Troy’s Larry Blakeney to Retire at Season’s End

TROY, Alabama – Legendary Troy University football head coach Larry Blakeney formally announced his retirement at a press conference Monday morning; Blakeney will retire at the end of the 2014 season. Currently in his 24^th season, Blakeney ranks seventh among active coaches with 175 victories over his storied career.

Troy Athletic Director John Hartwell will begin a national search immediately to hire Troy's 21^st head coach.

Blakeney's legacy includes a record five consecutive Sun Belt Conference championships, eight total conference titles, 15 winning seasons, five bowl games, seven NCAA FCS Playoff appearances in eight years and 18 players selected in the NFL Draft, including a pair of first-round selections.

A member of the Troy University Sports Hall of Fame (inaugural class) and the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame, Blakeney had the playing surface in Veterans Memorial Stadium named in his honor in the spring of 2011. The home field at Troy University will forever be known as Larry Blakeney Field at Veterans Memorial Stadium.

Throughout his career, Blakeney has been recognized by his peers and by the sporting community at large. He has been named to four separate Halls of Fame, has been named Coach of the Year on numerous occasions and gives generously of his time to almost any group or organization that asks for it. During the summer of 2000, the All-American Football Foundation honored him with the Johnny Vaught Lifetime Achievement Award.

Troy joined the Sun Belt Conference in 2004 and since that time the Trojans have won 49 Sun Belt Conference games, the most of any team in the league. Troy has had 96 All-Sun Belt Selections and averaged over 28 points per game, both tops in the league.

Troy will forever be known as a school that knocks off the "big boys" as Blakeney's teams have defeated Mississippi State, Missouri and Oklahoma State.

Before Blakeney moved Troy to FBS status in 2001, the Trojans enjoyed one of the most successful runs in school history. Over eight seasons, the Trojans advanced to the national semifinals twice and the FCS postseason seven times, including an NCAA-record four consecutive seasons after making the move from NCAA Division II in 1993.

When the Trojans jumped to FBS status, Blakeney made NCAA history, becoming one of only two coaches to lead a program from NCAA Division II to the FBS, joining Central Florida's Gene McDowell.

Blakeney's journey at Troy University began on December 3, 1990, when he was hired as the 20th head coach in school history. During the 1980s, Troy won two NCAA Division II national championships, but the program was in a rebuilding phase upon Blakeney's arrival. In the three years prior to his arrival, the Trojans had combined for a 13-17 overall record.

His first two seasons came during the "transition" period in the move to FCS status. The program was still technically Division II, although it was not allowed to compete in the playoffs. Blakeney's first team finished 5-6, but a 10-1 second year, which included a 41-7 win over FBS member Arkansas State, gave Troy fans a glimpse of what was to come.

Prior to his arrival in Troy, Blakeney had a variety of roles in his 14 seasons at Auburn. He began his coaching career as the assistant offensive line coach during the 1977 and 1978 seasons. That was followed by stints with the Tigers' tight ends and wide receivers coach from 1978 until 1980, and then a focus strictly on wide receivers from 1981 until 1990.

From 1986-90, Blakeney was also the Tigers' offensive play-caller. During that time, Auburn posted a 47-10-3 record and won three Southeastern Conference championships. They also were 3-1-1 in bowl games over that span.

Auburn had a 110-50-3 record during his time with the program, including four SEC championships and nine bowl appearances (6-2-1). In 1990, he was honored by the Chilton County Auburn Club with its "Unsung Hero Award."

Before joining the coaching staff at his alma mater, Blakeney coached seven seasons in the Alabama high school ranks. He was the head coach at Southern Academy (1970-71), Walker High School (1972-74) and Vestavia Hills High School (1975-76). He compiled a 50-24-2 record during his time as a prep head coach.

