Mike London facts for kids
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| Current position | |
|---|---|
| Title | Head coach |
| Team | William & Mary |
| Conference | CAA Football |
| Record | 36–26 |
| Biographical details | |
| Born | October 9, 1960 West Point, New York, U.S. |
| Playing career | |
| 1979–1982 | Richmond |
| 1983 | Dallas Cowboys |
| Position(s) | Defensive back |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1989–1990 | Richmond (OLB) |
| 1991–1994 | William & Mary (DL) |
| 1995–1996 | Richmond (OLB/RC) |
| 1997–2000 | Boston College (DL) |
| 2001 | Virginia (DL) |
| 2002–2004 | Virginia (DL/RC) |
| 2005 | Houston Texans (DL) |
| 2006–2007 | Virginia (DC/DL) |
| 2008–2009 | Richmond |
| 2010–2015 | Virginia |
| 2016 | Maryland (AHC/DL) |
| 2017–2018 | Howard |
| 2019–present | William & Mary |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 98–87 |
| Bowls | 0–1 |
| Tournaments | 6–2 (NCAA D-I playoffs) |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Championships | |
| 1 NCAA Division I (2008) 2 CAA (2009, 2022) |
|
| Awards | |
| AFCA FCS Coach of the Year (2008) BCA National Coach of the Year (2008) ACC Coach of the Year (2011) |
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Michael Wilson London Sr. (born October 9, 1960) is a well-known American college football coach. He is currently the head football coach for the College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia. Before this, he was the head coach at Howard University and the University of Virginia.
London also played college and professional football as a defensive back for the Richmond Spiders and the Dallas Cowboys. Interestingly, he was a police officer and detective in Richmond, Virginia, before he started his coaching career. He has worked in many coaching roles for different teams, including the Houston Texans.
Contents
Coaching Career Highlights
What is a Position Coach?
Mike London started his coaching journey as a linebacker coach at the University of Richmond. He later coached the defensive line for several teams. These included the College of William & Mary, Boston College, the Houston Texans (a professional NFL team), and the University of Virginia. He coached at Virginia twice!
London worked closely with Chris Long, who later became a famous defensive end for the St. Louis Rams. Chris Long once said that London was a coach who would always be there for his players, through good times and bad.
What is a Defensive Coordinator?
In 2006, London became the defensive coordinator for the Virginia Cavaliers. A defensive coordinator is the coach in charge of the team's defense. Under London, Virginia's defense became much more aggressive.
His defense was very strong, allowing fewer yards per game than any Virginia defense in 27 years. In 2007, his defense helped Virginia win a historic game against the Miami Hurricanes. Virginia won 48–0, which was Miami's worst loss ever at their home stadium, the Miami Orange Bowl. That season, Virginia's defense was one of the best in the country. Chris Long, a player London coached, won a major award and was picked second in the NFL draft.
Head Coach Roles
Richmond Spiders: A Championship Win
In 2008, Mike London became the head coach of the Richmond Spiders. The team had many returning players from a successful season. After a few tough losses early on, the 2008 Spiders went on an amazing winning streak.
They won nine games in a row, including a big victory against the top-ranked Appalachian State Mountaineers. This incredible run led them to the NCAA Championship Game. They beat the Montana Grizzlies 24–7, winning the University of Richmond's first national championship in any sport!
In 2009, the Spiders continued their success. They upset the Duke Blue Devils from a bigger conference. They started the season with eight straight wins. This made them one of the few smaller college teams to ever get a vote in the major AP Poll. Richmond won their conference that year. Soon after, London was hired as the head coach at the University of Virginia.
Virginia Cavaliers: Leading the Hoos
London became the head coach of the Virginia Cavaliers in 2010. He was one of the first African-American head football coaches in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).
His first season with Virginia ended with a 4–8 record. However, he was able to bring in a very strong group of new players for the team.
