Al Groh
From NCAA College Football Information & Resource
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Al Groh (born July 13, 1944 in New York City, New York) is the head football coach of the University of Virginia Cavaliers in the NCAA college football tournament. A grizzled coaching veteran who has extensive mentoring background in both collegiate and professional football ranks on his resume, Groh is a two-time Atlantic Coast Conference Coach of the Year with over three decades of experience tucked under his belt. Almost one-third of his coaching experience was spent working with renowned coach and one of his mentors, Bill Parcells.
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Personal Life
Al was born in New York City and grew up on Long Island. Many of his relatives are from the Charlottesville area, and his father was also buried there. He is married to the former Anne Stahle of Cornwall on Hudson, N.Y. and the couple is blessed with three children, namely Mike, Ashley Anne, and Matt. His eldest son Mike was a former football standout at Virginia, playing quarterback for the Cavaliers from 1994 through '95. Mike, who is eight years older than Matt, also served as offensive assistant to Al during his 1-year stint with the New York Jets in the National Football League. Al also hired Mike to join his staff when he came to Virginia in 2001. Matt, on the other hand, was a former quarterback at Princeton before attending law school at UVa. Al's grandchildren are named Cameron, and Connor.
Along with his wife and his children, the Grohs are very active in the Charlottesville area in getting involved with charity work. They have worked with the UVa Children’s Hospital, Madison House, Computers 4 Kids and the Charlottesville Catholic School.
Playing Career
Groh played high school football at Chaminade High School in Mineola, N.Y. where he was an All-Metropolitan selection. For his collegiate career, he proceeded to attend the University of Virginia where he lettered in both football and lacrosse as a defenseman. During his stint from 1963-65, he played under Bill Elias and George Blackburn in the Cavalier football team and lettered as a defensive end in 1965. He graduated in 1967 with a Bachelor of Science in Commerce degree.
Start of Coaching Career
Immediately after graduating from the UVa. McIntire School of Commerce, Groh jumpstarted his coaching career after serving as assistant football coach at Charlottesville’s Albemarle High School. The following season, he joined Tom Cahill's staff at the United States Military Academy football squad and served as defensive coach for the plebe or freshman team. It was during that period that he got to work with Parcells for the first time in his career. His stint with the Army lasted for two years, afterwhich he made his return to his alma mater and serve as freshman coach to his former mentor "Blackie" Blackburn in 1970. When Don Lawrence took over the Cavaliers in 1971, Groh was assigned to coach the defensive line. In 1973, he made a move to Chapel Hill and helped head football coach Bill Dooley nurture the Tar Heel linebackers including one young Lawrence Taylor. After four years at UNC, he joined Parcells at Air Force as defensive coordinator but would leave after only two seasons to coach the linebackers for the 1980 Texas Tech team of Rex Dockery.
Wake Forest
After John Mackovic failed to deliver a winning season in 1980, the Demon Deacons tabbed the services of Groh starting with the 1981 season. His maiden coaching campaign resulted to a 4-7 record, then 3-8 in 1982, 4-7 in 1983, before his first winning season (6-5) and the first for the team in five years since 1979. It was his only winning record at WFU as 4-7 and 5-6 seasons ensued in 1985 and '86, respectively. Despite an unimpressive overall record (26-40), Groh's tenure produced a first-team All-American, 12 first-team All-ACC selections, 15 All-ACC Academic selections, one ACC Rookie of the Year and a Jacobs Blocking Trophy awardee. Fourteen of his players also went on to play in the NFL which was the most at that point.
Asst. Coaching Career
When Marion Campbell returned to coach the Atlanta Falcons in 1987, Groh was part of his staff as Special Teams and Tight Ends coach. His NFL debut was however short-lived as he made a brief return in the collegiate ranks as offensive coordinator for Joe Morrison's South Carolina Gamecocks. In 1989. he reunited with Parcells and L.T. with NFL's New York Giants and helped the team post an impressive 12-4 record. He retained his LB coaching job until 1990 when the Giants won its second Super Bowl Championship. He remained with the team in 1991 despite Parcells resignation but would soon take his defensive coaching expertise in a stint with the Cleveland Browns in 1992 under head coach Bill Belichick. After Parcells was hired to coach the New England Patriots in 1993, he hired Groh back to man the linebackers and serve as defensive coordinator at the same time. His stint with the Pats ended in 1996, with a victory at the Super Bowl XXXI. A year later, Parcells would move over to the New York Jets, bringing along with him his linebacker coach. Groh served as assistant with the Jets until 1999, before making his pro head coaching debut in 2000. After the Jets failed to register a winning record in '99, Parcells resigned and was replaced by Belichick but the successor went without a game with the Jets as he immediately stepped down a day after getting the job in order to take another with the New England Patriots, thus opening the door for Groh.
