Al Groh
Al Groh was born in New York, United States on July 13th, 1944 and is the Football Coach. At the age of 80, Al Groh biography, profession, age, height, weight, eye color, hair color, build, measurements, education, career, dating/affair, family, news updates, and networth are available.
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Albert Michael Groh II (born July 13, 1944) is an American football analyst and former player and coach.
He served as the head football coach at Wake Forest University from 1981 to 1986 and at the University of Virginia from 2001 to 2009, compiling a career college football coaching record of 85–92.
Groh was also the head coach for the New York Jets of the National Football League (NFL) for one season, in 2000, tallying a mark of 9–7.
He last coached as the defensive coordinator for Georgia Tech in 2012.
Groh is currently a college football analyst for ESPN.Groh is a two-time Atlantic Coast Conference Coach of the Year, winning the award in 2002 and 2007.
He has over 38 years of professional and collegiate coaching experience, including 13 seasons in the NFL, a Super Bowl title with the New York Giants, and over a decade of working under coach Bill Parcells.
Early life and education
Born in New York City, Groh is a native of Manhasset, New York, on the North Shore of Long Island. He is a 1962 graduate of Chaminade High School, where he played on Chaminade's undefeated, untied 1961 football team under coach Joe Thomas.
Groh attended the University of Virginia and played on the Virginia Cavaliers football team from 1963 to 1965, lettering at defensive end in 1965. A two-sport athlete, he also lettered on defense for the Cavalier lacrosse team. He is a 1967 graduate of the University of Virginia's McIntire School of Commerce.
Coaching career
Groh has been a mentor and protégé of Bill Parcells throughout his career, serving with him for more than 13 years in both academic and professional roles. Groh was an assistant under Parcells in two Super Bowls, including a 1990 Super Bowl XXV win with the New York Giants and a 1996 loss to the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XXI.
Groh began his college teaching career in 1968 as the defensive coach of the army's plebe team, where he spent with Parcells for his first time under new head coach Tom Cahill. In 1970, Groh became both head coach of the freshmen squad and later defensive line coach. He served as an assistant at North Carolina from 1973 to 1977, then spent a year (1978) as Parcells' defensive coordinator and 1980 at Texas Tech. Groh's first experience as a head football coach with Wake Forest from 1981 to 1986, when his record was 26-40.
Groh made his NFL debut as the Atlanta Falcons' special teams and tight ends coach in 1987. Groh joined the New York Giants coaching staff after a brief return to college in 1988 as the offensive coordinator for South Carolina. From 1989 to 1990, he served as the Giants' linebackers coach from 1989 to 1990 and as the defensive coordinator in 1991.
Bill Belichick drafted him as an assistant with the Cleveland Browns in 1992 due to his linebackers' experience. Groh spent time in New England from 1993 to 1996 as the defensive coordinator, then to the New York Jets as the linebacker coach from 1997 to 1999. Groh served as head coach of the New York Jets for the 2000 season, taking over after Bill Parcells' intended replacement in Bill Belichick resigned. The Jets won five of their first six games, including the "Monday Night Miracle," a 40-37 victory over the Jets in the 4th quarter, where the Jets scored thirty points. The Jets also lost three straight games to close the season, in which they needed just one win to advance to the playoffs. After the year, he resigned to pursue the position at the University of Virginia, where he was alma mater.
On December 30, 2000, Groh was named head coach of the Virginia Cavaliers' football team, succeeding George Welsh, who retired as the highest coach in school and Atlantic Coast Conference history. Groh's nicknamed him at Virginia for his 3-4 defense, which is unusual for college football, as well as his ability to maintain his NFL mentality. Groh led Virginia to four straight victories and three bowl victories before his second 5–7 campaign in 2006. In 2002 and 2007, he was named the year's Best Coach of the Year.
