Everett Rowe Withers (born June 15, 1963) is an

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...

coach and former player. He currently serves as the assistant head coach and defensive passing game coordinator for the

Florida Atlantic Owls The Florida Atlantic Owls are the athletics teams of Florida Atlantic University. The Owls participate in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA)'s Division I as members of Conference USA. On October 21, 2021, Florida Atlantic accep ...

. He formerly served as the

defensive coordinator A defensive coordinator is a coach responsible for a gridiron football (American football) team's defense. Generally, the defensive coordinator, the offensive coordinator and the special teams coordinator represent the second level of a team's c ...

at FIU, and previously served defensive backs coach for the

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. ...

and as the head coach for the

Texas State Bobcats The Texas State Bobcats are the sports teams that represent Texas State University. Currently, they compete in the Sun Belt Conference in NCAA Division I (Football Bowl Subdivision for football). The Bobcat has been the mascot of Texas State Univ ...

. Withers served as head football coach at

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States ...

during the 2011 season as well as

James Madison University James Madison University (JMU, Madison, or James Madison) is a public research university in Harrisonburg, Virginia. Founded in 1908 as the State Normal and Industrial School for Women at Harrisonburg, the institution was renamed Madison Coll ...

in the 2014 and 2015 seasons.

Early years

Withers was born in

Charlotte, North Carolina Charlotte ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 census, making Charlotte the 16th-most populo ...

on June 15, 1963. He attended

West Charlotte High School West Charlotte High School (also called Dub-C or WC) is a comprehensive high school in west Charlotte, near Beatties Ford Road in Charlotte, North Carolina. It is state-funded. History West Charlotte High School was founded in 1938. The original ...

and later attended

Appalachian State University Appalachian State University (; Appalachian, App State, App, or ASU) is a public university in Boone, North Carolina. It was founded as a teachers college in 1899 by brothers B. B. and D. D. Dougherty and the latter's wife, Lillie Shull Dough ...

for college, graduating in 1985. He was a standout

defensive back In gridiron football, defensive backs (DBs), also called the secondary, are the players on the defensive side of the ball who play farthest back from the line of scrimmage. They are distinguished from the other two sets of defensive players, the ...

for the Mountaineers and a captain.

Coaching career

Withers started his coaching career at

Austin Peay State University Austin Peay State University () is a public university in Clarksville, Tennessee. Standing on a site occupied by a succession of educational institutions since 1845, the precursor of the university was established in 1927 and named for then-sitt ...

as the defensive coordinator in 1988. He then proceeded to coach wide receivers and special teams at Austin Peay before moving on to coach outside linebackers at

Tulane University Tulane University, officially the Tulane University of Louisiana, is a private university, private research university in New Orleans, Louisiana. Founded as the Medical College of Louisiana in 1834 by seven young medical doctors, it turned into ...

in 1991. A year later he went to the

University of Southern Mississippi The University of Southern Mississippi (Southern Miss or USM) is a public research university with its main campus located in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. It is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award bachelor's, ma ...

to coach defensive backs. Withers then moved to the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

(NFL), joining the

New Orleans Saints The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. Since 1975, the te ...

as a defensive quality controller in 1994. He then took the job of defensive coordinator at the

University of Louisville The University of Louisville (UofL) is a public research university in Louisville, Kentucky. It is part of the Kentucky state university system. When founded in 1798, it was the first city-owned public university in the United States and one of ...

, serving from 1995 to 1997. He then joined the

University of Texas at Austin The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public research university in Austin, Texas. It was founded in 1883 and is the oldest institution in the University of Texas System. With 40,916 undergraduate students, 11,075 ...

coaching staff as the defensive backs coach in 1998. In 2001, he went back to the NFL to take the job of defensive backs coach of the

Tennessee Titans The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division, and play their h ...

. In 2007, he took the job of defensive coordinator at the

University of Minnesota The University of Minnesota, formally the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, (UMN Twin Cities, the U of M, or Minnesota) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Tw ...

. He then took the defensive coordinator job at the

(UNC) in 2008. He was promoted to interim head coach from the defensive coordinator position after

Butch Davis Paul Hilton "Butch" Davis Jr. (born November 17, 1951) is an American football coach. He was most recently the head football coach at Florida International University. After graduating from the University of Arkansas, he became an assistant col ...

was fired on July 27, 2011.

