Bob Davie (American football) facts for kids
Davie at 2016 Mountain West Media Days
|
|
| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | September 30, 1954 Sewickley, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Playing career | |
| 1973–1975 | Youngstown State |
| Position(s) | Tight end |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1977 | Pittsburgh (GA) |
| 1978–1979 | Arizona (LB) |
| 1980–1982 | Pittsburgh (LB) |
| 1983–1984 | Tulane (DC) |
| 1985–1988 | Texas A&M (OLB) |
| 1989–1993 | Texas A&M (DC) |
| 1994–1996 | Notre Dame (DC) |
| 1997–2001 | Notre Dame |
| 2012–2019 | New Mexico |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 70–89 |
| Bowls | 1–4 |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Championships | |
| 1 MW Mountain Division (2016) | |
Robert Edwin Davie Jr., born on September 30, 1954, is a former American college football coach and player. He was the main football coach for the University of Notre Dame from 1997 to 2001. Later, he coached the University of New Mexico from 2012 to 2019. Before returning to coaching, Davie worked as a college football expert for ESPN from 2002 to 2011.
Contents
Early Life and Playing Football
Robert Edwin Davie Jr. was born in Sewickley, Pennsylvania. He grew up in Coraopolis, Pennsylvania. When he was a student at Moon Area High School, Davie was very good at sports. He earned special awards three times in football, baseball, and basketball. In his last year of high school, Davie was the captain of both the football and basketball teams.
Davie received a football scholarship to attend the University of Arizona. However, after only two weeks, he missed his home and went back to Pennsylvania. He then joined Youngstown State University. There, he was a starting tight end for three years on their football team.
Becoming an Assistant Coach
After finishing college in 1977, Davie started working as a graduate assistant for the University of Pittsburgh football team. He worked under the head coach, Jackie Sherrill. Davie then spent two years as an assistant coach at the University of Arizona. He returned to the University of Pittsburgh for the 1980 to 1982 seasons.
Next, he moved to Tulane University. He was the defensive coordinator and assistant head coach from 1983 to 1984. From 1985 to 1988, Davie coached the outside linebackers at Texas A&M University. After that, he became the school's defensive coordinator from 1989 to 1993. During his time at Texas A&M, he helped make their defense, known as the "Wrecking Crew," one of the best in the country. In 1991, it was ranked number one in total defense.
In 1994, Lou Holtz, the head coach at the University of Notre Dame, asked Davie to be his defensive coordinator. Davie first said no twice. But after talking with his wife, he agreed to work for Holtz. With Davie's help, the Notre Dame defense got better. In 1996, the team set a school record for the number of sacks. They also allowed the fewest total yards of any Notre Dame team since 1980. In September 1995, Davie even stepped in as interim head coach when Holtz had surgery. Under Davie, Notre Dame won against Vanderbilt with a score of 41–0.
Leading as Head Coach
Coaching at Notre Dame
In November 1996, Lou Holtz retired from Notre Dame. Notre Dame looked at four people for the head coach job, including Davie. Davie had applied for other head coaching jobs and was offered a position at Purdue University. He turned down Purdue when he was offered the chance to become the next head coach at Notre Dame. Davie was the first assistant coach to become a head coach at Notre Dame since 1954.
Some fans were not very happy about Davie becoming the head coach. He sometimes talked about the traditions of Texas A&M instead of Notre Dame's, which bothered some people. During Davie's time, Notre Dame also faced some challenges. The school was put on probation and lost two scholarships because of actions by a supporter. The university later ended all booster clubs.
Over five seasons at Notre Dame, Davie's team had 35 wins and 25 losses. They played in three bowl games. The most notable was the 2001 Fiesta Bowl, where they lost to Oregon State 41–9. This was the first Bowl Championship Series game in the school's history. In his last season, the Notre Dame football team received an award for having a 100% graduation rate.
The team's performance at Notre Dame was not always the same each year. After a 7–6 season in 1997, the Irish had a strong 9–1 record in 1998. However, they lost their final game to USC 10–0. This meant they played in the Gator Bowl and lost, finishing the season 9–3. In 1999, they had a 5–7 season, and people in the national media started to wonder about Davie's coaching skills.
In 2000, the Irish improved and finished with a 9–3 record again. The new athletic director, Kevin White, gave Davie a five-year contract extension. But soon after signing the contract, Davie's team lost in the Fiesta Bowl. In the next season, 2001, Davie's team had the first 0–3 start in Notre Dame's history. They won their next three games, but more losses meant they finished the season 5–6.
Davie was let go on December 2, 2001, one day after a 24–18 win over Purdue. He was replaced by George O'Leary, who then resigned because his resume had incorrect information. Notre Dame then chose Tyrone Willingham to lead the football program.
Coaching at New Mexico
On November 16, 2011, Davie was hired as the new football coach for the New Mexico team. He replaced Mike Locksley. With Davie as coach, the Lobos won the 2016 Mountain West Conference Mountain Division championship, sharing it with Wyoming and Boise State. On February 8, 2018, he was suspended for 30 days without pay. This was related to how he handled some issues with player behavior at the university.
After the Lobos' first game of the 2019 season, a 39–31 win against Sam Houston State, Davie had to go to the hospital for heart problems. This meant he could not attend the post-game press conference. Another coach, Saga Tuitele, took over as interim head coach for New Mexico's game against Notre Dame.
On November 25, 2019, it was announced that New Mexico and Davie had decided to go their separate ways.
Working in Media
Between his time as head coach at Notre Dame and New Mexico, Bob Davie worked as a college football expert for ESPN. He would explain games and give his opinions.
Personal Life
Bob Davie is married to Joanne Fratangelo. They have two children, Audra and Clay. Clay Davie also played football at Arizona State University.
Head Coaching Record
| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | Coaches# | AP° | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Notre Dame Fighting Irish (NCAA Division I-A Independent) (1997–2001) | |||||||||
| 1997 | Notre Dame | 7–6 | L Independence | ||||||
| 1998 | Notre Dame | 9–3 | L Gator | 22 | 22 | ||||
| 1999 | Notre Dame | 5–7 | |||||||
| 2000 | Notre Dame | 9–3 | L Fiesta† | 16 | 15 | ||||
| 2001 | Notre Dame | 5–6 | |||||||
| Notre Dame: | 35–25 | ||||||||
| New Mexico Lobos (Mountain West Conference) (2012–2019) | |||||||||
| 2012 | New Mexico | 4–9 | 1–7 | T–9th | |||||
| 2013 | New Mexico | 3–9 | 1–7 | 5th (Mountain) | |||||
| 2014 | New Mexico | 4–8 | 2–6 | T–5th (Mountain) | |||||
| 2015 | New Mexico | 7–6 | 5–3 | T–2nd (Mountain) | L New Mexico | ||||
| 2016 | New Mexico | 9–4 | 6–2 | T–1st (Mountain) | W New Mexico | ||||
| 2017 | New Mexico | 3–9 | 1–7 | 6th (Mountain) | |||||
| 2018 | New Mexico | 3–9 | 1–7 | 6th (Mountain) | |||||
| 2019 | New Mexico | 2–10 | 0–8 | 6th (Mountain) | |||||
| New Mexico: | 35–64 | 17–47 | |||||||
| Total: | 70–89 | ||||||||
| National championship Conference title Conference division title or championship game berth | |||||||||
|
|||||||||
