2007 Umass Football • COACHING STAFF
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2007 UMass Football • COACHING STAFF 2006 NATIONAL FINALISTS • 2006 ATLANTIC 10 CHAMPIONS • 2006 LAMBERT CUP Don Brown led UMass to a school-record 2007 UMass Football • COACHING STAFF 13 wins in 2006. Don BROWN HEAD COACH Fourth Year as UMass Head Coach 11th Year as Head Coach Norwich ‘77 The 2006 season was one to remember for UMass head coach Don Brown. Now in his fourth year at the helm of the Minuteman Brown’s Coaching Honors football program, Brown led UMass to the national champion- 2006 AFCA Region I Coach of the Year ship game after capturing the Atlantic 10 Championship with a 2006 Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year perfect 8-0 record, becoming the first undefeated conference 2006 New England Football Writers Coach of the Year team since Villanova in 1997. UMass tied the school record for 2006 Greater Boston Coach of the Year wins in a season with a 13-2 record and set 2002 AFCA Region I Coach of the Year a school-mark for wins in a row with 12. 2002 Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year The Minutemen finished the season ranked 2002 New England Football Writers Coach of the Year No. 2 in the nation. 1995 Freedom Football Conf. Coach of the Year With the Massachusetts native in 1994 Freedom Football Conf. Coach of the Year charge, UMass also set a school record for wins at home, going a perfect 8-0 at 1994 AFCA Region I Coach of the Year McGuirk Stadium. That came along with 1993 Freedom Football Conf. Coach of the Year record crowds as close to 12,000 fans ing for him. came out each game. UMass had its A defensive mastermind and architect of the defense first sellout since 1973 when 17,000 that led UMass to the 1998 National Championship, the 2006 packed McGuirk for the New Hamp- UMass team led the nation in scoring defense until the final shire playoff game on Dec. 2, 2006. game, finishing fifth, giving up just 13.3 points per game. Brown was recognized nationally UMass ranked in the top three in the conference in six and regionally for the team’s accomplish- major defensive categories, leading in pass efficiency ments. He was named the 2006 AFCA Re- defense and net punting. Nationally, the Minutemen gion I Coach of the Year, 2006 Atlantic 10 ranked in the top 20 in nine statistics including the Coach of the Year and 2006 New England top 10 in scoring defense, net punting and pass effi- Football Coach of the Year. In leading UMass ciency. UMass’ defense flourished in the playoffs to the 2006 A-10 crown, Brown became the as it did not allow a point in the second half of its second coach to win the A-10 title with two first three playoff games. The Minutemen posted teams leading the Minutemen to the crown two shutouts of conference teams in the same this year after his title at Northeastern in season for the first time since 1979. 2002. Jim Reid was the first coach to do so UMass players reaped the rewards of at UMass and Richmond. Brown coached a the sensational season as five players were conference record 20 Atlantic 10 selections signed or invited to NFL training camps: in 2006 in leading the Minutemen to the title Baylark (Arizona Cardinals), Ihedigbo game. UMass featured five All-Americans in (New York Jets), Brandon London (New guard Matt Austin, tailback Steve Baylark, York Giants), Miller (Detroit Lions) and linebacker Jason Hatchell, safety James Thompson (St. Louis Rams). Ihedigbo and center Alex Miller. Baylark made Brown was named the 27th head coach in the 124- history as he became just the third player in year history of the UMass football program on February I-AA/FCS to rush for more then 1,000 yards in 9, 2004. Brown returned to UMass after four seasons as four different seasons with Austin, Miller and the head coach at Northeastern University. Recognized All-Conference guard David Thompson block- as one of the top defensive minds in college football, 32 2006 NATIONAL FINALISTS • 2006 ATLANTIC 10 CHAMPIONS • 2006 LAMBERT CUP Don Brown is the second 2007 UMass Football • COACHING STAFF to be A-10 Coach of the Year with Brown’s Collegiate Coaching File two teams. Years School Assignment 1982 Dartmouth Assistant Coach 1983 Mansfield Assistant Coach 1984-86 Dartmouth Defensive Coordinator 1987-92 Yale Defensive Coordinator 1993-95 Plymouth State Head Coach 1996-97 Brown Defensive Coordinator 1998-99 Massachusetts Defensive Coordinator 2000-03 Northeastern Head Coach 2004-Pres. Massachusetts Head Coach he previously served as defensive coordinator for the Minute- men during the 1998 and 1999 seasons. Brown has a 78-37 (.678) career mark, including a 26-11 (.703) mark in his three seasons at the helm of UMass. He coached his 100th career game in the 2005 regular-season finale at Hofstra. In 2005, Brown led the Minutemen to the nation’s top scor- ing defense as UMass allowed just 13.27 points per game. As UMass posted a 7-4 overall record and 6-2 in the A-10 North. The Minutemen led the Atlantic 