 ypg) in 2002. They were the only team in the nation to average at least 215 yards rushing and 215 yards passing per game. BGSU also led the nation in red zone production, scoring on 61-of-63 trips (.968) inside the 20-yard line, including 52 touchdowns.
His teams fared well defensively, too. In 2001, BGSU ranked first in the MAC in scoring defense (19.5 ppg), rushing defense (86.3 ypg) and total defense (319.5 ypg). Bowling Green led the MAC in turnover margin both years under Meyer.
Meyer's 17-6 record at Bowling Green included a 5-0 mark against BCS teams and two wins over ranked opponents. After his first of two wins over Missouri, Meyer was named ESPN.com National Coach of the Week in 2001.
Meyer apprenticed at Ohio State (1986-87), Illinois State (1988-89), Colorado State (1990-95) and Notre Dame (1996-2000) before getting the head job at Bowling Green. The Ashtabula, Ohio, native learned the coaching trade from the likes of Sonny Lubick, Lou Holtz, Earle Bruce and Bob Davie.
The 1999 season saw Meyer’s receiving corps break the Irish single-season record for pass receptions with 192 and total receiving yards with 2,858. During 1998, Meyer coached split end Malcolm Johnson, who ended his career with 110 receptions, the seventh-most in school history.
In 1997, Meyer coached Johnson and fellow receiver Bobby Brown as they became the first Irish pair of players to record 40 or more receptions individually in a season as Brown had 45 receptions and Johnson had 42. In addition, the Notre Dame receivers helped set a then single-season school record with 190 receptions.
Meyer coached a youthful Irish receiving corps in 1996 and helped integrate those players with veteran quarterback Ron Powlus to contribute to a Notre Dame offense that produced the third-highest figures for total offense and scoring in Irish history.
Prior to going to Notre Dame, Meyer had served as wide receiver coach for six years at Colorado State. He helped the Rams to the 1994 Western Athletic Conference title and to Holiday Bowl appearances following both the 1994 (10-2) and 1995 seasons (8-4).
In 1992, he coached wide receiver Greg Primus, an All-WAC pick who finished as Colorado State’s all-time leading receiver and ended up with 192 career catches for 3,200 yards (then 10th on the NCAA’s all-time yardage list). He also helped the Rams to the Freedom Bowl title following the 1990 season.
Meyer spent the previous two seasons at Illinois State, coaching quarterbacks and receivers in 1989 and outside linebackers in 1988. He worked as receivers coach at Ohio State in 1987 and helped the Buckeyes to a Cotton Bowl win following the 1986 campaign, when he coached tight ends.
A 13th-round pick in the Major League Baseball Amateur Draft in 1982, he played two years in the Atlanta Braves’ organization. He played as a defensive back at the University of Cincinnati before earning his degree in psychology in 1986. He went on to earn a master’s degree in sports administration from Ohio State in 1988.
Born July 10, 1964, Meyer and his wife Shelley are the parents of two daughters, Nicole (17) and Gigi (15), and a son, Nathan (9).
November 4, 2008
David Dean, Head Coach of Valdosta State Football Team
David Dean has been named head coach of the Valdosta State football team, according to an announcement made by VSU President Dr. Ronald Zaccari Friday afternoon.
Dean, who has served as the Blazers’ offensive coordinator the last seven years, brings a wealth of knowledge to his new position. He has tallied 19 years of collegiate coaching experience during his professional career and is entering his 12th season overall with the Blazers.
Dean has spent the last seven seasons as offensive coordinator and special teams coordinator with the Blazers, leading the VSU offensive unit to its most productive years in team history. During his first season, the 2000 Valdosta State team led the NCAA Division II ranks in both passing offense and total offense and quarterback Dusty Bonner won the Harlon Hill Trophy as Division II’s top player. The team was fifth in total offense in 2001, with Bonner again claiming honors as the nation’s top player. Dean was instrumental in the Blazers reaching the 2002 national championship game as well as Valdosta State’s national championship victory in 2004. Overall, the Blazers have won four Gulf South Conference championships under Dean and three players were named GSC Offensive Player-of-the-Year under his tutelage. In addition to Bonner winning the honor twice, Aaron Jenkins also won the award in 2002. Valdosta State set 21 single season team offensive records during Dean’s time as offensive coordinator, while the special teams unit established five new school marks under his direction.
Prior to Valdosta State, Dean spent eight seasons at the University of West Georgia, first as the running backs coach before assuming the school’s offensive coordinator position his last two seasons. West Georgia won two Gulf South Conference championships under Dean and quarterback Jeremy Clements was named the league’s 1998 Offensive Player-of-the-Year, Dean’s first year as the school’s offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach.
Dean, who turns 43 on February 3, is in his second stint with Valdosta State. He began his collegiate coaching career by spending four seasons as the wide receivers coach on Mike Cavan’s staff between 1988 and 1992. He also served as wide receivers coach at Avondale High School during the 1987 season and spent the 1986 school year as a graduate assistant coach at Georgia Tech. Dean walked on to the Georgia Tech squad in 1982 and earned a scholarship the following season as he played wide receiver for the Yellow Jackets through the 1985 school year.
