Gator Coaches and Gators who became Coaches

AlexDaGator · Oct 26, 2020

Somebody recently posted about former Florida DC Dan Quinn (recently fired as the Falcons' HC) and somebody else posted that Mickey Andrews (of "hit to the echo of the whistle" infamy) used to coach DBs at Florida before he went to FSU.

We've had a bunch of assistants that went on to do well elsewhere, and a bunch of players that became coaches elsewhere.

Who is your favorite Florida player (not named Steve Spurrier) to become a successful coach? Lindy Infante, Chan Gailey, Marquand Manuel, Mike Mularkey, Brian Schottenheimer?

Who is your favorite former Florida assistant to become a successful coach? Mike Shanahan? Bob Stoops? Dan Quinn? Teryl Austin? Vance Bedford? DJ Durkin?

I know there is a ton I'm forgetting. Here's my pick:

Mike Shanahan was an OC at UF in the early 80's. He put in a short dink and dunk passing game, sort of an early version of the West Coast offense. For a while, Gator QB Wayne Peace led the nation in completion percentage or something like that and ended up on the cover of SI ("The Peace Corps").

Alex.

Swamp Donkey · Oct 26, 2020

Infante.

Gulfstream · Oct 26, 2020

Stoops....because SOS doesn't win his first natty without him.

LagoonGator68 · Oct 26, 2020

National Champ Gene

FireFoley · Oct 26, 2020

Jon Hoke and Larry Fedora! AKA DogShyt coaches.

Swamp Donkey · Oct 26, 2020

FireFoley said:
Jon Hoke and Larry Fedora! AKA DogShyt coaches.

Larry Fedora corrected the Zaunbrecher disaster and made us the best offense in the SEC in his first and only year as OC.

it's undisputed that we could bring him back his defensive coordinator even right now and he would improve the staff.

John Hoke, and an indeed all Hokes, can kiss my dick. you always knew the end was near when Sos hired John Hoke.

cover2 · Oct 26, 2020

Joe Kines. Really good D coach. I know, he was a DC and only an interim HC (a few times), but he was good at his craft.

MatthewM. · Oct 26, 2020

Chris Leak

Theologator · Oct 26, 2020

I think Peace set a national record for season completion percentage under Shanahan at just over 70%. It wasn’t all dink and dunk when he had Collinsworth and Tyrone Young. But when it was Dwayne Dixon and Spencer Jackson, those were both excellent route runners and pass catchers but couldn’t stretch the field. That didn’t happen until Nattiel showed up.

My favorite ex-player coach is Dwayne Dixon. He did a super job with WRs and recruiting. I always liked his persona as a player and as a coach. Mike Peterson, another Alachua Santa Fe alumnus, is another. I like those local guys who excel.

AlexDaGator · Oct 27, 2020

Dug up some older ones.

Frank Broyles (Arkansas), Hank Foldberg (Texas A&M), John Rauch (Raiders), Pepper Rodgers (Georgia Tech), Kim Helton (Houston), Ken Hatfield (Klimpson), and Kay Stephenson (Buffalo) all played, coached, or both at Florida.

Alex.

Swamp Donkey · Oct 27, 2020

I really don't count guys that coached at Florida for a year or three as a Gator.

Strong or somebody like that who's been here for a while, sure. But not just one contract guys.

Okeechobee Joe · Oct 27, 2020

Carl Franks was an assistant under Spurrier at UF and later was the head coach for a few years at Duke.

Fred Pancoast was a popular offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach under Ray Graves at Uf and later was the head coach at Memphis State and Vanderbilt.

Ken Hatfield as mentioned by Alex was an assistant at UF who was the head coach at the Air Force Academy, Arkansas, and Rice in addition to a few years at Clemson.

Of course one former Florida player who went on to become a successful head coach who is not popular with a large contingent of Gator fans, is Doug Dickey who played quarterback at UF (before that he was the quarterback for P.K. Yonge HS). Dickey went on to become an assistant coach under Frank 'Broyles at Arkansas and then was named head coach at Tennessee by UT athletic director Bob Woodruff who coached Dickey at UF. Dickey won two SEC championships at Tennessee. Broyles had been an assistant under Woodruff at UF.