Coaching successes

Withers has made accomplishments at several of his coaching stops, both college and the NFL. While he was the defensive backs coach of the Titans, they achieved a top ten defensive ranking in 2002, his first season with the Titans. From 2002 to 2004, the Titans grabbed 57 interceptions, the best ever for a three-year span for the franchise, fourth best in the AFC and eighth best in the NFL. The Titans tallied 21 picks in 2004, with 16 coming from the Withers coached secondary. In his first year with the Tar Heels, his defense totaled 20 interceptions, one shy of the school record for interceptions in a year. 2009 was an elite year for Withers's defense as they ranked sixth in total defense in the nation. They ranked 10th against the run, 13th in scoring defense and 14th in pass defense. The UNC defense was the only defense in the nation that was ranked in the top 15 in total yards allowed, scoring defense, run defense, pass defense, pass-efficiency defense, third down defense and tackles for loss. The Carolina defense totaled 19 interceptions and set an

ACC ACC most often refers to: * Atlantic Coast Conference, an NCAA Division I collegiate athletic conference located in the US *American College of Cardiology, A US-based nonprofit medical association that bestows credentials upon cardiovascular spec ...

record with 508 interception return yards. In 2010, the Tar Heels matched their interception total of 2009 with 19 picks. The Heels also ranked fourth in the ACC and 30th nationally in defense, even with injuries that made Withers play a different lineup every game. During the three total years that Withers was defensive coordinator of the Tar Heels, they totaled 58 interceptions.

2011 season

With Withers leading the Tar Heels as the new head coach the 2011 season got started with many distractions. The Tar Heels beat their first opponent, FCS school

42–10.

Bryn Renner Bryn Renner (born January 22, 1990) is an American football coach and former quarterback who was most recently the quarterbacks coach at FIU. He played college football at the University of North Carolina from 2009 to 2013 for head coaches Butch ...

set the single game school record for completion percentage at 95.7%. The Heels then beat

Rutgers University Rutgers University (; RU), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a Public university, public land-grant research university consisting of four campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's ...

24–22, holding the Scarlet Knights to one total yard rushing and 244 yards overall. The week after, the

South's Oldest Rivalry The South's Oldest Rivalry is the name given to the North Carolina–Virginia football rivalry. It is an American college football rivalry game played annually by the Virginia Cavaliers football team of the University of Virginia and the North ...

was resumed, as Carolina beat the

University of Virginia The University of Virginia (UVA) is a Public university#United States, public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. Founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson, the university is ranked among the top academic institutions in the United S ...

28–17. UNC rushed for 222 total yards for an average of 5.4 yards per carry. The Heels then traveled to

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

to play #25

Georgia Tech The Georgia Institute of Technology, commonly referred to as Georgia Tech or, in the state of Georgia, as Tech or The Institute, is a public research university and institute of technology in Atlanta, Georgia. Established in 1885, it is part of ...

, dropping this one 35–28. Georgia Tech had 312 yards rushing and 496 yards total on the day. Next the Heels played

East Carolina University East Carolina University (ECU) is a public university, public research university in Greenville, North Carolina. It is the fourth largest university in North Carolina. Founded on March 8, 1907, as a Normal school, teacher training school, East ...

beating them 35–20. The Heels then proceeded to beat the

14–7. Giovani Bernard became the first Tar Heel rusher in 27 years to rush for over 100 yards in four straight games. Bernard extended his streak of 100 yard rushing games to five in UNC's 30–24 loss to

University of Miami The University of Miami (UM, UMiami, Miami, U of M, and The U) is a private research university in Coral Gables, Florida. , the university enrolled 19,096 students in 12 colleges and schools across nearly 350 academic majors and programs, incl ...

. The Heels recovered an onside kick with under a minute to go, but time ran out before they could score. The Heels then traveled to

Clemson University Clemson University () is a public land-grant research university in Clemson, South Carolina. Founded in 1889, Clemson is the second-largest university in the student population in South Carolina. For the fall 2019 semester, the university enro ...

to face the Tigers, losing 59–38. It was the second most points given up by the Tar Heels in their 405 ACC games, trailing only the 63 given up in a game against

Florida State University Florida State University (FSU) is a public research university in Tallahassee, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida. Founded in 1851, it is located on the oldest continuous site of higher education in the st ...

in 2000. The next game was the

Homecoming Homecoming is the tradition of welcoming back alumni or other former members of an organization to celebrate the organization's existence. It is a tradition in many high schools, colleges, and churches in the United States, Canada and Liberia. ...

game for the Heels, and they beat

Wake Forest University Wake Forest University is a private research university in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Founded in 1834, the university received its name from its original location in Wake Forest, north of Raleigh, North Carolina. The Reynolda Campus, the un ...

49–24. UNC racked up 506 total yards and caught four interceptions in the game. Next up for the Heels was the rivalry game with

North Carolina State University North Carolina State University (NC State) is a public land-grant research university in Raleigh, North Carolina. Founded in 1887 and part of the University of North Carolina system, it is the largest university in the Carolinas. The universit ...

Raleigh Raleigh (; ) is the capital city of the state of North Carolina and the seat of Wake County in the United States. It is the second-most populous city in North Carolina, after Charlotte. Raleigh is the tenth-most populous city in the Southeas ...

