George O’Leary
George O’Leary went 133–101 as a head coach, 1994–2015, at Georgia Tech and UCF. Share
- Record
- 133–101 career
- Seasons
- 20
- Schools
- 2
- Final AP top 10
- 2 seasons
- Best season
- 1998 10–2, No. 9
Season by season
| Season | School | Record | Conference finish | Bowl | AP final | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Georgia Tech 1st season, final 3 games | 0–3 | 9th | |||
| 1995 | Georgia Tech | 6–5 | 4th | |||
| 1996 | Georgia Tech | 5–6 | 5th | |||
| 1997 | Georgia Tech | 7–5 | T–3rd | Carquest Bowl W | 25 | |
| 1998 | Georgia Tech | 10–2 | T–1st | Gator Bowl W | 9 | |
| 1999 | Georgia Tech | 8–4 | T–2nd | Gator Bowl L | 20 | |
| 2000 | Georgia Tech | 9–3 | T–2nd | Peach Bowl L | 17 | |
| 2001 | Georgia Tech | 7–5 | T–4th | Seattle (not coached) | ||
| 2002–03: not a college head coach | ||||||
| 2004 | UCF | 0–11 | 7th (East) | |||
| 2005 | UCF | 8–5 | 1st (East) | Hawai’i Bowl L | ||
| 2006 | UCF | 4–8 | 4th (East) | |||
| 2007 | UCF | 10–4 | 1st (East) | Liberty Bowl L | ||
| 2008 | UCF | 4–8 | T–4th (East) | |||
| 2009 | UCF | 8–5 | 2nd (East) | St. Petersburg Bowl L | ||
| 2010 | UCF | 11–3 | 1st (East) | Liberty Bowl W | 21 | |
| 2011 | UCF | 5–7 | 5th (East) | |||
| 2012 | UCF | 10–4 | 1st (East) | Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl St. Petersburg W | ||
| 2013 | UCF | 12–1 | 1st | Fiesta Bowl W | 10 | |
| 2014 | UCF | 9–4 | T–1st | St. Petersburg Bowl L | ||
| 2015 | UCF coached eight of 12 games | 0–8 | ||||
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
Chris BrownConsensus All‑American, 2000- Craig PageConsensus All‑American, 1998
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 | 42 | 14–28 | 33% |
| Against top-10 teams | 17 | 4–13 | 24% |
| Against rivals | 41 | 21–20 | 51% |
| Conference games | 150 | 94–56 | 63% |
| Bowls and playoffs | 11 | 5–6 | 45% |
| Decided by 8 points or fewer | 99 | 50–49 | 51% |
| At home | 113 | 74–39 | 65% |
| On the road | 106 | 52–54 | 49% |
| At neutral sites | 15 | 7–8 | 47% |
| As our Elo’s favorite | 136 | 99–37 | 73% |
| As our Elo’s underdog | 98 | 34–64 | 35% |
His own 234 games on file, 1994–2015, 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tommy West 1994–2009 | 7–3 | Clemson, Memphis | 10 | |
| Jim Caldwell 1994–2000 | 5–2 | Wake Forest | 7 | |
| Bobby Bowden 1995–2001 | 0–7 | Florida State | 7 | |
| George Welsh 1995–2000 | 3–3 | Virginia | 6 | |
| Mike O’Cain 1995–1999 | 5–0 | NC State | 5 | |
| Mark Snyder 2005–2009 | 5–0 | Marshall | 5 | |
| June Jones 2008–2013 | 4–1 | SMU | 5 | |
| Jim Donnan 1996–2000 | 3–2 | Georgia | 5 | |
| Neil Callaway 2007–2011 | 3–2 | UAB | 5 | |
| Mack Brown 1995–2009 | 1–4 | North Carolina, Texas | 5 |
George O’Leary’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 |
|---|---|---|
| NC Stateseries | 10 | 7–3 |
| Memphisseries | 9 | 9–0 |
| Marshallseries | 9 | 8–1 |
| Georgiaseries | 9 | 4–5 |
| East Carolinaseries | 9 | 4–5 |
| UABseries | 8 | 6–2 |
| Wake Forestseries | 8 | 6–2 |
| Clemsonseries | 8 | 4–4 |
National coaching awards
The awards- 2000 Georgia Tech: Bobby Dodd Award
National title staffs
Every title staff- Won a national title on Georgia Tech’s 1990 staff (defensive coordinator, defensive line) · 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1968–74 | Central Islip HS (NY) high school | Assistant head coach | |
| 1975–76 | Central Islip HS (NY) high school | Head coach | |
| 1977–79 | Liverpool HS (NY) high school | Head coach | |