An obvious example of a former UF assistant who went on to become a head coach is the man who's on the sidelines now, Dan Mullen. Mullen as we all know was offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach at UF under Urban Meyer who later was the head coach at Mississippi State

wrpgator · Oct 27, 2020

Not sure my pick fits all the criteria spelled out in the OP, but...
James Van Fleet.

Assigned to command ROTC at U.of F., spring 1921 he took over head coaching duties 1923-24. In '24 the Army transferred Van Fleet to Panama Canal Zone. In 1928, having completed Infantry School at Ft Benning, Ga., Van Fleet heard there was an opening once again at U.F. ROTC. He requested and was approved for that assignment even though his likely next stop would have been Command and General Staff School. Charlie Bachman had been lured away from Kansas State to coach the Gators, so Van Fleet served as assistant coach at UF 1928-1933.

“Now, as a former combat officer and coach, what may I say in a few minutes? Surely, football and armed combat have much in common. Both must have High Morale and The Will to Win. Our military units and football teams all have the finest manpower America has ever produced, the best equipment, great skills, and the most thorough training or coaching. With all of these ingredients being equal, victory is dependent upon THE WILL TO WIN. Call it school spirit, alumni support, fighting spirit, morale, momentum, or, to use the ancient Greek motto, ‘Come back carrying your shield or upon it.’”

klgator · Oct 27, 2020

I remember the phone call in show that Charlie Pell had. Shanahan was the offensive coordinator, and it must have been a game (probably Georgia) where we lost. The caller, a good ol' boy, asked Coach Pell, "Shanahan be gone?"

AlexDaGator · Oct 27, 2020

wrpgator said:
Not sure my pick fits all the criteria spelled out in the OP, but...
James Van Fleet.

Assigned to command ROTC at U.of F., spring 1921 he took over head coaching duties 1923-24. In '24 the Army transferred Van Fleet to Panama Canal Zone. In 1928, having completed Infantry School at Ft Benning, Ga., Van Fleet heard there was an opening once again at U.F. ROTC. He requested and was approved for that assignment even though his likely next stop would have been Command and General Staff School. Charlie Bachman had been lured away from Kansas State to coach the Gators, so Van Fleet served as assistant coach at UF 1928-1933.

“Now, as a former combat officer and coach, what may I say in a few minutes? Surely, football and armed combat have much in common. Both must have High Morale and The Will to Win. Our military units and football teams all have the finest manpower America has ever produced, the best equipment, great skills, and the most thorough training or coaching. With all of these ingredients being equal, victory is dependent upon THE WILL TO WIN. Call it school spirit, alumni support, fighting spirit, morale, momentum, or, to use the ancient Greek motto, ‘Come back carrying your shield or upon it.’”

One of my favorite Gator coaches ever. I think he had the highest winning percentage of any Gator head coach until Spurrier.

He was also a great General, although not as well known as some of his classmates. He was among our best during WWII (but was held back early on due to some mix up between him and another general). After WWII, he helped defeat the communists during the Greek Civil War preventing that country from becoming a Soviet satellite with Mediterranean Sea access. A big deal but underappreciated today. After MacArthur was sacked in Korea, Van Fleet became the leader of the UN forces in Korea (serving under Matthew Ridgeway, another underrated favorite of mine).

My Uncle was friends with Van Fleet's son. Tragically, Van Fleet, Jr. was KIA in Korea.

Each State in the Union gets 2 statues in statuary hall in DC. We have a pioneer in refrigeration and a civil war general. The civil war general is to be replaced by Mary McLeod Bethune (that may have already happened). The refrigeration guy didn't actually invent air conditioning. If he did, well, you know...it is Florida, it's hot, and a/c is a big deal. But he didn't. I'd be OK with replacing him with General Van Fleet. Van Fleet wasn't born in Florida, but he came here as an infant, grew up here, led a distinguished life, and retired and died here.

Alex.

secgator · Oct 27, 2020

I'll throw in an honorable mention--Galen Hall. Took over HC when Pell was fired and UF was thrown into to really trying time with probation, etc. I thought Hall did pretty well for 5 years...ended up winning our first SEC Championship, and at least one media saying UF was Natl Champs-- albeit both disputed due to things that happened previously and wasn't Hall's fault. Hall played a big part in landing Emmitt, was the main coach for Kerwin--both as OC and then HC, had teams that were absolutely loaded with talent everwhere--OL, receivers, other RBs beside Emmitt, etc, etc. The 'sleeping giant' really awakened at first under Pell, and then got better under Hall.

