Charlie Strong facts for kids
Strong at the LBJ Presidential Library in 2014
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| Personal information | |
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| Born: | August 2, 1960 Batesville, Arkansas, U.S. |
| Career information | |
| High school: | Batesville (AR) |
| College: | Central Arkansas |
| Career history | |
| As coach: | |
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| Career highlights and awards | |
As head coach:
As assistant coach:
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| Head coaching record | |
| Regular season: | NCAA: 70–49 (.588) |
| Career: | NCAA: 74–53 (.583) |
Charlie Strong (born August 2, 1960) is an American football coach. He recently worked as a co-defensive coordinator and linebackers coach at the University of Miami. Before that, he was an assistant head coach for the Jacksonville Jaguars in the National Football League (NFL). He also worked as a defensive analyst at the University of Alabama.
Strong was the head coach for the University of South Florida from 2017 to 2019. He also coached the University of Texas at Austin from 2014 to 2016. From 2010 to 2013, he was the head coach at the University of Louisville. During his time at Louisville, his team won 37 games and went to a bowl game every year. This included a big win in the 2013 Sugar Bowl. After the 2013 season, he moved to Texas. His time at Texas ended after the 2016 season. He then coached at South Florida for three seasons.
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Early Life and College
Charlie Strong was born in Batesville, Arkansas. He was one of six children. Strong played football as a defensive back at the University of Central Arkansas. He played for four years, from 1980 to 1983. After college, he started his coaching career. He became a graduate assistant at the University of Florida in 1983. He also earned master's degrees from Henderson State University and the University of Florida.
Coaching Career
Starting Out
Strong's first full-time coaching job was at Southern Illinois in 1986. There, he coached wide receivers. Later, he coached defense at Florida, Ole Miss, and Notre Dame.
South Carolina Gamecocks
In 1999, Strong joined the South Carolina Gamecocks. He became their defensive coordinator. His defenses were very strong. People started to think he would become a head coach in the SEC.
Florida Gators
Strong became the defensive coordinator for the Florida Gators in 2003. The head coach, Ron Zook, left the team in 2004. Strong then became the interim coach for one game. This was the December 2004 Peach Bowl. Florida lost that game to Miami. When Urban Meyer became the new head coach, Strong was the only assistant coach who stayed.
Strong was a finalist for the Broyles Award in 2009. This award goes to the best assistant coach in the country.
Louisville Cardinals
On December 9, 2009, Charlie Strong became the head football coach at the University of Louisville. Former NFL coach Tony Dungy believed Strong would be a great coach. He said many people would wish they had hired him sooner.
Strong led Louisville to a big win in the 2013 Sugar Bowl. They beat his old team, the Florida Gators, 33–23. This was a huge upset. Florida was expected to win by a lot of points.
In 2013, Strong received a raise. This made him one of the highest-paid coaches in college football.
Texas Longhorns
On January 5, 2014, Strong left Louisville to become the head coach at the University of Texas. He signed a 5-year contract. He became the first black head coach for the Texas football team.
Texas leaders hired Strong because he cared about the team's history. They also liked how he helped student-athletes grow. Strong said he wanted players to improve both on and off the field. He wanted his team to be physically and mentally tough.
In his first training camp, Strong set strict rules for his players. He made them earn the right to wear the Longhorn logo on their helmets.
Texas started Strong's first season with two wins and four losses. They had close games against top teams like UCLA and Oklahoma. The Longhorns finished the season with six wins and six losses. They had upset wins against West Virginia and Iowa State. Texas played in a bowl game that year. They lost to Arkansas in the Advocare V100 Texas Bowl.
In 2015, Strong's team brought in many talented new players. The coaches changed the offense to a "spread offense." This style is common in high school football. Strong's team had a big upset win against Oklahoma. This happened in the Red River Showdown. Texas won 24–17. The team's running game was very strong. After the win, the players celebrated by lifting Strong up. Texas finished the season with five wins and seven losses. They ended on a high note by beating No. 12 Baylor.
In 2016, Texas started the season with a big win. They beat No. 10 Notre Dame in overtime. This win put Texas at No. 11 in the national rankings. However, Texas finished the 2016 season with five wins and seven losses. This was their third losing season in a row. A tough loss came against Kansas, a team that had only won one game.
On November 26, 2016, Strong's time as head coach at Texas ended.
South Florida Bulls
On December 11, 2016, Strong was named the fourth head coach of the University of South Florida. He coached the Bulls until the end of the 2019 season.
NFL and College Roles
On February 11, 2021, Strong joined the Jacksonville Jaguars in the NFL. He was an assistant to the head coach and coached inside linebackers. He worked again with coach Urban Meyer.
On March 4, 2022, Strong was hired by the University of Miami. He became their co-defensive coordinator and linebackers coach. In February 2023, Strong decided not to return to Miami.
In 2020, Strong worked as a defensive analyst for the University of Alabama. He helped the team win the 2021 College Football Playoff National Championship. He returned to Alabama as a defensive analyst in March 2023.
Head Coaching Record
Here is a summary of Charlie Strong's record as a head coach in college football:
| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | Coaches# | AP° | ||
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| 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 | |||||||||
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See also
- List of University of Florida alumni