| 1980–84 | Syracuse | Assistant head coach and defensive line coach | |
| 1985–86 | Syracuse | Defensive coordinator and defensive line coach | |
| 1987–91 | Georgia Tech | Defensive coordinator and defensive line coach | |
| 1992–93 | San Diego Chargers NFL | Defensive line coach | |
| 1994 | Georgia Tech | Defensive coordinator and defensive line coach | |
| 1994 | Georgia Tech | Interim head coach | |
| 1995–2001 | Georgia Tech | Head coach | |
| 2002 | Minnesota Vikings NFL | Assistant head coach and defensive line coach | |
| 2003 | Minnesota Vikings NFL | Defensive coordinator | |
| 2004–15 | UCF | Head coach |
Every job as the infobox of his Wikipedia article lists it (CC BY-SA), assistant jobs included.
Coaching tree
Worked under
- Frank MaloneySyracuse
- Dick MacPhersonSyracuse
- Bobby RossGeorgia Tech, San Diego Chargers
- Bill LewisGeorgia Tech
Assistants who became head coaches
- Gary CrowtonLouisiana Tech, BYU
- Bill O’BrienPenn State, Boston College, Houston Texans
- Ralph FriedgenMaryland
- Randy EdsallUConn, Maryland
- Ted RoofDuke
- Geoff CollinsTemple, Georgia Tech
- Mac McWhorterGeorgia Tech, West Georgia
- Shane BeamerSouth Carolina
- Brent KeyGeorgia Tech
- Glenn SpencerWest Georgia
- Brian PolianNevada, John Carroll
- Ryan SilverfieldMemphis, Arkansas
- and 4 more
Worked under (4)
| Head coach | Team | Years | His job | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frank Maloney | Syracuse | 1980 | Assistant head coach and defensive line coach | |
| Dick MacPherson | Syracuse | 1981–86 | 1981–84: assistant head coach and defensive line coach; 1985–86: defensive coordinator and defensive line coach | |
| Bobby Ross | Georgia Tech | 1987–91 | Defensive coordinator and defensive line coach | |
| Bobby Ross | San Diego Chargers NFL | 1992–93 | Defensive line coach | |
| Bill Lewis | Georgia Tech | 1994 | Defensive coordinator and defensive line coach |
Coached under him, later head coaches (16)
| Coach | With him | Head coach at | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gary Crowton | Georgia Tech, 1994: co-offensive coordinator | Louisiana Tech, BYU | |
| Bill O’Brien | Georgia Tech, 1995–97: graduate assistant; 1998–2000: running backs coach; 2001: offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach | Penn State, Boston College, Houston Texans | |
| Ralph Friedgen | Georgia Tech, 1997–2000: offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach | Maryland | |
| Randy Edsall | Georgia Tech, 1998: defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach | UConn, Maryland | |
| Ted Roof | Georgia Tech, 1998: linebackers coach; 1999–2001: defensive coordinator; UCF, 2011: defensive coordinator | Duke | |
| Geoff Collins | Georgia Tech, 1999–2001: graduate assistant; UCF, 2008–09: linebackers coach and recruiting coordinator | Temple, Georgia Tech | |
| Mac McWhorter | Georgia Tech, 2000–01: offensive line coach | Georgia Tech, West Georgia | |
| Shane Beamer | Georgia Tech, 2000: graduate assistant | South Carolina | |
| Brent Key | Georgia Tech, 2001: graduate assistant; UCF, 2005: graduate assistant; 2006–07: tight ends coach and recruiting coordinator; 2008: special teams and tight ends coach and recruiting coordinator; 2009–11: offensive line coach and recruiting coordinator; 2012–13: assistant head coach, offensive line coach and recruiting coordinator; 2014–15: assistant head coach, offensive coordinator, offensive line coach and recruiting coordinator | Georgia Tech | |