All in all he had a pretty solid career going on to eventually coach(OC) at Penn St, after coaching the short lived NFL Europe--3 time Coach of the Year in that league. Overall a pretty good guy as well. With him living in Groveland now, he probably keeps up with UF more than people think.

wrpgator · Oct 27, 2020

AlexDaGator said:
One of my favorite Gator coaches ever. I think he had the highest winning percentage of any Gator head coach until Spurrier.

He was also a great General, although not as well known as some of his classmates. He was among our best during WWII (but was held back early on due to some mix up between him and another general). After WWII, he helped defeat the communists during the Greek Civil War preventing that country from becoming a Soviet satellite with Mediterranean Sea access. A big deal but underappreciated today. After MacArthur was sacked in Korea, Van Fleet became the leader of the UN forces in Korea (serving under Matthew Ridgeway, another underrated favorite of mine).

My Uncle was friends with Van Fleet's son. Tragically, Van Fleet, Jr. was KIA in Korea.

Each State in the Union gets 2 statues in statuary hall in DC. We have a pioneer in refrigeration and a civil war general. The civil war general is to be replaced by Mary McLeod Bethune (that may have already happened). The refrigeration guy didn't actually invent air conditioning. If he did, well, you know...it is Florida, it's hot, and a/c is a big deal. But he didn't. I'd be OK with replacing him with General Van Fleet. Van Fleet wasn't born in Florida, but he came here as an infant, grew up here, led a distinguished life, and retired and died here.

Alex.

Good stuff Alex. He grew up around Bartow / Lake Wales and died at the age of 100 at Polk City where he had a ranch. Years ago I came in possession of the original Van Fleet Hall of Fame plaque (together with a letter to Madora Van Fleet that accompanied the plaque from Gator Boosters) which hung in the 'Will to Win" room at BHG stadium until 1995 when a new, larger plaque was installed there. In 2018 before the LSU game I donated the plaque to UF ROTC and it now resides in the Van Fleet display case there.

BMF · Oct 27, 2020

Jerry Odom is the head coach at Tusculum College in Greenville, TN. His OC is Kerwin Bell's son, Kade.

Jerry was a badass MLB at UF, like 5'10 225lbs...back when we played defense very well.

Football

wrpgator · Oct 27, 2020

AlexDaGator said:
One of my favorite Gator coaches ever. I think he had the highest winning percentage of any Gator head coach until Spurrier.

He was also a great General, although not as well known as some of his classmates. He was among our best during WWII (but was held back early on due to some mix up between him and another general). After WWII, he helped defeat the communists during the Greek Civil War preventing that country from becoming a Soviet satellite with Mediterranean Sea access. A big deal but underappreciated today. After MacArthur was sacked in Korea, Van Fleet became the leader of the UN forces in Korea (serving under Matthew Ridgeway, another underrated favorite of mine).

My Uncle was friends with Van Fleet's son. Tragically, Van Fleet, Jr. was KIA in Korea.

Each State in the Union gets 2 statues in statuary hall in DC. We have a pioneer in refrigeration and a civil war general. The civil war general is to be replaced by Mary McLeod Bethune (that may have already happened). The refrigeration guy didn't actually invent air conditioning. If he did, well, you know...it is Florida, it's hot, and a/c is a big deal. But he didn't. I'd be OK with replacing him with General Van Fleet. Van Fleet wasn't born in Florida, but he came here as an infant, grew up here, led a distinguished life, and retired and died here.

Alex.

Van Fleet was not ambitious for the political side of Army life, he preferred being the field with his men. Some other more politically minded officers were promoted above him, but he was called "America's greatest combat general" by President Truman.
His turning the Greek army into a fighting force was huge at the time, and prevented that country from becoming part of the Soviet bloc.

soflagator · Oct 27, 2020

BMF said:
Jerry Odom is the head coach at Tusculum College in Greenville, TN. His OC is Kerwin Bell's son, Kade.

Jerry was a badass MLB at UF, like 5'10 225lbs...back when we played defense very well.

Football

Even in the early 90s, Odom looked like a throwback to like the 50's. Not the biggest or most athletic, but just a hardnosed football player. I like watching him play. Good to know about his coaching.

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