Charlie Strong
Charlie Strong went 74–53 as a head coach, 2004–2019, at Florida, Louisville, Texas and South Florida. Share
- Record
- 74–53 career
- Seasons
- 11
- Schools
- 4
- Final AP top 10
- 0 seasons
- Born
- Aug 2, 1960
- Alma mater
- Central Arkansas 1982
- Best season
- 2012 11–2, No. 13
Season by season
| Season | School | Record | Conference finish | Bowl | AP final | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Florida interim, bowl game | 0–1 | Peach Bowl L | |||
| 2005–09: not a college head coach | ||||||
| 2010 | Louisville | 7–6 | T–5th | Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl St. Petersburg W | ||
| 2011 | Louisville | 7–6 | T–1st | Belk Bowl L | ||
| 2012 | Louisville | 11–2 | T–1st | Sugar Bowl W | 13 | |
| 2013 | Louisville | 12–1 | 2nd | Russell Athletic Bowl W | 15 | |
| 2014 | Texas | 6–7 | T–4th | Texas Bowl L | ||
| 2015 | Texas | 5–7 | T–5th | |||
| 2016 | Texas | 5–7 | T–6th | |||
| 2017 | South Florida | 10–2 | 2nd (East) | Birmingham Bowl W | 21 | |
| 2018 | South Florida | 7–6 | 4th (East) | Gasparilla Bowl L | ||
| 2019 | South Florida | 4–8 | 4th (East) | |||
Each season links to the team’s season page; bowls and playoff games link to the game. Conference finishes from the Wikipedia article’s record table.
Players he coached
Marcus SmithNo. 26 pick, 2014
Every player from his seasons with a Heisman top-five finish, a national award, consensus All-America honors or a first-round pick. Photos: Wikimedia Commons, free licenses; credits on each player’s page.
How his teams did
| Kind of game | Games | Record | Won |
|---|---|---|---|
| Against ranked teams | 25 | 7–18 | 28% |
| Against top-10 teams | 9 | 4–5 | 44% |
| Against rivals | 29 | 14–15 | 48% |
| Conference games | 80 | 43–37 | 54% |
| Bowls and playoffs | 8 | 4–4 | 50% |
| Decided by 8 points or fewer | 54 | 28–26 | 52% |
| At home | 65 | 39–26 | 60% |
| On the road | 50 | 29–21 | 58% |
| At neutral sites | 12 | 6–6 | 50% |
| As our Elo’s favorite | 71 | 55–16 | 77% |
| As our Elo’s underdog | 56 | 19–37 | 34% |
His own 127 games on file, 2004–2019, as played (vacated wins counted, ties as half a win). Ranks are the AP poll going into the game; rivals are the ones either program’s Wikipedia article names; favorite and underdog by our own Elo rating, which reads only scores.
Against other head coaches
| Coach | Record | Their schools | Games | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Randy Edsall 2010–2019 | 4–0 | UConn | 4 | |
| Kliff Kingsbury 2014–2017 | 3–1 | Texas Tech | 4 | |
| Dana Holgorsen 2011–2016 | 2–2 | West Virginia | 4 | |
| Doug Marrone 2010–2012 | 2–1 | Syracuse | 3 | |
| Joker Phillips 2010–2012 | 2–1 | Kentucky | 3 | |
| Skip Holtz 2010–2012 | 2–1 | South Florida | 3 | |
| Butch Jones 2010–2012 | 1–2 | Cincinnati | 3 | |
| Bill Snyder 2014–2016 | 1–2 | Kansas State | 3 | |
| Bob Stoops 2014–2016 | 1–2 | Oklahoma | 3 | |
| Mike Gundy 2014–2016 | 1–2 | Oklahoma State | 3 |
Charlie Strong’s record against the head coaches he met three or more times, from the games on file, as played.
