2011 RED RAIDER FOOTBALL
“THE RIVERBOAT GAMBLER” IS NOW THE
HIGH PLAINS COMMANDER HEAD COACH TOMMY TUBERVILLE
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resh off an eight win season and a win over Northwestern in the TicketCity Bowl, Texas Tech head coach Tommy Tuberville begins his second season. In year one, Tuberville led the Red Raiders to an 8-5 record and became the first coach in school history to win a bowl game in his first season. Armed with a prolific offense and an improving defense, the Red Raiders secured their 11th consecutive bowl bid by ending the regular-season with back-to-back wins. Tuberville’s strong bowl history proved beneficial for the Red Raiders as he led them to a 45-38 win over Northwestern, which gave Tech its third consecutive win over a Big Ten foe. His successful debut led to a one-year contract extention that will keep him on the Tech sideline through the 2015 season. The excitement for Tuberville’s first season was historic as a new single-season school record for season tickets was established with sales peaking at 46,565. Along the way, Tech also set a new standard for home attendance as as an average of 57,107 fans attended the six home games at Jones A&T Stadium. Tuberville inherited a program (Jan. 10, 2010) that had been bowl eligible for a Big 12 record 16 consecutive seasons and won 29 games in the last three seasons. In 10 seasons at Auburn, Tuberville led the Tigers to 85 overall wins, which ranks fourth in school history. The Tigers also won 49 Southeastern Conference games, a number that is the fourth-best mark in the SEC. Tuberville led Auburn to seven straight bowl appearances, including New Year’s Day bowl games in four of those years. In 2007, Tuberville led Auburn to an 9-4 mark, including a 5-3 record in the Southeastern Conference with wins at No. 4 Florida and a record-setting sixth consecutive win over Alabama in the Iron Bowl. The Tigers concluded the season with an overtime victory over Clemson in the Chick-fil-A Bowl, marking the program’s fifth bowl victory in the last six seasons. For the second consecutive year, Tuberville was a finalist for the Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year award for his efforts on and off the field. The 2006 season saw Tuberville direct the Tigers to their second season with at least 10 wins in the previous three years with an 11-2 record after a 17-14 victory over Nebraska in the AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic. One of three finalist for the inaugural Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year award, Tuberville’s 2006 squad was the only program in the country to defeat two teams ranked in the top five nationally - National Champion Florida and LSU. Coming off a perfect 13-0 season in 2004, expectations for Tommy Tuberville’s 2005 Auburn squad were modest after the Tigers lost four players to the first round of the NFL draft, including their entire starting backfield. But Auburn surprised many of the experts, finishing 9-3 and earning a share of its fifth Southeastern Conference Western Division title in six years. Auburn ended the regular season with back-to-back victories over Georgia and Alabama - two teams ranked at the time in the top 10 - setting a new school record in the process with 22 victories over a two year period. In 2004, Tuberville led Auburn to its best season ever as the Tigers won a school-record 13 games and captured the SEC Championship and the NOKIA Sugar Bowl title. Auburn won its first conference title since 1989 including its first outright championship since 1987. Auburn defeated five top 15 teams, becoming just the 10th NCAA Division I-A team to finish 13-0 or better. The Tigers earned their first ever berth in a Bowl Championship Series game and defeated VirginiaTech, 16-13 in the Sugar Bowl. For his efforts, Tuberville was named the AFCA, Associated Press, Paul “Bear” Bryant, FCA, SEC and Walter Camp Coach of the Year. The season before Tuberville’s arrival, Auburn finished with a dismal 3-8 overall record and a last place finish in the SEC Western Division. Tuberville guided the program back to the top of the league standings, leading Auburn to an SEC Championship, five Western Division titles including outright championships in 2000 and 2004 and co-championships in 2001, 2002 and 2005. Tuberville directed Auburn to eight consecutive bowl appearances, including five New Year’s Day bowl berths and three consecutive January 1 bowl games from 2005-07. In 2006, 11 players had graduated before the start of the season, and Auburn had 16 graduates on its 2007 AT&T Cotton Bowl roster. In 2005, 12 players graduated prior to the Capital One Bowl, while in 2004, nine players who had already earned their degrees played in the Nokia Sugar
Bowl. In 2003, linebacker Dontarrious Thomas, a three-time SEC Honor Roll selection, was one of eight Division I players named a National College Scholar-Athlete which awarded him a $18,000 postgraduate scholarship from the National Football Foundation and College Football Hall of Fame. While at Ole Miss from 1995-98, Tuberville posted a 25-20 record. Inheriting a Rebel program plagued by NCAA sanctions and probation, he guided Ole Miss to a winning record in his first season in 1995, despite having just 61 players on scholarship. He did not have a full compliment of scholarship players to work with in any of his four years at Ole Miss. By the time he had three recruiting classes under his belt, Tuberville led Ole Miss to an 8-4 mark and a victory in the inaugural Motor City Bowl in 1997. His efforts earned him Associated Press SEC Coach of the Year Honors and American Football Quarterly magazine selected him as runnerup for its Schutt Sports Coach of the Year honor. Prior to becoming head coach at Ole Miss, Tuberville served as defensive coordinator and linebackers coach at Texas A&M for one season. In 1994, he helped lead the Aggies to a 10-0-1 record and No. 8 final ranking by the Associated Press. Under his direction, the Aggie defense finished fourth nationally in scoring defense (13.1 ppg), fifth in total defense (265.5 ypg) and sixth in rushing defense (92.4 ypg). Tuberville served as a member of the University of Miami staff for eight seasons from 1986-93, taking over as defensive coordinator in 1993. While serving on the staffs of Jimmy Johnson and Dennis Erickson at Miami, Tuberville was a defensive coach on teams which won three national championships, posted an 87-9 record and played in nine consecutive New Year’s Day bowls. As defensive coordinator for the Hurricanes in 1993, Tuberville directed a Miami defense which was ranked No. 3 nationally in scoring defense (12.6 ppg) and No. 5 nationally in pass defense (91.15 ypg). Tuberville began his collegiate coaching career at Arkansas State in 1980, coaching various segments of the Indians’ defense over the next five seasons. During a five-year stay at Arkansas State, Tuberville coached defensive backs, nose guards and linebackers. During his final year at ASU, the Indians advanced to the second round of the NCAA Division I-AA playoffs. He began his coaching career at Hermitage (Ark.) High School where he spent two years as an assistant and two as a head coach. After three straight four-win seasons, Tuberville guided HHS to a 7-3 mark in 1979 before moving to Arkansas State. A 1976 graduate of Southern Arkansas University, Tuberville was a letterman at free safety and a two-year member of the golf team at SAU. He is a 1972 graduate of Harmony Grove High School in Camden, Ark. Tuberville is married to the former Suzanne Fette of Guilford, Ind. They are the parents of two sons, Thomas Tucker and Troy Allen. COACHING CAREER 2010-Present Head Coach, Texas Tech University 1999-08 Head Coach, Auburn University 1995-98 Head Coach, University of Mississippi 1994 Defensive Coordinator, Texas A&M 1993 Defensive Coordinator, University of Miami 1986-92 Defensive Coach, University of Miami 1980-84 Assistant Coach, Arkansas State University Career Record PERSONAL Name: Born: Hometown: Wife: Children: Education:
10-5 85-40 25-20
120-65
Thomas Hawley Tuberville September 18, 1954 Camden, Ark. The former Suzanne Fette of Guilford, Ind. Thomas Tucker, Troy Allen B.S., Physical Education (1976), Southern Arkansas University
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