Tyrone Willingham facts for kids
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| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | December 30, 1953 Kinston, North Carolina, U.S. |
| Playing career | |
| 1973–1976 | Michigan State |
| Position(s) | Quarterback, wide receiver |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1977 | Michigan State (GA) |
| 1978–1979 | Central Michigan (DB) |
| 1980–1982 | Michigan State (DB/ST) |
| 1983–1985 | NC State (DB/ST) |
| 1986–1988 | Rice (WR/ST) |
| 1989–1991 | Stanford (RB) |
| 1992–1994 | Minnesota Vikings (RB) |
| 1995–2001 | Stanford |
| 2002–2004 | Notre Dame |
| 2005–2008 | Washington |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 76–88–1 |
| Bowls | 1–4 |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Championships | |
| 1 Pac-10 (1999) | |
| Awards | |
| George Munger Award (2002) Home Depot Coach of the Year Award (2002) |
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Tyrone Willingham (born December 30, 1953) is a well-known former American football player and coach. He led college football teams as the head coach at three different universities: Stanford University (from 1995 to 2001), the University of Notre Dame (from 2002 to 2004), and the University of Washington (from 2005 to 2008). Throughout his coaching career, his teams had a combined record of 76 wins, 88 losses, and 1 tie.
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Early Days in Football
Tyrone Willingham grew up in Jacksonville, North Carolina. He went to Jacksonville Senior High School, where he was a talented athlete. He played football, basketball, and baseball.
After high school, he attended Michigan State University. There, he continued to play both football and baseball. In 1977, he earned his degree in physical education.
Willingham started his coaching journey as an assistant. He worked at his old school, Michigan State, at different times. He also coached at Central Michigan University, North Carolina State University, and Rice University.
Later, he became an assistant coach at Stanford University. When Stanford's head coach, Dennis Green, moved to coach the Minnesota Vikings in 1992, Willingham joined him. He coached the running backs for the Vikings until 1994.
Becoming a Head Coach
Coaching at Stanford
In 1995, Tyrone Willingham returned to Stanford University. This time, he became the head coach, even though he had only been a position coach before. He coached the Stanford Cardinal for seven seasons, from 1995 to 2001.
During his time at Stanford, his teams had a record of 44 wins, 36 losses, and 1 tie. They also played in four bowl games. A cool fact is that his teams never lost to their big rival, California, winning all seven games against them.
In 2000, he received the Eddie Robinson Coach of Distinction Award. This award honors college football coaches who are great role models and have achieved a lot in their careers.
His best season was in 1999. That year, his team won the school's first outright Pacific-10 Conference title in 29 years. They even played in the famous 2000 Rose Bowl game. Willingham's 44 wins were the most by a Stanford coach since John Ralston, who coached there in the early 1970s.
Coaching at Notre Dame
On December 31, 2001, Willingham was hired as the head coach for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. He had an amazing start in the 2002 season, winning his first eight games.
He became the only first-year coach in Notre Dame's history to win 10 games in a season. Because of his success, he received several awards. These included the SN Sportsman of the Year and the ESPN/Home Depot College Coach of the Year. He also won the George Munger Award for College Coach of the Year.
However, the 2002 season ended with a tough loss to their rival, USC. Notre Dame then lost their bowl game to North Carolina State.
The 2003 season was more challenging, with the team finishing with 5 wins and 7 losses. They struggled in some games, even being shut out (scoring no points) twice.
In 2004, Notre Dame had a 6-5 record in the regular season. After the season, on November 30, Tyrone Willingham's time as head coach at Notre Dame ended. His overall record there was 21 wins and 15 losses.
Coaching at Washington
On December 13, 2004, Willingham became the new head coach for the Washington Huskies. The team had struggled the year before, winning only one game.
Willingham's main goal was to improve the team's image and discipline. He set strict rules, like a hair policy, and sometimes visited his players' classes to make sure they were attending.
In his first season, 2005, Washington finished with 2 wins and 9 losses. They even played against his former team, Notre Dame, and lost.
The 2006 season started well, with 4 wins in October. They had a big upset win against undefeated UCLA. However, their starting quarterback got injured, and they lost their next six games, finishing with 5 wins and 7 losses.
The 2007 season was tough, as Washington faced one of the hardest schedules in the country. They finished with 4 wins and 9 losses. There was a lot of talk about whether he would keep his job, but he was asked to return for another season.
The 2008 season started with several losses. The team struggled, and their starting quarterback, Jake Locker, got injured. On October 27, 2008, Willingham announced that his contract was ending after the season. The Huskies finished the season with 0 wins and 12 losses, which was their first winless season in 119 years.
After Coaching
In 2014, Tyrone Willingham was chosen to be part of the College Football Playoff selection committee. This group helps decide which college football teams play for the national championship.
He also volunteered as a coach for the Stanford women's golf team in 2011. In 2008, he served as the president of the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Board of Trustees. On July 18, 2010, Tyrone Willingham announced that he was officially retired from coaching.
Personal Life
Tyrone Willingham is married and has three children.
Coaching Records
| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | Coaches# | AP° | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stanford Cardinal (Pacific-10 Conference) (1995–2001) | |||||||||
| 1995 | Stanford | 7–4–1 | 5–3 | 4th | L Liberty | ||||
| 1996 | Stanford | 7–5 | 5–3 | 3rd | W Sun | ||||
| 1997 | Stanford | 5–6 | 3–5 | T–7th | |||||
| 1998 | Stanford | 3–8 | 2–6 | T–8th | |||||
| 1999 | Stanford | 8–4 | 7–1 | 1st | L Rose† | 24 | |||
| 2000 | Stanford | 5–6 | 4–4 | 4th | |||||
| 2001 | Stanford | 9–3 | 6–2 | T–2nd | L Seattle | 17 | 16 | ||
| Stanford: | 44–36–1 | 32–24 | |||||||
| Notre Dame Fighting Irish (Independent) (2002–2004) | |||||||||
| 2002 | Notre Dame | 10–3 | L Gator | 17 | 17 | ||||
| 2003 | Notre Dame | 5–7 | |||||||
| 2004 | Notre Dame | 6–5* | Insight* | ||||||
| Notre Dame: | 21–15 | *Fired before Insight Bowl | |||||||
| Washington Huskies (Pacific-10 Conference) (2005–2009) | |||||||||
| 2005 | Washington | 2–9 | 1–7 | 10th | |||||
| 2006 | Washington | 5–7 | 3–6 | 9th | |||||
| 2007 | Washington | 4–9 | 2–7 | 10th | |||||
| 2008 | Washington | 0–12 | 0–9 | 10th | |||||
| Washington: | 11–37 | 6–29 | |||||||
| Total: | 76–88–1 | ||||||||
| National championship Conference title Conference division title or championship game berth | |||||||||
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