After the Cowboys beat up on the Washington Redskins a couple of weeks ago I had a chance to catch up with one of my old teammates, John Phillips, who currently plays tight end for the Cowboys. We only spoke briefly but we did manage to discuss UVA’s recent hiring of Mike London as the new head coach. I instantly realized that I had yet to publish my opinion on this hire and it is certainly a topic that deserves some discussion.
I’d like to say that I predicted that 2009 would be Al Groh’s last season as Virginia’s head football coach, but I think the writing was on the wall after the loss to William & Mary. Groh is a good coach, so I think he’ll land on his feet real soon (hopefully in the NFL). Now, UVA has to find a way back to its former glory. The first step in the process was hiring a new head coach and I think the AD Craig Littlepage got it right with the hiring of London.
As the Cavaliers defensive coordinator for 2006 & 2007, London had Virginia playing some of their best defense in over a quarter century. Virginia finished in the top 20 in the nation in rushing yards, points allowed and sacks and managed to win 9 games that season despite their struggles on offense. As a defensive line specialist, London turned Jeffrey Fitzgerald into a freshman All-American and Chris Long into the best defensive lineman in the country and second overall pick in the NFL draft. He also led a shut-out performance against the Miami Hurricanes as the Cavaliers officially closed down the Orange Bowl with a 41-0 thumping of the ‘Canes in 2007.
In 2008 the Richmond Spiders came calling, as their head coach Dave Clausen left to become the offensive coordinator of the Tennessee Volunteers. Despite an opening day loss to his former Cavaliers squad, London led Richmond to the FCS National Championship by handily beating perennial favorites Appalachian State and Montana. In one year, Mike London brought the University of Richmond its first national championship…in any sport! The next year Richmond ripped out of the gates with 9 straight victories and even earned a vote for the AP top 25. Unfortunately, they were defeated by Appalachian State in the quarter finals of the playoffs and two days later the University of Virginia would come calling once again.
Not only does London bring a great defensive mind, master motivation, and championship credibility to a team that has never been in consideration for a national championship, but he will bring a hometown feel back to the Cavaliers recruiting class. London grew up in the Hampton Roads area (a recruiting zone generally dominated by Virginia Tech), and has only coached outside of the state for 1 year out of the last 10 (Houston Texans). He has had various stints at William & Mary, Richmond and Virginia. His recruiting arm can even be extended as far as the north east as he coached for Boston College for 3 years. But his familiarity with the football pedigree east of the Blue Ridge mountains should serve UVA well in its effort to ascend to prominence in the ACC.
Mike London’s personal profile should also bring a breath of fresh air to a football program that had grown stale over the last couple years. While he is no Mike Tomlin or Josh McDaniels, London is a full 16 years younger than Al Groh and his message and coaching style should resonate a little differently. After hearing the same mantras for the last 8 years the players, the fans, the board members, etc. could use a little change of flavor. It is also exciting to see Virginia’s willingness to hire an African American head coach. Although it is not unprecedented for UVA to make such hires (former basketball coach Dave Leitao and current Athletic Director Littlepage), Virginia sports a relatively rich coaching history and it is inspiring to see a coach of color leading this football team. The players should be inspired as well as having a black head coach is a rarity in major college football.
No matter what color he may be, it is suffice to say that Mike London is a really good coach. Given a few years to really put his stamp on this team, I truly believe that London could have Virginia back at the top of the ACC. The conference doesn’t feature any powerhouses and the only perennial bowl team is in-state rival Virginia Tech. Maybe, under London’s leadership, Virginia vs. Virginia Tech can become a real rivalry again. He can start by stealing some of those recruits.
Keywords: Al Groh, Chris Long, Craig Littlepage, Dave Leitao, Jeffrey Fitzgerald, John Phillips, Mike London, Richmond Spiders, Virginia Cavaliers, Virginia Tech Hokies, Willian & Mary