Most-faced opponents
| Opponent | Games | Record |
|---|---|---|
| UConnseries | 7 | 6–1 |
| Cincinnatiseries | 7 | 3–4 |
| Templeseries | 5 | 3–2 |
| West Virginiaseries | 5 | 2–3 |
| Rutgersseries | 4 | 4–0 |
| South Floridaseries | 4 | 3–1 |
| Kentuckyseries | 4 | 3–1 |
| Texas Techseries | 4 | 3–1 |
National title staffs
Every title staff- Won a national title on Florida’s 2006 staff (assistant head coach; co-defensive coordinator; linebackers) · the staff · source
- Won a national title on Florida’s 2008 staff (defensive coordinator, associate head coach, linebackers) · the staff · source
- Won a national title on Alabama’s 2020 staff (football analyst) · the staff · source
The champions’ staffs from 1990 on, as the schools listed them that season: Staff lists: Drew Hoover’s how-many-rings (MIT), from the schools’ media guides and staff pages. Roles as the source words them.
Career
| Years | Team | Job | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1983–84 | Florida | Graduate assistant | |
| 1985 | Texas A&M | Graduate assistant | |
| 1986–87 | Southern Illinois | Wide receivers coach | |
| 1988–89 | Florida | Outside linebackers coach | |
| 1990 | Ole Miss | Wide receivers coach | |
| 1991–93 | Florida | Defensive ends coach | |
| 1994 | Florida | Assistant head coach and defensive tackles coach | |
| 1995–98 | Notre Dame | Defensive line coach | |
| 1999–2002 | South Carolina | Defensive coordinator | |
| 2003–04 | Florida | Defensive coordinator and defensive ends coach | |
| 2004 | Florida | Interim head coach | |
| 2005–07 | Florida | Assistant head coach, co-defensive coordinator and linebackers coach | |
| 2008–09 | Florida | Assistant head coach, defensive coordinator and linebackers coach | |
| 2010–13 | Louisville | Head coach | |
| 2014–16 | Texas | Head coach | |
| 2017–19 | South Florida | Head coach | |
| 2020 | Alabama | Defensive analyst | |
| 2021 | Jacksonville Jaguars NFL | Assistant head coach and inside linebackers coach | |
| 2022 | Miami (FL) | Co-defensive coordinator and linebackers coach | |
| 2023 | Alabama | Defensive analyst | |
| 2025 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers NFL | Defensive line coach |
Every job as the infobox of his Wikipedia article lists it (CC BY-SA), assistant jobs included.
Coaching tree
Worked under
- Charley PellFlorida
- Galen HallFlorida
- Jackie SherrillTexas A&M
- Ray DorrSouthern Illinois
- Gary DarnellFlorida
- Billy BrewerOle Miss
- Steve SpurrierFlorida
- Lou HoltzNotre Dame, South Carolina
- Bob DavieNotre Dame
- Ron ZookFlorida
- Urban MeyerFlorida, Jacksonville Jaguars
- Nick SabanAlabama
- and 1 more
Assistants who became head coaches
- Art LinkChristopher Newport
- Ed ZaunbrecherUL Monroe
- Larry FedoraSouthern Miss, North Carolina, New Orleans Breakers
- Mike LocksleyNew Mexico, Maryland
- Mike Sanford Sr.UNLV, Indiana State
- Sherrone MooreMichigan
- Shawn WatsonWofford, Southern Illinois
- Will SteinKentucky
- Jay NorvellNevada, Colorado State
- Jeff TraylorUTSA
- Sterlin GilbertMcNeese
- Kerwin BellJacksonville, Valdosta State, Western Carolina
Worked under (13)
| Head coach | Team | Years | His job | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charley Pell | Florida | 1983–84 | Graduate assistant | |
| Galen Hall | Florida | 1984–89 | 1984: graduate assistant; 1988–89: outside linebackers coach | |
| Jackie Sherrill | Texas A&M | 1985 | Graduate assistant | |
| Ray Dorr | Southern Illinois | 1986–87 | Wide receivers coach | |
| Gary Darnell | Florida | 1989 | Outside linebackers coach | |
| Billy Brewer | Ole Miss | 1990 | Wide receivers coach | |
| Steve Spurrier | Florida | 1991–94 | 1991–93: defensive ends coach; 1994: assistant head coach and defensive tackles coach | |
| Lou Holtz | Notre Dame | 1995–96 | Defensive line coach | |