10 in five defensive categories in- cluding scoring defense. They also led in net punting (38.35) – which led the nation; total yardage defense (261.18) – which ranked third nationally; passing defense (145.09)–– which ranked fifth nationally and pass efficiency defense (106.83). On the offensive side, UMass’ line allowed the fewest sacks in the A-10, just 1.0 per game, which was eighth in the nation. The Minutemen jumped out to a 7-2 start in 2005 and Don, wife Debe and granddaughter Lola celebrate the were ranked as high as fifth in the nation, finishing the year Lafayette playoff win. 19th in polls. UMass’ best win came over No. 4 James Madison first-team All-American and Atlantic 10 Defensive Player of Year and catapulted UMass to a No. 5 national ranking. The Minute- as well as being a finalist for the Buchanan Award. James led men also beat ranked Rhode Island and Delaware teams. The the nation in interceptions as a junior and finished his career in win at the Blue Hens, was their worst home loss in 20 years, a 2005 with more interceptions than any player in the nation at 35-7 Minuteman win. the time. The Minutemen led the Atlantic 10 in pass efficiency UMass featured two All-Americans and 10 All-Atlantic 10 defense while the offensive line led the country in fewest sacks players. Punter Christian Koegel was named the A-10 Special allowed per pass attempt (giving up nine on 344 pass attempts) Teams Player of the Year as well as a Walter Camp first-team as Baylark led the conference in rushing. All-American. Safety Shannon James was named a consensus first- Over his four seasons at Northeastern (2000-03), Brown team All-American for the second year in a row as well as being led a total transformation of the Huskies’ program. After taking a finalist for the Buck Buchanan Award’– as the top defensive over a team coming off a 2-9 record, with just two winning sea- player in Division I-AA — for the second year in a row. Joining sons in the previous 12 before his arrival, Brown led Northeast- Koegel and James on the A-10 First Team were Baylark, Miller ern to a 27-20 mark during his four seasons. The Huskies posted and defensive end Keron Williams. winning records each of his last two seasons, going a combined James, Williams and the versatile R.J. Cobbs were all in- 18-7 during that two-year span, and made the program’s first- vited to NFL training camps in 2006. ever NCAA playoff appearance. In his first season back with UMass as head coach in 2004, During the 2003 season, Brown led Northeastern to an Brown led the Minutemen to a 6-5 record winning four of the overall record of 8-4, and a third-place finish in the Atlantic 10 last five games. UMass’ late-season run elevated them to a sec- Conference with a 6-3 mark in league games. The eight victories ond place finish in the Atlantic 10’s North Division. Included in tied for the second-most in school history, while the Huskies the 4-1 stretch to close out the season was a 26-22 win at North- were the only team in the country to defeat eventual national eastern, which was an emotional game for Brown, as he had champion Delaware, posting a 24-14 victory over the Blue Hens recruited nearly every player on the Huskies’ roster. The Min- on November 8. Brown had Northeastern ranked at or near the utemen knocked off three teams ranked in the top 20 during the top of the Atlantic 10 in several statistical categories, including season including No. 4 Colgate, No. 7 New Hampshire and No. 19 total offense (first / 431.8 yards per game), scoring offense (sec- Maine. The win over UNH, was the 500th win in UMass football ond / 34.5 points per game), scoring defense (third / 18.2 points history per game) and total defense (fourth / 338.2 yards per game). Under Brown’s guidance, James was named a consensus The Huskies finished the season ranked 20th in the nation. Brown’s Year-By-Year Head Coaching Record Overall Conf. Conf. Year School Record Pct. Record Pct. Place Accomplishments 1993 Plymouth State 6-4 .600 5-1 .857 2nd 1994 Plymouth State 10-1 .909 6-0 1.000 1st Freedom Conference Champions / NCAA Division III Quarterfinals 1995 Plymouth State 9-1 .900 7-0 1.000 1st Freedom Conference Champions / NCAA Division III First Round 2000 Northeastern 4-7 .364 1-7 .125 10th 2001 Northeastern 5-6 .455 4-5 .444 6th 2002 Northeastern 10-3 .769 7-1 .875 1st Atlantic 10 Conference Champions / NCAA Division I-AA First Round 2003 Northeastern 8-4 .667 6-3 .667 3rd 2004 MASSACHUSETTS 6-5 .556 4-4 .500 2nd 2005 MASSACHUSETTS 7-4 .636 6-2 .750 2nd 2006 MASSACHUSETTS 13-2 .867 8-0 1.000 1st NCAA Championship Game/ Atlantic 10 Conference Champions Career 10 Years 78-37 .678 54-23 .703 Four Conference Titles/Four NCAA Berths 2006 NATIONAL FINALISTS • 2006 ATLANTIC 10 CHAMPIONS • 2006 LAMBERT CUP 33 Don Brown teams have outscored 2007 UMass Football • COACHING STAFF opponents by In 2002, Brown led Northeastern to its best season in school 10 points history, as the Huskies went 10-3 overall and 7-1 in the Atlantic Don Brown vs.