Today, we will be looking at Urban Meyer's coaching history and record. The legendary coach, best known for his tenure as Florida University's coach in the mid-2000s, partnered up with mythical QB Tim Tebow to give the Gators two of their three NCAA national titles. We'll also take a glance at his record with the Ohio State Buckeyes and his brief stint in the NFL.
Urban Meyer's coaching history and record
First, let's take a look at Urban Meyer's entire coaching history and record from his time at Bowling Green to his stint with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
NCAA Football Record
- Bowling Green (2001-2002): 17W-6L
- Utah Utes (2003-2004): 22W-2L
- Florida Gators (2005-2010): 65W-15L
- Ohio State Buckeyes(2012-2018): 83W-9L
Total:187W-32L
NFL Record
- Jacksonville Jaguars (2021): 2W-11L
His NCAA record is fantastic, especially in that period with the Gators when he was coaching in the SEC, arguably the toughest conference in the nation (although, the West Division is tougher than the East Division). Nonetheless, his record is not enough to join the list of college head coaches with 200 wins or more. Nick Saban's record is way more impressive at 280W-69L-1T
Barring his coaching record with the Jaguars, we have to admit that NCAA coaches have a hard time adapting to the NFL. Even Saban had a poor 15W-17L record in two seasons with the Miami Dolphins.
Meyer's early success at Bowling Green and Utah
Meyer engineered one of the greatest turnarounds in college football history in the 2001 season when he took Bowling Green to an 8-3 season capped with a victory over rivals the University of Toledo. Bowling Green had gone 2-9 in 2000. The success was due in great part to star QB Josh Harris, who passed 1022 yards with 9 TDs and rushed for 600 yards with 8 TDs. In 2002, Harris would pass for 2425 yards with 19 TDs and ran for 737 yards with 20 TDs and Bowling Green would get a 9-3 record.
Meyer's next stop would be the University of Utah, where he would go on to lead the Utes to their first conference championship in his first year, and a Fiesta Bowl victory over Pittsburgh in his second one. His Bowl Championship Series bid with the undefeated Utes in his second season was the first from a non-BCS automatically qualified team.
Meyer's national championship years at Florida
After his successes at Utah, both Notre Dame and the University of Florida came knocking on Meyer's door. Meyer finally chose the job at FU. In his first season, he led the Gators to a 9-3 record, with an undefeated home record, and a bowl victory against Iowa in the Outback Bowl. His second season gave him an SEC Championship in a victory against Arkansas and his first national title after defeating Ohio State.
Even though Meyer's third season wasn't as impressive, his protege Tim Tebow would mesmerize the nation in his Heisman Trophy-winning season. The 2008 season would see the heights to which the Meyer-Tebow combination could go, giving Meyer his second SEC title with a victory against Saban's top-ranked Alabama and his second national title with a victory over Oklahoma. Although 2009 brought a 12-0 regular season record, it also dealt a defeat against Alabama in the SEC Championship game. Meyer capped the season with a Sugar Bowl victory against Cincinnati. His last season at Flordia in 2010 was a mediocre 7-5 record, with an Outback Bowl victory over Penn State.
Meyer's return to Ohio State and another national championship
After a brief stint at ESPN, Meyer came back to coaching in 2012 with the Ohio State Buckeyes. His first season was a 12-0 record and a No.3 ranking in the AP Poll, though the team was ineligible to play post-season due to NCAA sanctions. Posting 4 bowl wins in his tenure at Ohio, Meyer is best known for his 2014 season where he carried the Buckeyes to an 11-1 season, a Big Ten championship, a Sugar Bowl victory, and a National Title victory over Marcus Mariota's Oregon Ducks in the first-ever college football playoff. The Buckeyes showed their resilience after losing star QB Braxton Miller before the start of the season and replacement J.T. Barret mid-season. An offense led by third-string QB Cardele Jones and star RB Ezekiel Elliot proved enough to give Meyer his third national title.
Meyer's brief NFL stint with the Jacksonville Jaguars
Finally, let's take a look at Meyer's disappointing coaching record with the Jaguars in the NFL. His stint in the NFL is tied for fourth for the shortest by any coach. In a season plagued with a myriad of problems, Meyer was fined by the NFL for abusive practices with his players and accused by kicker Josh Lambo of kicking players during practice. The 2W-11L record reflects the poor state of affairs.
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