New York Jets
Under Groh, the Jets zoomed to a blazing start after winning nine of the first 13 assignments highlighted by a stunning 40-37 overtime win over Miami when the Jets racked up 23 points in the final period to record the biggest comeback in the history of Monday Night Football. However, New York sustained three losses to close the season out for a 9-7 standing.
Virginia
Following a one-year stint with the Jets, Groh was hired to become the 38th head coach of the University of Virginia football program on the 30th of December 2000 to replace long-time coach George Welsh. Welsh, the winningest coach in ACC and school history, retired after 19 years with the Cavaliers, the longest tenure among Virginia coaches.
2001
With vast pro-football experience, Groh implemented an "NFL style" with the Cavaliers that include a 3-4 defense. He posted a 5-7 record in his maiden season at UVa. with conference wins over Clemson, Duke, and Georgia Tech. He went on to coach the defense of the Gray team in the 64th Annual Blue-Gray All-Star Football Classic on the 25th of December 2001 held in Montgomery, Ala. That same year, Groh was involved in a minor controversy when he released a comment in relation to the 9/11 attacks. Groh was asked by a reporter whether he and his team should be afraid to fly their charter plane to Clemson and he responded by stating that, "I'm not saying this to make light of it by any means, but I'm not planning on having Arabs in the traveling party, so therefore I think probably that the threat of our being hijacked is pretty remote." He and university president John T. Casteen III, apologized and recognized the inappropriateness of the remarks.
2002
In 2002, Virginia was faced with a schedule ranked the 11th toughest in the nation by Jeff Sagarin of USA Today and had to compete with a young team comprised mostly of sophomores and freshmen. The first two games had the Cavaliers defeated by Colorado State and Florida State but Groh was unfazed as he rallied his team to six consecutive wins that include victories over conference-mates Wake Forest, Duke, Clemson, and North Carolina. The team ended the regular season with an 8-5 regular season record and a berth at Groh's first bowl game. He went on and led the Cavaliers to 48-22 triumph over 15th ranked West Virginia in the Continental Tire Bowl, giving the school its first season with 9+ wins since 1998 and making Groh only the second coach in UVa history to lead the Cavaliers to a bowl game. For a team picked to finish eighth in the league during the preseason but ended up ranking 22nd in the final Associated Press poll, Groh and the team has indeed overachieved and for that, he was awarded with the 2002 ACC Coach of Year award.
2003
After a highly-successful 2002 campaign, Virginia entered 2003 as one of the favorites and they proved it after demolishing Duke in the season-opener, 27-0. However, it was an up-and-down year for the Cavaliers who at one point had a 5-5 record. Fortunately, the team managed to win its last two outings and qualified for the Continental Tire Bowl game for the second straight year, winning it 23-16 over Pittsburgh. The team, which won back-to-back in the postseason for just the second time in school history, ended up with a #23 ranking from the Associated Press.
2004
The team kept its momentum entering the 2004 season, winning five straight to open the year to stretch the streak from last season to eight. Eventhough they went on to finish the rest of the regular season with an even 3-3 record, the Cavs have gained enough victories to return to the postseason for the 3rd straight year with a berth at the MPC Computers Bowl. The team was humbled by Fresno State, 34-37 in the bowl game. Nevertheless, it was another winning year for Groh (8-4) and the Cavaliers, who ranked first in the ACC in rushing offense, total offense, first downs, and third-down conversions while at the same time establishing a new school record with 34 rushing touchdowns. Groh's efforts was recognized by his peers with the 2004 AFCA Regional Coach of the Year award.
2005
Prior to the 2005 season, Groh received a a six-year contract extension with a guaranteed annual salary of $1.7 million. At the start of the year, it looked like the contract extension was a good decision after Virginia once again started strong and barrelled through its first three assignments, even pulling upsets over 4th ranked Florida State and 24th ranked Georgia Tech. However, questions and eyebrows were raised when consecutive losses to ACC rivals Maryland and Duke ensued. Inconsistency throughout the year also cost the Cavaliers two straight defeats to end the regular season. Fortunately, the Cavs' record was enough for a Music City Bowl berth which the team went on to win, 34-31 over Minnesota. The bowl invitation also marked only the second time the Cavaliers appeared in the postseason for the 4th consecutive year.
