If we can't get Crennel, Mike Nolan, or Jack Del Rio. I think Brian VanGorder would be an excellent choice. I think this guy could be a great coach and I read "Every Week a Season" (by Brian Curtis) this guy was very detailed oriented and film junkie. Brian VanGorder was named defensive coordinator and linebackers coach at UGA in January, 2001, after serving the 2000 season as defensive coordinator at Western Illinois. VanGorder, who is a former head coach at Wayne State University, also served as defensive coordinator at Central Michigan in 1998-99. In 1998, VanGorder's defense at Central Michigan was the most improved defense in Division I football in both scoring defense and total defense. They also established a school record for tackles for loss that same year. His Western Illinois defense in 2000 was ranked 12th nationally in Division 1-AA in both passing defense (147.0 yards per game) and total defense (278.0 yards per game) and allowed only 17.6 points per game in compiling a 9-2 record. He also coached LB Edgerton Hartwell, 2000's Buck Buchanon Award winner as the best defensive player in Division 1-AA. Hartwell was selected in the fourth round of the NFL draft by the Baltimore Ravens. Prior to CMU, VanGorder was the assistant head coach and defensive coordinator at Central Florida for one season (1997) and was the linebacker coach and special teams coordinator for two seasons (1995-96). VanGorder started his coaching career in 1981 as an assistant coach at West Bloomfield (MI) High School. He then served as the head coach at three high schools in the state of Florida, posting a record of 52-16. He was named Coach of the Year seven different times. His 1987 American Heritage High School team was ranked No. 1 in the state of Florida. From 1992 to 1994, VanGorder served as the head coach at his alma mater, Wayne State University. In 1993, his team recorded the first winning season in over a decade. VanGorder has coached some outstanding linebackers in his career including Tom Beer (Detroit Lions, 1994-1997), who was the first player drafted out of Wayne State since the 1960s; Ken Thomas (UCF), a Butkus Award Candidate; Nakia Reddick (Carolina Panthers and Indianapolis Colts, 1997-1999); and John Bryant (San Diego Chargers, 199. VanGorder and his wife, Pollie, have five children, Molloy (12), Morgan (10), Mack (8), and Montgomery (6), Mallone (5 months). * Birthdate: 4-17-59 * Birthplace: Jackson, Miss. * High School: W. Bloomfield * College: Wayne State Coaching Experience: * 1981, West Bloomfield H.S.-West Bloomfield, Mich. (Asst. Coach) * 1982-84,Boca Raton Academy - Boca Raton, Fla. (Head Coach) * 1984-1987, American Heritage School-Plantation , Fla. (Head Coach) * 1988, Boca Raton Community High School - Boca Raton, Fla. (Head Coach) * 1989-91, Grand Valley State (Def. Coord./Linebackers) * 1992-1994, Wayne State (Head Coach) * 1995-97, Central Florida (Asst. Head Coach/Def. Coord.) * 1998-99, Central Michigan (Def. Coord.) * 2000, Western Illinois (Def. Coord.) * 2001, Georgia (Defensive Coord./Linebackers) Playing Experience: Wayne State - First Team GLIAC Linebacker 1979-80... 1980 Team Captain and Most Valuable Defensive Player...West Bloomfield H.S. (1974-77) VanGorder Named Assistant of the Year January 13, 2004; Little Rock, AR - Brian VanGorder entered the college football season as coordinator of a Georgia defense that had lost four starters from the previous season to the NFL and then lost two more returning starters for nearly the entire season because of injuries. He responded by rebuilding the Bulldogs into one of the best defensive units in the country, and on Tuesday, January 13, VanGorder was named the nation's top assistant football coach, receiving the eighth-annual Broyles Award from the Downtown Rotary Club of Little Rock, which is in its first year as presenter, during a luncheon at the DoubleTree Hotel. VanGorder, 44, who also was a finalist for the award in 2002, became the fourth two-time finalist to earn the Broyles Award, joining David Cutcliffe, Ralph Friedgen and Norm Chow, the 2002 winner. He had the fourth-ranked defense in the nation as No. 7 Georgia (11-3) became the Southeastern Conference Eastern Division co-champion, went to the SEC title game and won a New Year's Day bowl game. The other finalists were: Minnesota offensive coordinator Mitch Browning; Michigan offensive coordinator Terry Malone; Miami of Ohio offensive coordinator Shane Montgomery; and Southern Mississippi defensive coordinator Tyrone Nix. Statistics Tell the Tale VanGorder, a former head coach at his alma mater, Wayne State University, has only been defensive coordinator and linebackers coach at Georgia since January 2001. So in three seasons, he's been a finalist for assistant coach of the year and has been named assistant coach of the year. The Bulldogs, who capped the season with a victory over Purdue in the Capital One Bowl, allowed just 276.86 yards per game. They also had the nation's No. 3 scoring defense, allowing 14.5 points a game, the nation's sixth-best pass defense, giving up just 174.5 yards a game in the air, and the No. 13 rushing defense, yielding only 102.4 