| Bob Davie | Notre Dame | 1997–98 | Defensive line coach | |
| Lou Holtz | South Carolina | 1999–2002 | Defensive coordinator | |
| Ron Zook | Florida | 2003–04 | Defensive coordinator and defensive ends coach | |
| Urban Meyer | Florida | 2005–09 | 2005–07: assistant head coach, co-defensive coordinator and linebackers coach; 2008–09: assistant head coach, defensive coordinator and linebackers coach | |
| Nick Saban | Alabama | 2020–23 | Defensive analyst | |
| Urban Meyer | Jacksonville Jaguars NFL | 2021 | Assistant head coach and inside linebackers coach | |
| Mario Cristobal | Miami | 2022 | Co-defensive coordinator and linebackers coach |
Coached under him, later head coaches (12)
| Coach | With him | Head coach at | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Art Link | Florida, 2004: graduate assistant | Christopher Newport | |
| Ed Zaunbrecher | Florida, 2004: quarterbacks coach | UL Monroe | |
| Larry Fedora | Florida, 2004: offensive coordinator and running backs and wide receivers coach | Southern Miss, North Carolina, New Orleans Breakers | |
| Mike Locksley | Florida, 2004: running backs coach and recruiting coordinator | New Mexico, Maryland | |
| Mike Sanford Sr. | Louisville, 2010–11: assistant head coach, offensive coordinator and tight ends coach | UNLV, Indiana State | |
| Sherrone Moore | Louisville, 2010–11: graduate assistant; 2012–13: tight ends coach | Michigan | |
| Shawn Watson | Louisville, 2011–13: offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach; Texas, 2014–15: assistant head coach and quarterbacks coach | Wofford, Southern Illinois | |
| Will Stein | Louisville, 2013: graduate assistant; Texas, 2015–16: quality control coach | Kentucky | |
| Jay Norvell | Texas, 2015: wide receivers coach | Nevada, Colorado State | |
| Jeff Traylor | Texas, 2015–16: special teams and tight ends coach | UTSA | |
| Sterlin Gilbert | Texas, 2016: offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach; South Florida, 2017–18: offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach | McNeese | |
| Kerwin Bell | South Florida, 2019: offensive coordinator | Jacksonville, Valdosta State, Western Carolina |
Other assistants under him (15)
| Coach | With him | |
|---|---|---|
| Bill Miller | Florida, 2004: assistant head coach and linebackers coach | |
| Mike Groh | Louisville, 2010: quarterbacks coach | |
| Ron Dugans | Louisville, 2010–13: wide receivers coach | |
| Tommy Restivo | Louisville, 2010–11: defensive quality control coach; 2012–13: defensive backs coach; South Florida, 2018: safeties coach | |
| Vance Bedford | Louisville, 2010–13: defensive coordinator; Texas, 2014–16: defensive coordinator | |
| Justin Burke | Louisville, 2011–12: graduate assistant; 2013: offensive quality control coach; Texas, 2014–16: offensive quality control coach; South Florida, 2017–19: special teams and tight ends coach | |
| Chris Rumph | Texas, 2014: assistant head coach and defensive line coach | |
| Eman Naghavi | Texas, 2014: offensive quality control | |
| Ephraim Banda | Texas, 2014: graduate assistant | |
| Joe Wickline | Texas, 2014–15: offensive coordinator | |
| Les Koenning | Texas, 2014: wide receivers coach | |
| Brick Haley | Texas, 2015–16: defensive line coach | |
| Matt Mattox | Texas, 2016: offensive line coach and running game coordinator; South Florida, 2017–18: offensive line coach and running game coordinator | |
| Brian Jean-Mary | South Florida, 2017–19: defensive coordinator | |
| Kade Bell | South Florida, 2019: offensive assistant |
From coaches’ Wikipedia infoboxes (CC BY-SA) and each season’s article for its coordinators: an assistant’s seasons at a school count under its head coach in our records; jobs in the NFL and elsewhere, under the head coach whose own article lists the job that year. Names without a page here link to their Wikipedia articles.