“We are very pleased and excited to be moving our football program forward with Coach Dean,” said VSU Athletic Director Herb Reinhard. “The Valdosta State football team has had a tremendous tradition and great success throughout its history and especially the last seven years under the tutelage of Chris Hatcher. We certainly believe that David Dean will continue this success.
“I have had the opportunity to work with David and witness first hand his professionalism, his passion and zeal for Valdosta State and his ability to serve as both a mentor and teacher for our student-athletes,” Reinhard concluded. “There is no doubt we have put our football program in extremely capable hands today.”
November 10, 2008
Former Coach Bill Curry
Former coach Bill Curry joined ESPN in 1997 as a college football game analyst. His primary assignment is the ESPN2 College Football Saturday Night telecast (alongside Dave Barnett handling play-by-play and analyst Mike Golic), along with selected bowl games. His knowledge and easy-going manner have translated quite effectively into the broadcast booth, where he's been well-received by fans and media alike.
Prior to ESPN, Curry spent 17 years (1980-96) as a head coach in the college ranks, accumulating a 79-98-4 record at Georgia Tech (1980-86), Alabama (1987-89) and Kentucky (1990-96). In 1989, Curry led Alabama to the SEC title. He also was the recipient of numerous honors, including ACC Coach of the Year (1985), SEC Coach of the Year (1987 & '89), and the Bobby Dodd National Coach of the Year (1989).
Prior to his first head coaching assignment, Curry spent three seasons in the NFL (1977-79) as an assistant coach to Bart Starr and the Green Bay Packers.
Curry played pro football from 1965 to '74 with the Green Bay Packers (under the legendary Vince Lombardi), Houston Oilers, Baltimore Colts and Los Angeles Rams, and was an All-Pro center with the Colts in 1971 and '72.
A 1965 Georgia Tech graduate with a degree in industrial management, Curry also starred for the Yellow Jackets football squad from 1963-64.
Born Oct. 21, 1942, Curry and his wife Carolyn have two grown children, Bill Jr. and Kristin.
November 17, 2008
Don Yaeger, Sports Author
A 1984 graduate of Ball State University with degrees in both journalism and history, Yaeger began his career as a reporter for the San Antonio Light where he rose through the ranks to pen investigative features for the daily. He later moved on to the Dallas Morning News. Following his stint in Dallas, Yaeger worked as a political editor for the Florida Times-Union.
After four years, he dedicated himself to the pursuit of writing books. Yaeger’s first book, Undue Process : The NCAA’s Injustice For All, was published by Sagamore Publishers in 1990. He has since gone on to write 13 other sports-related books (four of them New York Times bestsellers) including the highly-publicized Times bestseller Under The Tarnished Dome : How Notre Dame Betrayed Its Ideals For Football Glory and 1998’s Sports Book of The Year Pros and Cons : The Criminals Who Play in the NFL. In spring 2000, Don published Sole Influence about the influence of shoe companies on athletes and that fall Never Die Easy, The Autobiography of Walter Payton was published by Random House. Penguin Books published Don’s third New York Times best-seller, Ya Gotta Believe , about the battle baseball legend Tug McGraw fought against cancer. His 13th book, It’s Not About The Truth , published by Simon & Schuster, chronicled the story of the Duke lacrosse rape hoax that shocked the country. It became a Times best-seller in its first week of publication and is now in production for a major movie release. His most recent book, Tarnished Heisman , was released this year. It reveals how Heisman Trophy winner and NFL star Reggie Bush turned his amateur career into an ATM for himself and his family.
After several years of freelancing for Sports Illustrated , Don joined the magazine’s staff full-time in July 1996. Two years later he was promoted to Associate Editor, where his work was to cover not only sporting events but the legal issues, controversial happenings and wrongdoings which affect the world of sports.
Yaeger and his co-author William Nack were finalists for the prestigious National Magazine Award in the public interest category for their cover story “Who’s Coaching Your Kid?: The frightening truth about child molestation in youth sports.” This important piece triggered follow-up reports by programs such as Dateline, 20/20 and The Oprah Winfrey Show. It also resulted in changes to the law in several states and many youth sports organizations, including Little League of America, changed rules to require background checks of coaches and volunteers.
Born and raised in Hawaii, Yaeger has traveled extensively. The Dominican Republic, Honduras, Japan and Great Britain can be counted among the countries in which he has resided. Currently living in Tallahassee, FL, Yaeger spends much of his time sharing the lessons he’s learned throughout his career with audiences across the country. He is also an entrepreneur and recognized business leader. He owns a political consulting business, a public relations firm, a sports bar and comedy club.