Head Coach Larry Blakeney
Opening statement…
I appreciate you all showing up. There is a lot of support in this room and a lot of folks doing their job. I talked to our team last night and I wrote 45 on the board, which represents the number of teams I have coached in a row, since 1970; three head coaching jobs in high school, an assistant coach at my alma mater for 14 years under two great men, Doug Barfield, Pat Dye.

The story of the year that I got this job is one that reverts back to January. They (Marshall) flew my wife, Janice, and I to Marshall to interview for that job. The story goes, that we flew into that hilltop airport, which you all know of because that is where the plane crashed with the team, but we landed and got into a Lincoln Continental. We go down a winding road into Huntington, West Virginia and pull up in front of the Hilton Hotel. I looked at Janice and she looked at me and I knew damn well we weren't going to Marshall.

We both went through a great interview process, I learned what college football really was supposed to be like as far as support from administration, support from faculty, support from fans, support from all the venders, stores and business people and I met with all of them. I learned a lot about the deal. I went back and I called Lee Moon, the Athletic Director from Atlanta, on the way back home and pulled my name out and he hired Jim Donnan. Donnan did a great job and ended up at Georgia.

Anyhow, that is how my trek here began. I wanted to be coach and I-AA was the level that I wanted to try to enter as a head coach. I had been a head coach in high school and that sort of turned me on. I had been with Barfield and Dye as an assistant and I learned a lot from them and the guys I worked with. If I named all the guys I've worked with, there are some pretty good guys, football guys and people along the way. If you are learning, working good things happen to you, I always believed that.

It reverts back to me to Tommy White, who I played high school football for. He gave me a second job in insurance. I could sell that policy to those young people in college that they didn't have to pay for for two years. That was pretty easy. I have been around a long time, 45 times that I have taken a team to camp; 31 as a head coach and three of them in high school.

I think back to the McCray family, who gave me my first job, at Southern Academy. Dr. Buddy Thorn, an Auburn guy, who really challenged the administration to hire me in Jasper, Alabama at Walker High. Guys like Jabo Waggoner and Bill Porter, who helped me get the job at Vestavia Hills. There's no telling of how many of those same people and more were annoying Barfield to death until he finally gave me an opportunity at Auburn. Then, I held onto it with Coach Dye after he came there. I think the reason that happened was because he was trying to find an Auburn guy who would be on his staff and he couldn't find one; so a couple months after he was there he hired me. I was blessed to be there with him for 10 and 14 total, and then got here for 24.

If you add all that up it's 45 years, any way you cut it. So it's time for me to move on. The opportunity to finish coaching this team, especially where we are now in the season, is going to be one that I hope we can make a rewarding one. I have challenged our coaches. Players, it is all about players. We have had a boo-koo of coaches here, I could name them but I will not, I have had calls from a lot of them. I got a text from (former offensive coordinator) Tony Franklin this morning.

We've had a bunch of kids. Our phones have blown up the past 48 hours, and it has been rewarding to hear from the coaches and players. Those are the guys that made those 175 wins a pleasure. Let me tell you, the wins are great and the losses are awful. It kills you, it wrenches your gut. You go through your head and try to figure out what you can do as a coach to help your team win. I have challenged the players last night, who sat right where you are, and I told them the story of my life. I think we connected. I know they will work and our coaches will too. I got written a note, 'you didn't forget how to coach overnight.' I still think we are able to coach and motivate players. So we are going to give it a run here to see what we can do. There are still a lot of things we can do. Sometimes when you're not sure it motivates you to work harder and I'm hoping that's what our kids will do everyday on the field and what our staff will do. I will make sure I do my part.

At the end of the year, I will retire as the head football coach. I think I will still maintain a presence in Troy and try to help Troy University through assisting John Hartwell and Chancellor Hawkins in anyway I can so I can continue to be a part of this great university. Janice and I have raised three girls here. We came here, the twins were in junior high and Kelley was in ninth grade. They all went to Charles Henderson and did very well. All went to Troy and got very good degrees. Kelley is a doctor in Montgomery, Tiffany is raising girls in Duluth and Julie is pregnant, we're going to have our second grandson in December. We are proud of our family and we will continue to be proud of Troy University and what we have been able to do here.

