Eugene C. Chizik Jr.
(born December 28, 1961) 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 who is currently the Assistant Head Coach for Defense at
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 ...
. A veteran of the coaching ranks, Chizik previously was UNC's
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 ...
for the 2015 and 2016 seasons, and served as the head coach of the
Auburn football team from 2009 until the end of the 2012 season.
Chizik's
2010 Auburn Tigers football team completed a 14–0 season with a victory over
Oregon
Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...
in the
BCS National Championship Game
The BCS National Championship Game, or BCS National Championship, was a postseason college football bowl game, used to determine a national champion of the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), first played in the 1998 college fo ...
, and
quarterback
The quarterback (commonly abbreviated "QB"), colloquially known as the "signal caller", is a position in gridiron football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive platoon and mostly line up directly behind the offensive line. In modern Ame ...
Cam Newton
Cameron Jerrell Newton (born May 11, 1989) is an American football quarterback who is a free agent. He has played for 11 seasons, primarily with the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League (NFL). Nicknamed "Super Cam", he is the NF ...
won the
Heisman Trophy
The Heisman Memorial Trophy (usually known colloquially as the Heisman Trophy or The Heisman) is awarded annually to the most outstanding player in college football. Winners epitomize great ability combined with diligence, perseverance, and hard ...
. Chizik played
college football
College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States.
Unlike most ...
at the
University of Florida
The University of Florida (Florida or UF) is a public land-grant research university in Gainesville, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida, traces its origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its ...
in 1981 for head coach
Charley Pell
Charles Byron Pell (February 17, 1941 – May 29, 2001) was an American college football player and coach. Pell was an Alabama native and an alumnus of the University of Alabama, where he played college football. He is most notably remember ...
.
Early life
Chizik was born in
Florida
Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...
. Chizik earned a bachelor's degree in education from the
University of Florida
The University of Florida (Florida or UF) is a public land-grant research university in Gainesville, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida, traces its origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its ...
in 1986, and received a master's degree in guidance and counseling from
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 enr ...
in 1991.
[
]
Coaching career
Early years
Chizik began his coaching career at Seminole High School, serving as their 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 ...
and inside linebacker coach from 1986 to 1988. He then became a graduate assistant at Clemson from 1988 to 1989, working with the outside linebackers. During his time at Clemson he coached in the 1988 Citrus Bowl and the 1989 Gator Bowl
The Gator Bowl is an annual college football bowl game held in Jacksonville, Florida, operated by Gator Bowl Sports. It has been held continuously since 1946, making it the sixth oldest college bowl, as well as the first one ever televised natio ...
, under secondary coach Bill Oliver Bill Oliver may refer to:
*Bill Oliver (American football) (born 1939), American football player and coach
* Bill Oliver (politician), Canadian politician
*Bill Oliver (snooker player)
Bill Oliver (born 3 December 1948) is an English former pro ...
.
His initial full-time coaching job was as the defensive end
Defensive end (DE) is a defensive position in the sport of gridiron football.
This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formation (American football), formations over the years have substantially ...
s coach at Middle Tennessee State
Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU or MT) is a public university in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. Founded in 1911 as a normal school, the university consists of eight undergraduate colleges as well as a college of graduate studies, together of ...
from 1990 to 1991. In 1990, the Blue Raiders won the Ohio Valley Conference
The Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference which operates in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern and Southeastern United States, Southeastern United States. It participates in NCAA Divisi ...
championship. His next assignment was at Stephen F. Austin State University, serving as their linebackers coach from 1992 to 1995. SFA advanced to the Division I-AA semifinals in 1995.[ He was then promoted to the defensive coordinator role, which he held from 1996 to 1997. He then served as the defensive coordinator and secondary coach for ]Central Florida
Central Florida is a region of the U.S. state of Florida. Different sources give different definitions for the region, but as its name implies it is usually said to comprise the central part of the state, including the Tampa Bay area and the Gr ...
from 1998 to 2001.
While at Central Florida in Orlando
Orlando () is a city in the U.S. state of Florida and is the county seat of Orange County. In Central Florida, it is the center of the Orlando metropolitan area, which had a population of 2,509,831, according to U.S. Census Bureau figures re ...
, Chizik frequently visited practice sessions of the NFL's Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South divisio ...
studying the team's defensive scheme developed by then-Buccaneers head coach Tony Dungy
Anthony Kevin Dungy ( ; born October 6, 1955) is an American former football safety and coach who served as a head coach in the National Football League (NFL) for 13 seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Indianapolis Colts. Dungy's teams be ...
, defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin and linebackers coach Lovie Smith
Lovie Lee Smith (born May 8, 1958) is an American football coach who is the head coach of the Houston Texans of the National Football League (NFL). From 2004 to 2016, he served as the head coach of the Chicago Bears and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, a ...
.
Chizik later employed a very similar scheme at Auburn, where he served again as the defensive coordinator and secondary coach from 2002 to 2004. During this time, he had some of the greatest successes of his career to date. He coached in three bowl game
In North America, a bowl game is one of a number of post-season college football games that are primarily played by teams belonging to the NCAA's Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS). For most of its history, the Division I Bowl Subdivis ...
s, the 2003 Capital One Bowl
The Citrus Bowl is an annual college football bowl game played at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Florida. The bowl is operated by Florida Citrus Sports, a non-profit group that also organizes the Cheez-It Bowl and Florida Classic.
The gam ...
, 2004 Music City Bowl
The Music City Bowl is a post-season American college football bowl game certified by the NCAA that has been played in Nashville, Tennessee, since 1998. Since 2020, it has been sponsored by TransPerfect and is officially known as the ''TransPer ...
, and 2005 Sugar Bowl. His 2004 defensive unit led the country in scoring defense, giving up 11.3 points per game, and the total defense ranked 5th, which is the same ranking the 2003 team recorded. He garnered the 2004 Broyles Award
The Broyles Award is an annual award given to honor the best assistant coach in college football. First awarded in 1996, it was named after former University of Arkansas men's athletic director Frank Broyles. The award is presented in Little R ...
, which is given each year to the top assistant coach in the nation. The 2004 Auburn Tigers football team finished 13–0 that year, won the SEC title, and defeated Virginia Tech
Virginia Tech (formally the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and informally VT, or VPI) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Blacksburg, Virginia. It also has educational facilities in six re ...
in the Sugar Bowl. It placed second in the final AP and Coaches
Coach may refer to:
Guidance/instruction
* Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities
* Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process
** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers
Transportation
* Coac ...
polls.
In 2005, Chizik was hired by 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 ...
to serve as their co-defensive coordinator, assistant head coach, and linebackers coach. During his time at Texas, the team won the 2005 NCAA Division I-A national football championship
A national championship in the highest level of college football in the United States, currently the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), is a designation awarded annually by various organizations to their selection of the best co ...
by defeating USC in the 2006 Rose Bowl.
Iowa State
In November 2006, Chizik was hired to replace outgoing coach Dan McCarney
Patrick Daniel McCarney (born July 28, 1953) is a former American football coach. He served as the head football coach at Iowa State University from 1995 to 2006 and the University of North Texas from 2011 to 2015, compiling a career college foo ...
as head football coach of Iowa State. McCarney resigned after going 4–8 in his final season, despite five bowl appearances during his tenure, the most of any Iowa State coach. Chizik's contract with ISU was a six-year deal worth a guaranteed $6.75 million. With incentives, the total had the potential to be more than $10 million. In Chizik's first season, Iowa State finished 3–9, including a 15–13 upset victory over Iowa, and back-to-back wins against Kansas State and Colorado. The Cyclones also experienced a notable improvement on defense. In the year prior to Chizik's arrival, Iowa State was ranked 102nd nationally in total defense and in Chizik's first year, they improved to 65th.
In 2008, Iowa State won their first two games against South Dakota State and Kent State before losing their final 10 games to finish the season 2–10. Among all 119 Division I FBS
The NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), formerly known as Division I-A, is the highest level of college football in the United States. The FBS consists of the largest schools in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). A ...
teams, the team ranked 111th in total defense, 115th in passing defense, and 95th in rushing defense. Following the 2008 season, Chizik fired two assistant coaches and demoted both his offensive and defensive coordinators. Chizik's name came up frequently as a coach who would be on the hot seat for the following season, though all acknowledged the difficulty of the job given the lack of resources and difficult schedule.
Auburn
On December 13, 2008, Auburn University hired Chizik to succeed former head coach Tommy Tuberville
Thomas Hawley Tuberville ( ; born September 18, 1954) is an American retired college football coach and politician serving as the junior United States senator from Alabama since 2021. Before entering politics, Tuberville was the head football ...