December 8, 2008
Mark Richt, Head Coach University of Georgia
Mark Richt came to Georgia with the motto, “Finish the drill.” After seven seasons between the hedges, he’s demonstrated what that means by winning two SEC Championships (2002, ‘05), three SEC Eastern Division titles and tied for another, and his 72-19 record is fourth best in the country in winning percentage among active coaches (.789). Richt was named SEC Coach of the Year in both 2002 and 2005. His record against non-conference teams is 29-2 and his teams are 25-4 when playing in an opponent’s home stadium. And by the way, his 2007 team finished 11-2 and ranked No. 2 in the country.
He is one of only nine head coaches in Division I-A history to record 60 or more wins in his first six seasons and 70 or more wins in his first seven seasons. Richt is one of only six coaches in history to win two SEC championships (2002, 2005) in his first five years, and one of only five head coaches in SEC history to record four straight 10-win seasons (2002-05)..
The excitement produced by Richt’s teams on the field has been matched by many other aspects surrounding the program. Richt has generated an atmosphere of excitement and unity among the Georgia people. Georgia supporters and fans became impressed with his sincerity, openness, family values, and the casual and genuine way he carried himself. They liked his ideas on building a football program, his commitment to discipline, and the importance he placed on standards of excellence on and off the field.
And they liked the way he refused to set limitations on what would be a satisfactory season. “I like to set our goals high,” he said. “I never want to put a ceiling on what we can accomplish.”
His 2007 team, one of the youngest in the country, was 4-2 after six games but won the last seven in a row including victories over rivals Florida, Auburn, and Georgia Tech to finish 11-2. The ‘Dogs defeated 10th ranked Hawai’i in The Allstate Sugar Bowl and finished No. 2 in the final AP poll and No. 3 in the coaches poll.
In 2002, he led the Dogs to its first SEC championship in 20 years, defeated Florida State in the Nokia Sugar Bowl, and finished the season with a number three national ranking. Georgia’s championship run was a complete team effort, with the Dogs winning five games by a touchdown or less. Among Richt’s team were three first team All-Americans and eight first team All-SEC performers. Richt himself was a consensus choice as SEC Coach of the Year and was a finalist for the Bear Bryant National Coach of the Year Award. In addition, the ‘02 Bulldogs led the SEC in both scoring offense (32.2 ppg) and scoring defense (15.1 ppg).
By the time his inaugural season in 2001 came to a close, he had become the first Georgia coach since H.J. Stegeman in 1920 to win eight games in his inaugural season. He had also handed Tennessee its only season defeat (in Knoxville on national television) and beaten arch rival Georgia Tech (for the first time since 1997).
Richt’s reputation for developing quarterbacks obviously has continued at UGA. Among the highlights of his first season was redshirt freshman quarterback David Greene being named SEC Freshman of the Year after a season in which Greene set the school record for passing yards (2,789) and passing TD’s (17) by a freshman. And in ‘02, Greene led the SEC in passing efficiency and was the consensus choice for All-SEC first team. By the end of his career, Greene had become the SEC’s all-time leading passer (11,528 yards) and set the NCAA Division 1-A record for career victories by a starting QB with 42. D.J. Shockley followed Greene in 2005 and led the SEC in passing efficiency. Richt is currently working with another great prospect in freshman Matthew Stafford.
January 28, 2009
Gene Smith, General Manager, Sr. Vice President, Player Personnel
Gene Smith was promoted to General Manager and Sr. Vice President, Player Personnel on January 12, 2009. He’ll lead a staff of eleven scouts and assume the responsibilities of both the college and pro departments. His duties include the scouting and evaluation of hundreds of college and pro players on an annual basis, and the continued orchestration of the college draft process, along with directing pro free agency.
Smith is one of 15 staff members who joined the franchise in 1994. He has been a part of building Jaguars teams that have made eleven playoff game appearances, including two AFC Championship games.
After six years as a Jaguars college scout, Smith became the director of college scouting in 2000, and he has guided the team’s NFL draft for the last eight years. Smith was previously the team's college scout responsible for the southeast United States. He joined the Jaguars on May 1, 1994 and was originally the team's scouting representative for the northeast with the BLESTO scouting combine, which he joined in February 1994. He was the southeast regional scout for BLESTO in 1995 before becoming solely the southeast regional scout for the Jaguars. Smith had previously been an assistant coach at the college level for eight years. He worked at Edinboro University from 1989 to ‘94, serving as an assistant coach, recruiting coordinator, and strength and conditioning coordinator. From 1986 to ‘88 Smith worked at Ohio University, where he began his college coaching career as a graduate assistant and later served as an assistant coach.
Smith graduated from Heidelberg College, serving as a captain of the football team while playing as a defensive lineman. He graduated in 1986 with a degree in education and in 1987 received his master's degree with emphasis in athletic administration from Ohio University. He was a member of the 2008 NFL Managers Program at Stanford University’s Executive Education Graduate School of Business. He is a member of the National Invitational Camp (NFL Scouting Combine) Selection Committee. He also served as a captain of the Monroeville (Ohio) High School football team, under Ohio high school hall of fame head coach Steve Ringholz.