You don't just walk out there and get a college-coaching job. I hear all this about a national search. There is a guy that fits this place. He will take over and work at a high rate of speed to get where this administration and board of trustees and athletic administration wants it to get. Football is big, football is king in the South, whether you like it or not. I think we have some of the greatest coaches here in our athletic department. I do appreciate you all being here.

On when he made the decision…
Well I have been working on it. We have been talking about a week. You don't jump in or out of college football. You have to make sure everyone is on board; that what you're thinking is copasetic with every entity of the university. There are a lot of people in this sport and we have to do what is best for football. No rush to judgment. There are a few people would have liked me to rush to judgment earlier, but I think we have a lot of friends too. I wanted to make sure number one that I did the right thing for my family and then these guys that are here and the guys that aren't in here, the players. Those were my first two considerations and the university of course. There is a lot of talking you have to do to make sure that everything is good for everybody. We've been working on it for a little while. I don't know as far as my particular discussion, but it has been a little over a week to make sure we had all the i's dotted and all the t's crossed.

On if he thought he'd retire at the beginning of the season…
You never know what you're going to experience. I was expecting to go undefeated. My most favorite time at work is when I know that we are going to win a game and it's over. I know we are winning it. We haven't experienced that this year. We are still working and we still have an opportunity and those 130 kids have the same opportunity and they will put their best foot forward. The Sun Belt, with the expansion, has really become very competitive week in and week out; anyone can win and anyone can lose depending on how well you prepare and play. That is the way I see it. There are some favorites right now, I can pick them for you and they are still on our schedule. Todd Berry called last night; of course they (ULM) beat us by two points. He represents us in the NCAA and he is a friend. It's good to know within your organization and your big circle of people that you have a lot of folks. People really care about this program and that is a good thing. That will sustain this program through whatever. Larry Blakeney has been here 24 years and he is moving on to another horizon in his life – retirement. Hey, the next guy, with the interest that people have in this program will sustain whoever that is to greater heights. That is what I hope for this program and the next head coach.

On the role he sees himself in hiring the next coach…
I will play zero role. If I'm asked to in my position, I certainly will do whatever I am asked to do and express my opinions.

On why he announced it at this time…
That's a tough question. It is one that I had put a lot of thought put into it. It was time to do something and maybe a time with that type of announcement might be a motivator, might get some folks involved. Maybe we can stir some things up and get some folks involved.

On the meeting with the team last night…
It was awesome to me. I didn't know how that would go. I didn't want to tell the coaches or players until practice was over for a selfish reason. I wanted them to be focused on what they were doing. I knew I had to do something with the timeline that we are on, but I waited until it was over. I asked the guys to shower and come back in 15 minutes. I took the coaches to a room in the back and we talked for five minutes.  For about 30 minutes I was with the team and they were locked in. Whether or not it does us any good, they were locked in.

On staying 24 years….
Well there are a lot of things I will tell you and a lot I won't. There has not been a lot of offers out there, not that I would have jumped on them. I have never been a job looker. I didn't try and get in on every job. The story about the girls and Janice, we were raising a family in a good-conservative college town. There were a lot of things that kept me here. There probably were some opportunities out there if I had really moved after them. I could have gotten interviews, but interviews are not what pay the bills it just makes people mad. We were happy here. We graduated the girls from here and they liked to come out. One of mine is having a baby in December and has not missed a game except ULM. This has been a good place and made a lot of great friends. The people that hired me have been also pretty steady like Dr. Hawkins and the Board of Trustees. There are a lot of good reasons that I could throw out there to stay.

On his health playing a factor…
No. I'm blessed as far as my health. I hope I can maintain my health. If I can get Coach (Shayne) Wasden to make me walk every day I will be a lot better off. I feel good. I had a little back surgery; it didn't do anything but give me a little scar on my back. I'm still working on the foot. Anyhow, I feel healthy. I feel good, that's a good thing with the plans my family has.