, which the Heels lost 13–0. It was the fifth straight loss to the Wolfpack, the first shutout in the series since 1960. Giovani Bernard did break the 1,000 yard rushing mark for the season, but as a team the Heels were held to three total yards rushing. On a Thursday night in

Blacksburg, Virginia Blacksburg is an incorporated town in Montgomery County, Virginia, United States, with a population of 44,826 at the 2020 census. Blacksburg, as well as the surrounding county, is dominated economically and demographically by the presence of V ...

the Heels lost to

Virginia Tech Virginia Tech (formally the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and informally VT, or VPI) is a Public university, public Land-grant college, land-grant research university with its main campus in Blacksburg, Virginia. It also ...

24–21. Dwight Jones passed the 1,000 yard receiving mark for the season, making the 2011 Tar Heels the first team to have a 1,000 yard receiver and rusher in the same season. UNC closed out the regular season with a home win over arch-rival

Duke University Duke University is a private research university in Durham, North Carolina. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present-day city of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco and electric power industrialist James ...

, winning 37–21. The Heels have won the last 20 of 21 games in the series and hold an all time advantage of 58–35–4. Dwight Jones's 79 receptions and Bryn Renner's 23 TD passes set single season records for the Tar Heels.

James Madison

On December 20, 2013, Withers accepted the position of head football coach at

. During a successful first campaign with the Dukes, Withers led the team back to the

FCS playoffs The NCAA Division I Football Championship is an annual post-season college football game, played since 2006, used to determine a national champion of the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS). From 1978 to 2005, the game was k ...

for the first time since

2011 File:2011 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: a protester partaking in Occupy Wall Street heralds the beginning of the Occupy movement; protests against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed that October; a young man celebrate ...

and was named a finalist for the Eddie Robinson FCS Coach of the Year award.

Texas State

On January 6, 2016, Withers accepted the position of head football coach at

Texas State University Texas State University is a public research university in San Marcos, Texas. Since its establishment in 1899, the university has grown to the second largest university in the Greater Austin metropolitan area and the fifth largest university ...

. In three seasons with the Bobcats Wither's amassed 7 wins and 28 losses. Withers was terminated from the position on November 18, 2018 because of the lack of success and wins for the program. He was replaced by West Virginia University offensive coordinator

Jake Spavital Jacob Stephen Spavital (born May 1, 1985) is an American college football coach who is the offensive coordinator for the California Golden Bears. He previously served as the head football coach at Texas State University from 2019 to 2022. Coachi ...

New York Giants

On February 26, 2019, it was reported that Withers was hired as the defensive backs coach of the

. He had agreed to become the defensive coordinator at FIU shortly before. He replaced

Lou Anarumo Lou Anarumo (born August 18, 1966) is an American football coach who is the defensive coordinator for the Cincinnati Bengals of the National Football League (NFL). He previously served as the defensive backs coach at Purdue under Joe Tiller and ...

, who left to be the

Cincinnati Bengals The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional American football team based in Cincinnati. The Bengals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The c ...

defensive coordinator.

Texas

Withers wasn't retained following the

' dismissal of Pat Shurmur. He then joined

Tom Herman Thomas Herman III (born June 2, 1975) is an American football coach and head coach of the Florida Atlantic Owls. He was the head football coach for the Texas Longhorns at the University of Texas at Austin from 2017 to 2020. Prior to that, he se ...

's staff at

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

as a defensive analyst.

FIU

In January 2021, Withers was announced as the

at FIU, reuniting him with former

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...

head coach,

Temple

In January 2022, Withers was named Chief of Staff to the Head Coach for Temple Owls football program by Head Coach

Stan Drayton Stanley Drayton (born March 11, 1971) is an American football coach. He is currently the head coach at Temple University. He formerly served as the associate head coach, running backs coach, and run game coordinator at The University of Texas at ...

Head coaching record

* Withers was fired after the 11th game of the season in 2018.

References

External links

Florida Atlantic profile

Texas State profile

James Madison profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Withers, Everett 1963 births Living people American football defensive backs American football linebackers Appalachian State Mountaineers football players Austin Peay Governors football coaches FIU Panthers football coaches Florida Atlantic Owls football coaches James Madison Dukes football coaches Louisville Cardinals football coaches Minnesota Golden Gophers football coaches New Orleans Saints coaches New York Giants coaches North Carolina Tar Heels football coaches Southern Miss Golden Eagles football coaches Texas Longhorns football coaches Texas State Bobcats football coaches Tennessee Titans coaches Coaches of American football from North Carolina Players of American football from Charlotte, North Carolina African-American coaches of American football African-American players of American football 20th-century African-American sportspeople 21st-century African-American sportspeople