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Ohio: The Land of Coaches

Sixteen current Division I-A head football coaches are from Ohio. That's four more than second-place California. No other state has produced more than six current head coaches.

There were seventeen I-A head coaches before Randy Walker passed away. Ohio 17, California 12, every other state 6 or less. Unreal.
 
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Actually, you can subtract two more from that total. Les Miles and Brady Hoke lost their Ohioan priveleges when they went to That School Up North (Miles as player and assistant, Hoke as an assistant). They can go to hell.
 
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Another Ohio coach moving up in the ranks...Todd Fitch graduated from Bellaire HS (Joey Galloway, Ben Taylor, etc) and Ohio Wesleyan:

Link

ECU adds Fitch to football staff
Former USC aide will be a coordinator
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Fitch has worked with Holtz before.



From ECU News Release
Todd Fitch has been named quarterbacks coach and an offensive coordinator at East Carolina, Pirates football coach Skip Holtz announced on Monday. Fitch and Holtz worked together for a total of 10 seasons, five each at Connecticut and South Carolina, beginning in 1994.
Fitch, 43, will share ECU offensive coordinator duties with offensive line coach Steve Shankweiler.
Fitch spent the past three seasons as quarterbacks coach at Iowa State, where he tutored All-America Bret Meyer, who set school career marks in passing yards (7,348), total offense (7,929), touchdown passes (41) and completions (587).
Fitch, who has more than 20 years of coaching experience, has also worked under Don Nehlen, Earle Bruce and Lou Holtz during a career that spans back to 1986 and included stops at alma mater Ohio Wesleyan, Bowling Green, West Virginia and Colorado State.
"Undoubtedly, Todd brings a wealth of experience to East Carolina and we're excited to have him join our Pirate family," Holtz said in a release. "There's certainly a comfort level there when you've spent 10 years working with someone. He's made a significant impact everywhere he has been, and I've been fortunate enough to see it in person twice."
Holtz also announced that Phil Petty will move from quarterbacks coach to tight ends coach.
 
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It's amazing how many coaches' roots are from Ohio. Just off the top of my head.

JT
Urban Meyer
Ron Zook
Les Miles (Bo Pelini)
Bob Stoops
Mike Stoops
Mark Dantonio
Joe Tiller
Gary Pinkel
Mark Snyder
Shane Montgomery (Miami, OH)
Jim Harbaugh

Think abot how many National Titles have been won by Ohio Head coaches since 2000.

2000 - Bob Stoops
2001 - Larry Coker (from Ohio)
2002 - JT
2006 - Urban Meyer
2007 - Les Miles
 
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billmac91;1063904; said:
It's amazing how many coaches' roots are from Ohio. Just off the top of my head.

JT
Urban Meyer
Ron Zook
Les Miles (Bo Pelini)
Bob Stoops
Mike Stoops
Mark Dantonio
Joe Tiller
Gary Pinkel
Mark Snyder
Shane Montgomery (Miami, OH)
Jim Harbaugh

Think abot how many National Titles have been won by Ohio Head coaches since 2000.

2000 - Bob Stoops
2001 - Larry Coker (from Ohio)
2002 - JT
2006 - Urban Meyer
2007 - Les Miles

I know this has been discussed in the Traditions Everyone Should Know Thread but if you factor in the history of coaches with ties to tOSU the lineage goes even further.

http://www.ohiostatebuckeyes.com/fl...ts.pdf?SPSID=87751&SPID=10408&DB_OEM_ID=17300
 
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I see Holtz up there for his one season. Rumor was always that Woody told him to go out and find another job "or else" because of questionable practices recruiting. Also why, despite being the fan favorite at the time, he was never seriously considered as Woody's replacement.

Anyone have more detailed info/stories regarding that?
 
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Add another to the list, although I'm not too happy about this one (except for the person, himself).

Painesville native Scott Shafer was hired yesterday by Rich Rodriguez to be the new DC at scUM. Although coaches like Scott are not well known nationally, I'll guarantee you that this guy is going to be one hot comodity Nationally within a year or two, pretty much along the lines of Meyer. Every team he's coached over the past several years defense just seems to turn to gold, and gets nationally ranked in key defensive categories. He's coached under Bill Mallory, a few years back he assumed the "D" of a shitty Western Michigan team and within two years had them ranked nationally in sacks, tackles for losses, and I'm talking top-10 nationally. Harbaugh hired him last year as Stanfords DC pretty much based on what he did to imporve WMU's defense, and made him "Assistant Head Coach" on top of that. All he did there was put a "D" on the field that beat USC as a 41 point dog.

Scott is one of the nicest people you'd ever want to meet, and comes from a family with a strong football background. His dad coached our High School team in the late 1970's, early 1980's and was also our Track Coach when little'ol Painesville Riverside was a track powerhouse. I had the privelage of coaching his younger brother John in baseball, and all he ever did for me was help me win two Little League State Championships back in 1982 and 1985.

Anyway, I'm getting way too long winded pimping-up a scUM coach. But I'll tell you what. TOSU is going to be looking for a Head Coach in about 12-15 years, I'd guess. Scott will be long-gone from scUM by then, will be head coach at a major CFB program or even in the NFL. He's 40 now so would be at a pretty good age to bring him in to close out his coaching career.
 
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