On greatest moment…
I have been asked that, greatest win, greatest moment. There have been some great ones, as far as a coach looking at some of the things we have been able to do. You look at the pictures of the Missouri game; the Marshall game and then we go to New Mexico State and lose. Missouri win has got to be one of them. We had the top TV group in here with (Lee) Corso and (Mike) Tirico and Kirk (Herbstreit). They had a top-dollar crew in here and it was a great evening for Troy and the football program. It catapulted us into some discussions around the country. That was a great win. There have been a lot of great wins here and on the road.

Athletics Director John Hartwell
Opening statement…
Well that is a tough act to follow. Thank you all for coming out today as we discuss – I'm not going to use retirement, I will use the word transition – as we discuss the transition of Larry Blakeney. Certainly as you all heard is just a few of the stories, he is a legend. You do not use that term very loosely but he is a legend and synonymous with Troy football and the success that it has had over the past 24 years.

I want to give Dr. Hawkins' regards, he regrets that he cannot be here today but he had a commitment in Birmingham with Alabama Humanities Foundation. He sends his regards and expresses the thanks for Coach Larry Blakeney.

Again, I want to start out with a thank you for everything that Coach Larry Blakeney has meant to this program. You talk about the 175 wins, five Sun Belt titles, five bowl game appearances, in the I-AA years, 7-of-8 years in the playoffs. You can go on and on and the numbers don't lie in terms of his success on the football field. To me, and to many of you, the greatest thing that he has brought to Troy football is the development of young men. Not only on the field, certainly the number of his NFL guys and the number of guys that have had success in the Canadian Football League, he has had tremendous job with that on the field but also you look off the field. The business we are in is preparing these young men and women, our student-athletes, for the game of life. You look what he has done in developing the young men in the game of life and the success stories of the different walks of life.  To me, that is the number one thing he has accomplished and we are very thankful for that. One of the things that makes Troy special is the family feel. Larry Blakeney has done that. It starts at home with Janice, his daughters, and as he talked about his son-in-laws and grandchildren. Family is number one first and foremost to him. Not just his blood family but also the assistant coaches and the lineage of successful coaches he has had. We have a tremendous staff of assistant coaches here now, but all of those, along with his players and the Troy Athletics and University family have, truly been family to him and will continue to be. Again, I go back to transition, not retirement. Although he may be stepping away as our head football coach, he will still play a big role in Troy Athletics.  Certainly I will be remised if I didn't talk about what he has accomplished and what he has done is far reaching. It goes beyond Troy football: Troy Athletics and the university or the city of Troy. What he has done for the community with exposure and development and everything else. A huge gratitude is to go there as well.

Let's shift gears and talk about the remainder of the season. Coach has done a tremendous job with the 130-or so men that were in here last night. As he said, he spent 30 minutes with those guys and as I looked around the room the guys had their eyes locked in and focused. Again, just a testament to the power and what he means to these young men. We are very excited, on behalf of our athletic department, about the remainder of the season. Is 0-5 where any of us expected to be or want to be? No, absolutely not. However, as I look back here and see a lot of our football staff in this room, I know these guys are busting their tails everyday and every night. Yesterday's announcement did not change that. I got here this morning at 4:50 to get in an early morning workout before the day gets going and I saw some of our assistant's cars already here. You think about that. Guys find out that there is going to be a head coaching transition, so certainly there is going to be anxiety. But again, it talks about the work ethic Coach Blakeney has, not only for himself, but has instilled in his assistants. For tha, we are optimistic about the remainder of our season. Seven regular season games left to play and there is not a game that our coaching staff and our young men believe we cannot win. We're looking forward to getting that started Saturday against New Mexico State.