Pay
| Year | School | Job | Contract pay | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | South Florida | head coachbonuses up to $815,000; buyout $192,308 | $1,000,000 USA Today | |
| 2016 | Texas | head coachbonuses up to $1,006,000 | $5,200,130 USA Today | |
| 2015 | Texas | head coachbonuses up to $1,003,000; $25,000 in bonuses paid | $5,100,270 USA Today | |
| 2014 | Texas | head coachbonuses up to $1,000,000 | $5,000,270 USA Today | |
| 2013 | Louisville | head coachbonuses up to $808,333 | $3,738,500 USA Today via Leeds | |
| 2012 | Louisville | head coachbonuses up to $691,666 | $2,305,000 USA Today via Leeds | |
| 2011 | Louisville | head coachbonuses up to $500,000 | $2,305,000 USA Today via Leeds | |
| 2010 | Louisville | head coachbonuses up to $633,333 | $1,600,000 USA Today via Leeds |
USA Today’s coaches salary database (2014–17, from public-records requests to the schools; Rachel Ehlers’ copy): the season’s contract pay, school pay plus outside money, before bonuses.
The same USA Today database for 2006–16, from Michael Leeds’ replication data on Harvard Dataverse (CC0): the season’s contract pay.
Pay of public employees in their public job only: head coaches, and assistants in the seasons our records name them a coordinator, at public universities.
How he coached
Strong’s teams went for it on 15% of fourth downs and on 29% of those where the model said go for it, passed on 47% of plays and took 24.5 seconds a play, 2010–2019.
| Season | School | Went for it on fourth | When the model said go | Pass rate | Seconds a play | EPA a play | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 13 g | Louisville | 13 of 99 13% | 24% | 46% | 23.1 | −0.02 | |
| 2011 13 g | Louisville | 17 of 104 16% | 35% | 50% | 25.8 | −0.09 | |
| 2012 13 g | Louisville | 13 of 87 15% | 30% | 53% | 27.3 | +0.10 | |
| 2013 13 g | Louisville | 4 of 70 6% | 9% | 51% | 29.2 | +0.20 | |
| 2014 13 g | Texas | 13 of 120 11% | 21% | 50% | 25.4 | −0.13 | |
| 2015 12 g | Texas | 14 of 106 13% | 27% | 37% | 24.4 | −0.02 | |
| 2016 12 g | Texas | 22 of 110 20% | 36% | 43% | 20.1 | +0.04 | |
| 2017 12 g | South Florida | 20 of 108 19% | 36% | 39% | 21.4 | +0.09 | |
| 2018 12 g | South Florida | 16 of 104 15% | 30% | 49% | 21.8 | +0.06 | |
| 2019 12 g | South Florida | 17 of 102 17% | 32% | 48% | 25.4 | −0.05 | |
| All 125 g | 149 of 1010 15% | 29% | 47% | 24.5 | +0.02 |
His seasons as a head coach from 2004 on, from ESPN’s play by play: fourth downs where he went for it out of every fourth-down decision; how often he went when SportsDataverse’s fourth-down model said going for it was the better call; the share of his offense’s plays that were passes; seconds of game clock per offensive play (lower is faster); and expected points added per offensive play (EPA, a measure of how much each play moved the offense toward points). The season in progress counts its games so far. SportsDataverse’s coach tendencies, from ESPN’s play by play; the EPA and the fourth-down model are SportsDataverse’s.