How did UTC’s football coaches get here?
When Tom Arth is introduced at noon today in front of University of Tennessee at Chattanooga supporters at Finley Stadium, he will become the Mocs’ first head football coach with previous college head-coaching experience since Harold “Red” Drew took over the University of Chattanooga program in 1929.
Drew had coached at Trinity College in Hartford, Conn., and at Birmingham-Southern before guiding Chattanooga to a 13-5-2 record in two seasons. He left Chattanooga for Alabama, where he was an assistant for 11 years under Frank Thomas and eventually took over the Crimson Tide in 1947, guiding them to a 54-28-7 mark, which included a 10-2 season in 1952 that culminated with a 61-6 thrashing of Syracuse in the Orange Bowl.
Arth has coached the past four seasons at Division III John Carroll in University Heights, Ohio, leading the Blue Streaks to a 40-8 record. Here are how the other modern-era Mocs coaches arrived at Chattanooga.
JOE MORRISON
UTC record: 44-29-4 in seven seasons (1973-79)
How he got here: Morrison was a running back for the New York Giants from 1959 to 1972, playing in 184 career games, including all 14 in 1972. He was hired at UTC with no coaching experience whatsoever.
BILL OLIVER
UTC record: 29-14-1 in four seasons (1980-83)
How he got here: Oliver played on Bear Bryant’s first national championship team at Alabama in 1961 and helped win three more as the Crimson Tide’s secondary coach throughout the 1970s.
BUDDY NIX
UTC record: 44-54-1 in nine seasons (1984-92)
How he got here: Nix did have head-coaching experience before coming to UTC, but that was at Eufaula High School in Alabama. He took over the Mocs after assistant stints with Southern Miss, Auburn and LSU.
TOMMY WEST UTC record: 4-7 in one season (1993) How he got here: A former University of Tennessee tight end, West was South Carolina’s defensive coordinator for two years before being hired at UTC. He left when Clemson named him to replace Ken Hatfield.
BUDDY GREEN UTC record: 27-39 in six seasons (1994-99) How he got here: Green, a former North Carolina State quarterback, was N.C. State’s defensive coordinator before getting what would be the lone head-coaching opportunity of his career. He retired in 2015 after 14 seasons as Navy’s defensive coordinator.
DONNIE KIRKPATRICK
UTC record: 10-24 in three seasons (2000-02)
How he got here: The Mocs averaged 29.8 points a game in 1999, when Kirkpatrick was offensive coordinator. Kirkpatrick was promoted the next year and is now the offensive coordinator at James Madison, which will face Youngstown State for this year’s FCS title.
RODNEY ALLISON
UTC record: 17-51 in six seasons (200308)
How he got here: Allison was hired by athletic director Steve Sloan, who coached the former Texas Tech quarterback. Allison was Brett Favre’s quarterbacks coach at Southern Miss, was on Terry Bowden’s staff as Auburn went 11-0 in 1993 and came to UTC as Clemson’s defensive ends coach.
RUSS HUESMAN
UTC record: 59-37 in eight seasons (2009-16)
How he got here: Huesman played defensive back for the Mocs under Morrison and Oliver, and he returned to his alma mater after a five-year stint as defensive coordinator at Richmond, which won the 2008 national championship.