Charlie Strong Named Texas’ Next Head Football Coach
It’s official: the University of Louisville’s head coach of four years, Charlie Strong, is coming to Texas.
Following in the footsteps of 16-year UT veteran Mack Brown, who resigned in December, 53-year-old Strong will serve as the 29th head football coach of the Texas Longhorns, AD Steve Patterson announced on Sunday. He’ll be introduced to the UT community at a press conference Monday.
Credited with the revitalization of Louisville’s struggling program, Strong is hot off two consecutive 11+ win seasons with the Cardinals, as well as a 36-9 victory over Miami in the Russell Athletic Bowl on Dec. 28—a feat that marked the first consecutive bowl victories in school history. The two-time conference coach of the year has also racked up a pair of Big East Conference Championships, in 2011 and 2012. With a 23-3 record over the past two years, Louisville has risen to become one of the nation’s winningest programs, a far cry from the team’s losing seasons pre-Strong in 2008 and 2009.
A collegiate coaching veteran of 31 years, Strong also spent 11 seasons as a defensive coordinator in the Southeastern Conference and for Notre Dame before landing his first head coaching gig at Louisville.
Even though he hasn’t hit the football field yet, Strong is already making history at UT. He’s the first black head coach of any men’s sport at UT, leading President Bill Powers to comment on the hire: “This is a historic day for The University of Texas.”
In a press release, Strong acknowledged that he has his work cut out for him at Texas, one of the most prestigious football programs in the country, and that he has big shoes to fill following Brown.
“To follow a future Hall of Fame coach like Mack Brown, who built a program that had great success and a reputation of doing it with class and integrity, is extra special,” Strong said. “The National Championship, BCS Bowl wins and all he accomplished in 16 years built on the Longhorn legacy and makes it such an exciting place to be.”
In addition to his stats, Patterson said an incredible sense of integrity and commitment to students are among Strong’s assets.
“Charlie will represent the program and University extremely well,” Patterson said. “We look forward to a long and successful tenure for him here at Texas.”
Photo courtesy AP.