In 2011, London led a big turnaround. The team improved to an 8–4 record in the regular season. They had exciting wins against highly ranked teams like Georgia Tech and Florida State. Virginia had never won at Florida State's stadium before! After this successful season, London was named the ACC Coach of the Year.
The next few seasons (2012-2015) were challenging for the Cavaliers. They had some good wins, like against Penn State and Miami, but struggled to win consistently. Despite the team's record, London was known for bringing in talented new players. In November 2015, after the season ended, London decided to step down as coach.
Howard Bison: A Historic Upset
In 2017, Mike London became the head coach for the Howard Bison. In his very first game, his team made history! They beat UNLV, a team that was expected to win by a huge margin (45 points). This was the biggest upset victory in college football history based on the point spread.
The Bison finished the 2017 season with a winning record of 7–4. In 2018, the team finished 4–6. However, their quarterback, Caylin Newton (who is the younger brother of NFL star Cam Newton), won the MEAC Offensive Player of the Year award. In November 2018, London left Howard to become the head coach at William & Mary. He left Howard with a winning record over his two years there.
William & Mary Tribe: Current Role
Since 2019, Mike London has been the head coach for the William & Mary Tribe. He continues to lead the team in the CAA Football conference.
Personal Life
Mike London's family is also involved in sports. His son, Brandon London, played professional football as a wide receiver in the Canadian Football League. His younger brother, Paul London, played defensive back for Virginia. His daughter, Kristen London, played women's basketball at Virginia and now plays professional football for the Denver Bandits. London is also a member of Omicron Delta Kappa and Phi Beta Sigma fraternity.
Head Coaching Record
| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | Coaches# | Media° | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Richmond Spiders (Colonial Athletic Association) (2008–2009) | |||||||||
| 2008 | Richmond | 13–3 | 6–2 | 3rd (South) | W NCAA Division I Championship | 1 | 1 | ||
| 2009 | Richmond | 11–2 | 7–1 | 1st (South) | L NCAA Division I Quarterfinals | 5 | 5 | ||
| Richmond: | 24–5 | 13–3 | |||||||
| Virginia Cavaliers (Atlantic Coast Conference) (2010–2015) | |||||||||
| 2010 | Virginia | 4–8 | 1–7 | T–5th (Coastal) | |||||
| 2011 | Virginia | 8–5 | 5–3 | T–2nd (Coastal) | L Chick-fil-A | ||||
| 2012 | Virginia | 4–8 | 2–6 | 6th (Coastal) | |||||
| 2013 | Virginia | 2–10 | 0–8 | 7th (Coastal) | |||||
| 2014 | Virginia | 5–7 | 3–5 | 7th (Coastal) | |||||
| 2015 | Virginia | 4–8 | 3–5 | 6th (Coastal) | |||||
| Virginia: | 27–46 | 14–34 | |||||||
| Howard Bison (Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference) (2017–2018) | |||||||||
| 2017 | Howard | 7–4 | 6–2 | T–2nd | |||||
| 2018 | Howard | 4–6 | 4–3 | T–4th | |||||
| Howard: | 11–10 | 11–6 | |||||||
| William & Mary Tribe (Colonial/Coastal Athletic Association) (2019–present) | |||||||||
| 2019 | William & Mary | 5–7 | 3–5 | T–9th | |||||
| 2020–21 | William & Mary | 1–2 | 1–2 | 3rd (South) | |||||
| 2021 | William & Mary | 6–5 | 4–4 | T–5th | |||||
| 2022 | William & Mary | 11–2 | 7–1 | T–1st | L NCAA Division I Quarterfinal | 8 | 8 | ||
| 2023 | William & Mary | 6–5 | 4–4 | T–6th | |||||
| 2024 | William & Mary | 7–5 | 4–4 | T–9th | |||||
| William & Mary: | 36–26 | 23–20 | |||||||
| Total: | 98–87 | ||||||||
| National championship Conference title Conference division title or championship game berth | |||||||||
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