| Glenn Spencer | Georgia Tech, 2001: running backs coach | West Georgia | |
| Brian Polian | UCF, 2004: running backs coach and recruiting coordinator | Nevada, John Carroll | |
| Ryan Silverfield | UCF, 2006–07: graduate assistant | Memphis, Arkansas | |
| Gary Blackney | UCF, 2008: defensive backs coach | Bowling Green | |
| Charlie Taaffe | UCF, 2009–14: offensive coordinator | The Citadel, Montreal Alouettes, Hamilton Tiger-Cats | |
| Jim Fleming | UCF, 2012–13: defensive coordinator | Sacred Heart, Rhode Island | |
| Tyson Summers | UCF, 2012–14: defensive coordinator | Georgia Southern, Colorado State |
Other assistants under him (13)
| Coach | With him | |
|---|---|---|
| Brian Baker | Georgia Tech, 1994: linebackers coach; 1995: defensive coordinator and linebackers coach | |
| Dave Huxtable | Georgia Tech, 1994: special teams coordinator and linebackers coach; 1995: linebackers coach; 1996–97: defensive coordinator and linebackers coach; UCF, 2004–07: special teams coordinator and linebackers coach; 2008–10: defensive coordinator | |
| Steve Shankweiler | Georgia Tech, 1994: co-offensive coordinator | |
| Larry New | Georgia Tech, 1995–97: assistant head coach and defensive line coach | |
| Pat Watson | Georgia Tech, 1995–96: offensive coordinator | |
| John Donovan | Georgia Tech, 1998–2000: graduate assistant | |
| George Godsey | UCF, 2004: graduate assistant; 2005–08: quarterbacks coach; 2009–10: running backs coach | |
| Lance Thompson | UCF, 2004–06: defensive coordinator | |
| Tim Salem | UCF, 2004–08: offensive coordinator | |
| John Skladany | UCF, 2007: defensive coordinator; 2010: defensive run game coordinator and linebackers coach; 2011: co-defensive coordinator | |
| Andrew Thacker | UCF, 2008–09: graduate assistant; 2015: safeties coach | |
| Rob Calabrese | UCF, 2014–15: graduate assistant | |
| Chuck Bresnahan | UCF, 2015: defensive coordinator and linebackers coach |
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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | UCF | head coachbonuses up to $750,000; $385,000 in bonuses paid | $1,890,000 USA Today | |
| 2014 | UCF | head coachbonuses up to $750,000 | $1,800,000 USA Today |
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.
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
O’Leary’s teams went for it on 18% of fourth downs and on 32% of those where the model said go for it, passed on 46% of plays and took 25.5 seconds a play, 2004–2015.
| Season | Went for it on fourth | When the model said go | Pass rate | Seconds a play | EPA a play | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 3 g | 3 of 30 10% | 12% | 48% | 31.2 | −0.22 | |
| 2005 13 g | 22 of 113 19% | 40% | 46% | 24.6 | +0.02 | |
| 2006 12 g | 24 of 93 26% | 41% | 49% | 24.9 | −0.04 | |
| 2007 12 g | 18 of 99 18% | 37% | 37% | 25.2 | −0.08 | |
| 2008 12 g | 17 of 120 14% | 21% | 44% | 23.6 | −0.32 | |
| 2009 13 g | 13 of 103 13% | 29% | 48% | 25.5 | −0.09 | |
| 2010 13 g | 15 of 75 20% | 38% | 34% | 27.8 | +0.06 | |
| 2011 12 g | 21 of 84 25% | 48% | 46% | 25.1 | +0.02 | |
| 2012 14 g | 16 of 90 18% | 24% | 46% | 24.6 | +0.09 | |
| 2013 13 g | 8 of 70 11% | 19% | 47% | 27.3 | +0.14 | |
| 2014 13 g | 24 of 105 23% | 36% | 47% | 25.7 | −0.09 | |
| 2015 12 g | 19 of 111 17% | 25% | 57% | 24.7 | −0.22 | |
| All 142 g | 200 of 1093 18% | 32% | 46% | 25.5 | −0.04 |
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.