Charlie Strong facts for kids
Strong at the LBJ Presidential Library in 2014
|
|
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | |
|---|---|
| Position: | Defensive line coach |
| Personal information | |
| Born: | August 2, 1960 Batesville, Arkansas, U.S. |
| Career information | |
| High school: | Batesville (AR) |
| College: | Central Arkansas |
| Career history | |
| As coach: | |
|
|
| Career highlights and awards | |
As head coach:
As assistant coach:
|
|
| Head coaching record | |
| Regular season: | NCAA: 70–49 (.588) |
| Career: | NCAA: 74–53 (.583) |
Charles Rene Strong (born August 2, 1960) is an American football coach. He is currently the defensive line coach for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the National Football League (NFL). Before this, he was an assistant head coach and linebackers coach for the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2021. He also worked as a defensive analyst at the University of Alabama in 2020 and 2023.
Strong has been a head coach for several college teams. These include the University of South Florida (2017–2019), the University of Texas at Austin (2014–2016), and the University of Louisville (2010–2013). Before becoming a head coach, he held many different assistant coaching jobs. At Louisville, he led the team to a 37–15 record and played in a bowl game every year. This included winning the 2013 Sugar Bowl.
Contents
Early Life and College Years
Charles Rene Strong was born in Batesville, Arkansas. He was one of six children. His father, also named Charles Strong, was a teacher and coach. Young Charles grew up in a family that included his aunt and her six children.
Strong played as a defensive back for the University of Central Arkansas. He played for four years, from 1980 to 1983. After college, he started his coaching career. He joined the University of Florida coaching staff as a graduate assistant in 1983. He also earned master's degrees from Henderson State University and the University of Florida.
Coaching Journey
Starting as an Assistant Coach
Strong's first full-time coaching job was in 1986 at Southern Illinois. There, he coached wide receivers. Later, he coached defense at Florida, Ole Miss, and Notre Dame.
In 1999, Strong became the defensive coordinator for the South Carolina Gamecocks. His strong defenses and friendly personality made people think he might become a head coach.
Time at Florida
Strong became the defensive coordinator for the Florida Gators before the 2003 season. In 2004, he served as the interim head coach for one game, the December 2004 Peach Bowl. Florida lost this game to Miami. When Urban Meyer became Florida's head coach, Strong was the only assistant coach who stayed on the team.
Strong was a finalist for the Broyles Award in 2009. This award is given to the best assistant coach in the country.
Leading the Louisville Cardinals
On December 9, 2009, Charlie Strong became the head football coach at the University of Louisville. Many people in football believed he was a great choice.
Strong led Louisville to a big win in the 2013 Sugar Bowl. They beat his former team, the Florida Gators, 33–23. This was a huge upset because Florida was expected to win easily.
Coaching the Texas Longhorns
On January 5, 2014, Strong left Louisville to become the head football coach at the University of Texas. He was the first black head coach for the Texas football program.
Strong wanted his players to grow both on and off the field. He believed in making the team physically and mentally tough. In his first training camp, he made players earn the right to wear the Longhorn logo on their helmets.
In his first season (2014), Texas finished with a 6–7 record. They played in a bowl game, losing to Arkansas. In 2015, Strong's team had a big upset win. They beat Oklahoma 24–17 in the Red River Showdown. This was a major victory for the team. The players were so excited they lifted Strong up and cheered for him. Texas finished 5–7 that year.
In 2016, Texas started strong by beating No. 10 Notre Dame in overtime. This win put Texas in the national rankings for the first time under Strong. However, the team finished the season with a 5–7 record. On November 26, 2016, Strong was no longer the head coach at Texas.
Time at South Florida
On December 11, 2016, Strong became the head coach of the University of South Florida. In 2017, he led the Bulls to a great 10–2 record and a bowl game win. He coached South Florida until the end of the 2019 season.
Recent Coaching Roles
In 2020, Strong joined the University of Alabama as a defensive analyst. He helped the team win the 2021 College Football Playoff National Championship. In 2021, he worked for the Jacksonville Jaguars as an assistant to the head coach and inside linebackers coach. In 2022, he was the co-defensive coordinator and linebackers coach for the University of Miami. He returned to Alabama as a defensive analyst in 2023.
As of 2025, Charlie Strong is the defensive line coach for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Head Coaching Record
| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | Coaches# | AP° | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Florida Gators (Southeastern Conference) (2004) | |||||||||
| 2004 | Florida | 0–1 | 0–0 | L Peach | |||||
| Florida: | 0–1 | 0–0 | |||||||
| Louisville Cardinals (Big East Conference) (2010–2012) | |||||||||
| 2010 | Louisville | 7–6 | 3–4 | T–5th | W Beef 'O' Brady's | ||||
| 2011 | Louisville | 7–6 | 5–2 | T–1st | L Belk | ||||
| 2012 | Louisville | 11–2 | 5–2 | T–1st | W Sugar† | 13 | 13 | ||
| Louisville Cardinals (American Athletic Conference) (2013) | |||||||||
| 2013 | Louisville | 12–1 | 7–1 | 2nd | W Russell Athletic | 15 | 15 | ||
| Louisville: | 37–15 | 20–9 | |||||||
| Texas Longhorns (Big 12 Conference) (2014–2016) | |||||||||
| 2014 | Texas | 6–7 | 5–4 | T–4th | L Texas | ||||
| 2015 | Texas | 5–7 | 4–5 | T–5th | |||||
| 2016 | Texas | 5–7 | 3–6 | T–6th | |||||
| Texas: | 16–21 | 12–15 | |||||||
| South Florida Bulls (American Athletic Conference) (2017–2019) | |||||||||
| 2017 | South Florida | 10–2 | 6–2 | 2nd (East) | W Birmingham | 21 | 21 | ||
| 2018 | South Florida | 7–6 | 3–5 | 4th (East) | L Gasparilla | ||||
| 2019 | South Florida | 4–8 | 2–6 | 4th (East) | |||||
| South Florida: | 21–16 | 11–13 | |||||||
| Total: | 74–53 (.583) | ||||||||
| National championship Conference title Conference division title or championship game berth | |||||||||
|
|||||||||
See also
- List of University of Florida alumni
