COACHING STAFF STEVE MCGILL
SPENCER RILEY
Assistant Coach (Defensive Line) Coordinator of Academic Development
Assisant Coach (Offensive Line) Equipment Coordinator
8th Year • Livingston University, 1973
2nd Year • University of Tennessee, 2000
Steve McGill will be coaching in his eighth season on the Tusculum College gridiron staff. A�er a four-year hiatus, McGill returned to the Tusculum sidelines in 2010 and will be in charge of the Pioneer defensive line. He has mentored five All-South Atlan�c Conference standouts including Lebron Johnson (two-�me honoree), Mike Hobbs, Lee Hughes, Jr., Adrian Samples and Terrence Smith. He coached at Tusculum during the program’s SAC Championship run in 2003 as that team posted a 9-2 record and ended the year with a No. 19 na�onal ranking. McGill also serves as the team’s Coordinator of Academic Development. The Blue Ridge, Ga. na�ve has an extensive football background, having coached at several levels for over 30 years. Following gradua�on from Livingston University (now the University of West Alabama) in 1971, McGill coached high school football for seven seasons in Georgia and Alabama. In 1980, he began his collegiate coaching career at Auburn University where he served as assistant linebacker coach. In 1981, he went to Jacksonville State, mentoring the defensive line as the Gamecocks advanced to the NCAA Division II Playoffs. The following season, McGill returned to the Southeastern Conference as a defensive secondary assistant coach at Louisiana State University. That team boasted the top-ranked defense in the country, while the Tigers finished second in the SEC and earned a berth in the Orange Bowl. In 1983, he was tabbed as linebacker coach at Appalachian State University, beginning an associa�on with the Southern Conference that would last for 15 years. For the next nine seasons, McGill served on the coaching staff at the University of Tennessee at Cha�anooga. In his first season with the Mocs, Cha�anooga captured a conference crown and a berth in the NCAA Division IAA Playoffs. In 1993, he headed north to Johnson City to coach at East Tennessee State University where he served for the next four years. In his final season with the Bucs, ETSU advanced to the second round of the NCAA I-AA Na�onal playoffs. A�er a year in the private business sector, McGill returned to the coaching ranks where he served as offensive line coach at Middle Georgia College in Cochran, Ga. During his coaching tenure, McGill has coached 11 All-Americans, 26 All-Conference performers, including 13 individuals who played professional football. McGill le�ered on the gridiron at Livingston where he was a member of the Tigers’ 1971 Na�onal Championship team. He earned his bachelor’s degree in Physical Educa�on and Industrial Educa�on. McGill is married to the former Carol Fincher of Jonesboro, Ga. They are the parents of two children, daughter Stacey who is a graduate from ETSU and on staff at Tusculum; and son Stan who is a graduate from Tusculum. The McGill family resides in Gray, Tenn.
Spencer Riley is entering his second season on the Tusculum College football staff. Riley coaches the Tusculum offensive line, while also being in charge of the football program’s equipment procurement and upkeep. In his first Tusculum campaign, he mentored All-American Hannibal Ruiz, who became the fourth Pioneer offensive lineman to earn All-America dis�nc�on. Riley, a na�ve of New Market, Tenn., possesses a wealth of collegiate experience, having coached and played at both the NCAA Division I and II levels. His college coaching experience includes the University of Tennessee at Cha�anooga during the 2008 season and three years at the University of West Georgia. He has also coached at the prep level at Karns High School in Knoxville and Douglas County High School in Douglasville, Ga. A four-year le�erman at the University of Tennessee from 1996 to 1999, Riley has quickly built an impressive resume from the lessons he learned from his �me with the Volunteers. His coaching career began at Karns High School in 2001, where he served as the offensive coordinator and offensive line coach for three seasons (2001-03) before taking over as defensive coordinator and linebackers coach in 2004. He also coordinated the special teams. In 2005, Riley was hired to coach the offensive line at West Georgia, becoming only the fi�h coach at that posi�on in the program’s 47-year history. After two years in that role at the Gulf South Conference program, Riley was promoted to offensive coordinator while retaining his offensive line responsibili�es at the Carrollton, Ga. school. He installed the Spread offense for the Wolves in 2007 and was the run game coordinator in 2006. He also served as the team’s Pro Liaison. While at Tennessee, Riley was a versa�le member of the Volunteers’ offensive line and earned a spot on the 1996 Southeastern Conference All-Freshman Team. He lined up at guard in 1996 and 1997 before moving to center for his final two seasons. He played all four years for head coach Phillip Fulmer. During his career, he started 44 consecu�ve games and helped lead Tennessee to the 1998 Na�onal Championship. He was a key lineman on the 1998 squad, which posted an undefeated 13-0 record, including a 23-16 win over Florida State University in the inaugural BCS Na�onal Championship game to claim the Vols’ first na�onal �tle since 1967. He was also an integral part of back-to-back Southeastern Conference �tles, in 1997 and 1998, and played in four Bowl Games – the 1997 Citrus Bowl, the 1998 Orange Bowl and the 1998 and 1999 Fiesta Bowls. He was a team captain of the 1999 squad which went 9-3 and his teams forged a combined record of 43-7 during his collegiate playing career in Knoxville. Following his senior year, he was selected to play in the 1999 Senior Bowl and signed a free agent contract with the Buffalo Bills of the Na�onal Football League. He earned his degree from Tennessee in 2000 in Human Resource Development. A�er a stellar high school career at Jefferson County High School, Riley was chosen as a Parade Magazine and Max Emfinger All-America. He was a member of the BlueChip Illustrated Dream Team, a Scholas�c Coach All-America and was named Northeast Tennessee Player of the Year and an All-State selec�on. Spencer and his wife Beth are the proud parents of one daughter, Catelyn (8).
The McGill Family Carol and Steve
The Riley Family Beth, Spencer and Catelyn
10 - 2011 Tusculum Football