Ron Prince facts for kids
Prince in 2006
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| Position: | Tackle |
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| Personal information | |
| Born: | September 18, 1969 Omaha, Nebraska, U.S. |
| Career information | |
| High school: | Junction City (KS) |
| College: | Appalachian State |
| Career history | |
| As coach: | |
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| Head coaching record | |
| Regular season: | NCAA: 18–27 (.400) |
| Postseason: | Bowl games: 0–1 (.000) |
| Career: | NCAA: 18–28 (.391) |
Ronald Dale Prince (born September 18, 1969) is an American football coach. He has coached both college and professional teams. Prince was the head football coach at Kansas State University from 2006 to 2008. He also led the team at Howard University in 2019. His total record as a college head coach was 18 wins and 28 losses. Prince also worked for the Detroit Lions in the National Football League (NFL) from 2015 to 2017. There, he was the assistant head coach and offensive line coach.
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Ron Prince's College Coaching Journey
Starting Out in College Football
From 1993 to 2002, Ron Prince worked at five different college football programs. He was an offensive line coach at each stop. These teams included Alabama A&M and South Carolina State. He also coached at James Madison, Cornell, and Virginia. From 2003 to 2005, he became the offensive coordinator for Virginia. He worked under head coach Al Groh during this time.
Coaching at Kansas State University
Ron Prince took over as head coach at Kansas State after the 2005 season. He replaced the well-known coach Bill Snyder. When he started in 2006, Prince was 36 years old. This made him one of the youngest head coaches in the top division of college football.
In 2006, Prince led Kansas State to a winning record of 7 wins and 6 losses. This was the team's first winning season since 2003. They also played in the first-ever Texas Bowl. A big win that season was a 45–42 upset against the #4 ranked Texas team. However, they lost to their rival Kansas. Kansas State then lost the 2006 Texas Bowl to Rutgers.
In his second season, 2007, Kansas State's record dropped to 5 wins and 7 losses. They ended the year with a four-game losing streak. They also lost to Kansas again.
In February 2008, Kansas State signed 19 players from junior colleges. This was a large number of junior college recruits for a major team. Some people thought this was a risky move. Others believed it could help the team, as previous coaches had success with junior college players.
During the 2008 season, the Wildcats finished with another 5–7 record. They also lost to Kansas for a third time. With three games left in the season, the university announced that Prince would not return as head coach in 2009. He was fired on November 5, 2008. He received a payment of $1.2 million.
More College Coaching Roles
In 2009, Prince returned to the University of Virginia. He worked as the special teams coach for one season. After coaching in the NFL for a few years, Prince became the offensive coordinator for the Rutgers Scarlet Knights in 2013. He stayed in that role for one season. In 2018, Prince worked as an offensive analyst for the Michigan Wolverines.
Coaching at Howard University
In December 2018, Ron Prince was hired as the head coach for the Howard Bison. In November 2019, he was placed on leave by the university. This happened after some concerns were raised about how he interacted with players. The team had a record of 1 win and 8 losses at that time. On December 6, 2019, Prince resigned from his position.
Coaching in the NFL
Indianapolis Colts
On March 21, 2010, the Indianapolis Colts hired Ron Prince. He became the assistant offensive line coach for the team. On January 31, 2012, Prince was let go by the Colts' new head coach, Chuck Pagano.
Jacksonville Jaguars
In February 2012, Prince was hired by the Jacksonville Jaguars. He worked as an assistant offensive line coach under head coach Mike Mularkey. Prince coached with the Jaguars for one season.
Detroit Lions
After his time with Rutgers, Prince joined the Detroit Lions on January 18, 2014. He was hired as the assistant head coach and tight ends coach. The Lions' head coach, Jim Caldwell, had worked with Prince before on the Indianapolis Colts staff. Prince was fired by the Detroit Lions on January 1, 2018.
About Ron Prince
Ron Prince was born in Omaha, Nebraska. However, he grew up in Junction City, Kansas. This town is close to Kansas State University. He was raised by Ernest and Georgeanne Prince. He has three sons and one daughter.
Prince went to Junction City High School and graduated in 1988. He started his college football career at Dodge City Community College. Later, he moved to Appalachian State University. He played on the offensive line there for coach Jerry Moore and earned his degree.
Head Coaching Record
| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kansas State Wildcats (Big 12 Conference) (2006–2008) | |||||||||
| 2006 | Kansas State | 7–6 | 4–4 | T–2nd (North) | L Texas | ||||
| 2007 | Kansas State | 5–7 | 3–5 | 4th (North) | |||||
| 2008 | Kansas State | 5–7 | 2–6 | T–4th (North) | |||||
| Kansas State: | 17–20 | 9–15 | |||||||
| Howard Bison (Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference) (2019) | |||||||||
| 2019 | Howard | 1–8 | 1–4 | ||||||
| Howard: | 1–8 | 1–4 | |||||||
| Total: | 18–28 | ||||||||