yards a game on the ground. Their pass defense was the best in the SEC and their scoring defense ranked second in the conference. Junior defensive end David Pollack, who was the SEC Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year in 2002, turned in another stellar season. Pollack was a first-team All-America selection by the American Football Coaches Association and a second-team All-America selection by the Associated Press after a season in which he made 92 tackles with 7.5 sacks. One of four Lombardi Award finalists, Pollack also was chosen as the 2003 recipient of the Ted Hendricks Defensive End Award and was named consensus First-Team All-SEC. Numerous other Bulldog defenders were honored for their play, including junior rover Sean Jones, who was an AFCA All-American and first-team All-SEC pick, and sophomore safety Thomas Davis, who was named a second-team All-American by The Sporting News and was a second-team All-SEC selection. In addition, sophomore linebacker Odell Thurman was first-team All-SEC and defensive end Quentin Moses was named to the SEC All-Freshman Team. Award History The Broyles Award is named after longtime Arkansas Athletic Director Frank Broyles, who became known for producing top assistant coaches during an outstanding coaching career with the Razorbacks. Former Broyles assistant coaches have combined to win almost 20 percent of all Super Bowl titles, five national collegiate championships, more than 40 conference titles and more than 2,000 games. More than 25 Broyles assistants went on to become head coaches at the college or professional level, including Doug Dickey, Joe Gibbs, Hayden Frye, Jimmy Johnson, Johnny Majors, Jackie Sherrill and Barry Switzer. The Broyles Award is one of the most lucrative awards for college football coaches. VanGorder received the 100-pound cast bronze statue worth $5,000 and an additional $2,500. Finalists and their spouses were flown to Little Rock for the banquet, receiving premium lodging and limousine transportation. Each finalist received $1,000 and, courtesy of adidas, a set of $2,000 TaylorMade golf clubs. In December, the Broyles Award was voted in as a member of the National College Football Awards Association, making the Broyles Award eligible to appear on the ESPN awards show. Previous Broyles Award winners are: Florida State defensive coordinator Mickey Andrews (1996); Michigan defensive coordinator Jim Herrmann (1997); former Tennessee offensive coordinator Cutcliffe (1998), who was named Ole Miss' head coach shortly before he received his award; former Georgia Tech offensive coordinator Friedgen (1999), now the head coach at Maryland; former Oklahoma offensive coordinator Mark Mangino (2000), now the head coach at Kansas; Miami defensive coordinator Randy Shannon (2001); and Southern California offensive coordinator Norm Chow (2002). Broyles Award nominations are submitted by the 117 NCAA Division I head coaches. Every assistant that is nominated, but not selected as a finalist, receives a personalized wall plaque recognizing his efforts. Former Texas Coach Darrell Royal Former Michigan Coach Bo Schembechler Former Nebraska Coach Tom Osborne Former Georgia Coach Vince Dooley Former Washington Coach Don James Former Syracuse Coach Dick MacPherson Former Baylor Coach Grant Teaff Former Brigham Young Coach LaVell Edwards Statement by UGA Football Coach Mark Richt On Defensive Coordinator Brian VanGorder Winning Broyles Award: "With four starters lost from the year before, all of whom went to the NFL, it was going to be a rebuilding year on defense. Then two of our returning starters were lost for the year before the season started and the other defensive players missed a total of 43 games due to injuries during the season. When you consider that type of adversity, Brian did a spectacular job of continually revamping our defense almost weekly to keep us in the hunt for the SEC Championship. Finishing the season ranked second nationally in scoring defense and allowing our opponents only a 58% success rate inside the red zone is a great tribute to the truly remarkable job he and our defensive coaches did during the 2003 season. I can't think of anyone more deserving of this honor than Brian." Statement by UGA Defensive Coordinator Brian VanGorder on Winning Broyles Award: "This is truly a great honor. I realize my name is on the award but this should also go to Mark Richt, our defensive coaches--Willie Martinez, Rodney Garner, and Jon Fabris--and to our players who really deserve the credit. The game is about players and they are the ones who make something like this possible. They all share in this honor."
Nope. I can't support a man who has five kids and gives them all names that begin with the letter "M". Sorry. There's something disturbing about that, and I'm just not comfortable with the man's judgment.
I could not agree more with this coach. Living near UGA and seeing their games, he is the reason why UGA is so good. He was the one who recruited Thomas Davis and so forth....not Mark Richt UGA's D is already highly ranked but if their O had produced anything on numerous occasions, it would be much higher