I know timing is a question. As Larry and I were in discussion it was said, 'hey what is the significance of mid-year.' As we talked through it, it made more and more sense. This is not about Larry about getting up and walking away from Troy. It is about him transitioning from being head coach to an ambassador in all aspects for the community. Our intention is to keep him as an ambassador for Troy. It may be a little different, but we will utilize him with donors and potential donors. We're excited about that. We believe that this can give a jumpstart to the remainder of our season, and certainly as we look at transition it gives us an opportunity to get ahead of the curve, in terms of starting the process, looking to see who the right fit is for the next head coach of Troy. Again, on Larry's role his title he will be special assistant to the athletic director.

I'll touch briefly on the search process that will begin immediately. Our focus is on winning these last seven games. I can promise you, just as Larry said, his phone has been going off since last night. All of a sudden I have a bunch of best friends who say they have people interested. All that being said, joking aside, I think the interest in the position speaks volumes to the foundation Blakeney has established in our program. Again, if you look last night after that release went out, the national media and things on Twitter and Facebook; the positive things that were said about Larry and what he has done at Troy, tremendous gratitude goes to him and speaks volumes about the respect he has from his peers and those throughout the industry.

Again, on the search, we will have an advisory committee, not a search committee, for the position made up of a variety of folks, including former players, stretching across several decades and local business leaders. We believe we will continue to have tremendous interest. As far as a timetable, we would, ideally, like to have someone selected by December 1. Is that reasonable? Maybe not, but we will have someone by December 15. At the end of the day, referring to what Larry said, it's about players. Certainly with recruiting players. We understand the sooner we have definition towards the future of our program will assist us in recruiting.

In closing, we are so appreciate for what Larry Blakeney has done of the past 24 years for Troy University, for Troy football, and the state of Alabama. We are excited about the remaining seven games and our staff and our players will be fully engaged in winning, which will all state at 2 p.m. on Saturday against New Mexico State for Homecoming. Certainly as we look forward beyond this year to the future of Troy football you look at a rich history that has been established by many folks, but certainly over the last 24 years cornerstoned by Larry Blakeney. We believe that foundation is rock solid and the next person we select to guide this program and our young men and our football program, the sky is the limit for this program.

On the search process…
First of all, and certainly in what we have received in the last few hours, the interest in our position is going to be extreme in a very positive way. There will be a lot of qualified candidates, but it goes back to fit: finding the right person in terms of the university, football, stands for our ideals, has the core values of hard work, integrity, and wanting to be the best we can be and be willing to outwork all of our competition; whether it is on the recruiting trail, in game preparation, everything about it, but all of those things will be taken into consideration. We will evaluate all of those candidates and probably narrow it down to three or four of the best fits and make a selection from that group.

On financial aspect…
Certainly as you look at the escalating of college athletics Larry's salary, $505,000 a year, puts us at about average in the Sun Belt. We span from Mark (Hudspeth, head coach at UL Lafayette) at seven figures to the lowest at around $300,000. We are prepared to be as competitive as we need to be both in terms of head coach salary and assistant's pool. There are other things involved such as facilities. I am so fortunate for having the support and buy-in from our administration. We are prepared to provide the financial resources necessary for us to be successful.

On limiting it to only head coaches…
We're not going to get caught up in (experience) and narrow the field. It comes down to the right fit. There are plenty of coaches that have not been head coaches that have stepped in and been successful, and on the flip there have been plenty of head coaches that are not successful.

Troy Chancellor Dr. Jack Hawkins, Jr.
Coach Larry Blakeney is a college football legend, leading our football program from Division II to the highest level of NCAA competition. From the day he was hired over 24 years ago, Coach Blakeney's goal was to put TROY on the Division I college football map. He has accomplished this goal while never losing sight of his foremost goal, developing our student-athletes into outstanding men. We thank Larry Blakeney and his wife, Janice, for being a model of the true Trojan family and for all they have done for this University over the past quarter century.

Troy University Athletics

Related News

Troy’s Larry Blakeney to Retire at Season’s End

Related Videos