After much speculation, the University of Texas has announced Charlie Strong as the new head coach of the Longhorn’s storied football program. Texas Athletic Director praised Strong, who has coached at Louisville since 2010. “Our committee and former lettermen helped create an extensive selection criteria and after visiting with Charlie, it was clear he met them all. He led championship defenses as an assistant, a resurgence at the University of Louisville with double-digit game winning seasons, and twice been selected conference coach of the year.”
Here’s where the Longhorn faithful can expect to see the biggest impact of Strong’s hiring:
1) He can rally quickly. For a Texas fan base who’d like to be back at the helm of the championship conversation, oh, yesterday, Strong has a history of quick results and impressive feats. When Strong took over the Cardinal’s program in 2010, Louisville had finished the 2009 season with a 4-8 (1-6 conference) record. 2010 saw the Cardinals go 7-6 and make a bowl game; as did the 2011 season. In his third year at Louisville, the Cardinals went 11-2 and upended the #3-ranked Florida Gators. This year? Louisville’s had just one loss: a three-point stunner from the same UCF team who just whupped up on Baylor.
2) Defensive Mastermind. This year, Louisville’s defense was third in the nation in points allowed (12.4 per game) and second in the nation in total defense (257.9 yards per game). While Strong was the defensive coordinator for the Gators in 2006—when Florida was crowned with the most difficult schedule in college football by the NCAA—Strong’s defense held 10 of their 14 opponents to 100 rushing yards or less. While playing the NCAA-sanctioned “second toughest schedule” in 2008, the Gator’s defense did not allow an opponent’s offense to score for an entire half in 9 out of their 14 games. Both of those years, Strong and the Gators won the BCS national championship.
3) Skilled Recruiter. His ability to lure Teddy Bridgewater away from the football-rich state of Florida says quite a bit about his keen eye for talent and power of persuasion. At UF in 2009, Strong was ranked by ESPN as one of the top-25 recruiters amongst all coaches in the country. Although he lacks obvious recruiting ties within the state of Texas, he’s known for his finesse and easy repertoire with family and high schoolers alike. The number of 4 and 5-star defensive recruits that he brought to the Gators during his tenure (37 of them between 2005-2009) demonstrate what he can do with the backing of scholarships and a prestigious name.
Another interesting fact? Charlie Strong is the first African-American head coach in the history of the Longhorn program—a huge step forward for the bevy of African-American coaches vying for top positions at high-visibility programs. On January 6, 2009, Strong (whose wife is white) told Orlando Sentinel reporter Mike Bianchi that he believed race was a major hindrance to his desire to get a head coaching job: “If you [a college athletic director who is hiring a coach] are not strong enough to look through that [interracial marriage] then you have an issue.”
Almost five years later, to the day, Strong has finally seen that barrier defeated with one of the most sought-after positions in the country. Well worth the wait—for Strong and Texas fans alike.
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