Groh's first year as Virginia's head coach resulted in setbacks both on and off the track. The 2001 Cavalier team set a 5-7 record, while Groh, a resident of New York City and Long Island, was involved in controversies surrounding remarks made about the September 11, 2001 attacks in his hometown. Groh said in reaction to a reporter's query about whether he and his crew should be afraid to fly their charter plane to Clemson immediately after, "I'm not saying this to deny it by any means." Both Groh and the university's president, John T. Casteen III, apologised and acknowledged the insensitivity of the remarks. Groh was chosen as the defensive head coach of the Gray team in the 64th Annual Blue-Gray Football Classic, following Al Golden's arrival in the Gray team.
Virginia set a 9-five record in their second year as head coach, and Groh was named the ACC Coach of the Year by Jeff Sagarin of USA Today.
The 2006 Cavaliers were a young squad with several new assistant coaches. The team suffered with growing pains and only a few games into the season, freshman Jameel Sewell took the starting quarterback job, leading Virginia to a 5–7 record. For the first time in 20 years, no Cavalier player made the first team All-ACC squad. While Groh said that the year would be a rebuilding effort and a slow start to some followers, Virginia athletic director Craig Littlepage said "Al will be our head coach" through at least the 2007 season. Littlepage, on the other hand, decided not to use the option to prolong Groh's service by a year, citing that Virginia's hopes were higher than 5–7. Groh was only true freshman in 2006, which kept the redshirt of true freshman intact, unlike previous seasons.
Groh was ranked as one of the top coaches in college football by Sports Illustrated columnist Stewart Mandel in the 2007 Virginia Cavaliers preseason. However, the 2007 Cavaliers, who lost their first game at Wyoming, have won their next seven games and started 4–0 in the ACC. Stewart Mandel reaffirmed his preseason column by saying, "I ended up going with Groh, and obviously he has the one who has most proven it wrong" after Virginia's ninth game of the year. The team went 9–3 overall and 6–2 in the ACC, leading to the Cavaliers' fifth bowl game in the last six seasons. Groh was voted the 2007 ACC Coach of the Year by the ACC Media Association in 2007-subsequent to the regular season.
Groh was forced to resign after leading the 2008 Virginia Cavaliers to a 1–3 record, with a 31–3 loss to a Duke team that had never lost an ACC game in its previous 25 attempts. However, Virginia turned the season around, netting 4 straight victories with Marc Verica's return and Cedric Peerman's efforts. Virginia didn't lose in overtime against the 2008 Miami Hurricanes at Charlottesville on November 1st homecoming game against the 2008 Miami Hurricanes, putting an end to Virginia's winning streak and knocking them out of first place in the ACC Coastal Division. They lost to Wake Forest, Clemson, and Virginia Tech. This is the Hokies' fifth straight loss. They last defeated Virginia Tech in 2003, their first victory over the team under Groh. In the ACC, Virginia's final standings for 2008 were 5–7 and 3–5 in the ACC.
Groh and his 2009 Virginia Cavaliers team started the 2009 season with a humiliating home loss to William & Mary of the FCS (formerly I-AA). The Cavaliers' decision to field three quarterbacks in a spread offense resulted in a game-tying seven turnovers. The loss was the first by Virginia to a I-AA squad since 1986, which also dealt with William & Mary. Multiple fans and analysts are concerned about Groh's ouster as Virginia head coach after the embarrassment of the loss as well as fears of another losing season.
The Cavaliers fell to TCU in Charlottesville and then Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, after the William & Mary loss. Groh's Virginia squad recovered and reeled off three straight victories, including two road ACC victories (North Carolina and Maryland) and a blow-out over Indiana's Big Ten. Virginia, on the other hand, defeated the three straight victories, the season came to an end. The University of Virginia fired Groh after losing to Virginia Tech in the last game of the season. He retired as Virginia's second-winning coach.
Groh will be a defensive coordinator at Georgia Tech for the 2010 season, according to the Yellow Jackets' loss to Clemson on October 6, 2012. On October 8, 2012, he was relieved of his service.