2006
During the offseason, Groh's contract extention was still being questioned and Groh had to deal with several issues with his roster. His assistant, Ron Prince, has left for a head coaching job at Kansas State and in his place, Groh promoted his eldest son, Mike, to become the team's offensive coordinator. Apart from a less seasoned assistant, Groh also had a considerably inexperienced club and the effects were quite visible when the Cavaliers struggled althroughout the season. The turnout was disastrous as Virginia finished with its first losing season since 2001---Groh's first year. 2006 also marked the first time in 20 years that the ‘Hoos were not represented in the All-ACC first team. With the unexpected outcome, athletic director Craig Littlepage stated that, "Al will be our head coach" through at least the 2007 season but refused to exercise an option to extend Groh's contract by one year stating that Virginia's expectations were higher than 5-7. Nevertheless, Virginia did have some of its players in the All-Conference selection that include second-team honorees CB Marcus Hamilton and DE Chris Long. Freshmen starters DE Jeffrey Fitzgerald, OT Will Barker, and QB Jameel Sewell were also included in The Sporting News’ Freshman All-American team.
2007
Following his worst outing in half a decade, Groh was named among the five worst coaches in college football by Sports Illustrated columnist Stewart Mandel during the preseason. But Groh, who keeps a small green and white sign at the back of his nameplate (given by Parcells) which reads “Just Coach the Team,” kept his composure despite losing the season opener @ Wyoming. He anchored a seven game-winning run before the team finished with a 9-3 record and earn a return trip to the postseason. Not only was he able to vindicate himself, Groh also received his second ACC Coach of the Year award from the ACC Media Association. The Cavaliers unfortunately came up short in the Gator Bowl, 28-31, against Texas Tech.
Highlights
| Al Groh at the ACC Football Kickoff in Pinehurst, NC in 2007. (from Chatham Journal) |
Year-by-Year
| Year | School | Record | Conference | Standing | Bowl | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wake Forest (Atlantic Coast Conference) (1981 — 1986) | ||||||
| 1981 | Wake Forest | 4-7 | 1-5 | 6 | ||
| 1982 | Wake Forest | 3-8 | 0-6 | 7 | ||
| 1983 | Wake Forest | 4-7 | 1-6 | 7 | ||
| 1984 | Wake Forest | 6-5 | 3-4 | 6 | ||
| 1985 | Wake Forest | 4-7 | 1-6 | 8 | ||
| 1986 | Wake Forest | 5-6 | 2-5 | 6 | ||
| Wake Forest | 26-40 | 8-32 | ||||
| Virginia Cavaliers (Atlantic Coast Conference) (2001 – 2007) | ||||||
| 2001 | Virginia | 5-7 | 3-5 | 8 | ||
| 2002 | Virginia | 9-5 | 6-2 | 3 | W - Continental Tire Bowl | AP #22; Coaches #25 |
| 2003 | Virginia | 8-5 | 4-4 | T-4 | W - Continental Tire Bowl | |
| 2004 | Virginia | 8-4 | 5-3 | 4 | L - MPC Computers Bowl | AP #23; Coaches #23 |
| 2005 | Virginia | 7-5 | 3-5 | 5 (Division) | W - Gaylord Hotels Music City Bowl | |
| 2006 | Virginia | 5-7 | 4-4 | 3 (Division) | ||
| 2007 | Virginia | 9-4 | 6-2 | 2 (Division) | L - Konica Gator Bowl | |
| Virginia | 51-37 | 31-25 | ||||
| Total | 77-77 | |||||
References
- Al Groh Virginia Profile
- Al Groh Wikipedia
- For Cavaliers' Father-Son Duo, Coaching Is Strictly Business
- Lovely linebackers: Al Groh's torrid affair with linebackers has made Virginia the place to be for future Lawrence Taylors
- Salaries and tenure
- ShrpSports Historical Data
- SportsEcyclopedia.com
- Virginia Historical Data @ CfbDatawarehouse.com
External Links
Categories: Virginia head coaches | NCAA head football coaches | Atlantic Coast Conference head football coaches