, who resigned from the position after finishing 5–7 in the 2008 season. Auburn athletic director Jay Jacobs released a statement that said: "I know that we have found the right fit for Auburn. Gene's body of work during his 23 years in this profession is remarkable. He has a strong knowledge of this athletics program, this university and the community, and he knows how to be successful in the Southeastern Conference. He is a high-energy coach that is an outstanding motivator and demands a tough, physical style of football."
Chizik first retained James Willis to continue coaching linebackers. However, less than one month later, Willis left Auburn to coach for the University of Alabama
The University of Alabama (informally known as Alabama, UA, or Bama) is a Public university, public research university in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Established in 1820 and opened to students in 1831, the University of Alabama is the oldest and la ...
. Ted Roof
Terrence Edwin Roof Jr. (born December 11, 1963) is an American football coach and former player who is the defensive coordinator and linebackers coach at the University of Oklahoma. He previously served as a defensive analyst at Clemson Univers ...
would eventually replace Willis and serve as Auburn's linebacker coach and defensive coordinator. Roof had previously been the defensive coordinator at Minnesota before coming to Auburn. Chizik hired Gus Malzahn
Arthur Gustavo Malzahn III (; born October 28, 1965) is an American football coach. He is currently the head coach at the University of Central Florida ( UCF). He was the head football coach at Auburn University from 2013 to 2020. During the 20 ...
as his offensive coordinator. Malzahn enjoyed the nation's top offense at Tulsa the previous two seasons. He subsequently hired Curtis Luper
Curtis Scott Luper (born January 12, 1966) is an American football coach who is currently the Running Backs Coach with the Missouri Tigers. He previously coached running backs and was a recruiting coordinator at Auburn under head coach Gene Chiz ...
and Trooper Taylor
Carl "Trooper" Taylor (born February 20, 1970) is an American college football coach at Duke University. Taylor was formerly an assistant coach at Auburn University from January 2009 until December 2012 where he served as assistant head coach ...
, both of whom were coaching at Oklahoma State
Oklahoma (; Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a state in the South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the north, Missouri on the northeast, Arkansas on the east, New ...
, to coach running backs and wide receivers. Chizik also brought Jay Boulware from his ISU staff to be the special teams coordinator and hired former Auburn player Tracy Rocker
Tracy Quinton Rocker (born April 9, 1966) is an American football coach and former player who is the defensive line coach for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League (NFL).
Rocker played college football at Auburn University ...
away from Arkansas to coach the defensive line. The final hire was UNC linebackers coach Tommy Thigpen
Tommy Thigpen (born March 17, 1971) is an American college football coach and former player. He is currently the co-defensive coordinator and linebackers coach at University of North Carolina, a position he assumed in January 2018. Prior to that, ...
as safeties coach.
Chizik's incentive-laden contract at Auburn was for five years with a salary of approximately $1.9 million per year, an $800,000 increase from his Iowa State contract. Iowa State was paid $750,000 by Chizik to be released from his contract which was paid by a loan from Auburn that was forgiven $150,000 for every year Chizik coaches, and would have been paid off entirely if he reached the end of the five-year deal. For the BCS Championship 2010 season, Chizik earned a base salary of $2.1 million plus bonuses worth an additional $1.1 million, including $500,000 for 13 wins, an SEC title, a BCS bowl appearance, and winning the AP SEC Coach of the Year, and an additional $600,000 for winning the BCS Championship Game.
In his first year, Chizik led the Tigers to the 2010 Outback Bowl, a fairly quick turnaround for a team that went 5–7 the year before. The next year, he led the team to a 14–0 record and the BCS National Championship—the first undisputed national championship in school history. With the loss of several players who opted to go pro, Chizik's third-year record slipped to 8–5. The 2012 season was the first season that Chizik did not have Gus Malzahn on staff; Malzahn had accepted the head coach position at Arkansas State following the 2011 season. The 2012 season was disappointing as the team finished 3–9 and was outscored 150–21 in its final three SEC games—including a 49–0 loss to Alabama in the Iron Bowl. Overall, Auburn went 33–19 during Chizik's tenure as head football coach.
Chizik was released after four seasons, and Auburn bought out his contract for $11.09 million. Chizik received $7.5 million based on his December 1 contractual buyout amount and assistant coaches received the remainder.
North Carolina
Chizik was named defensive coordinator at the 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 ...
on January 19, 2015. He inherited a unit that had given up 497 yards per game in 2014; only three other teams in Power 5 conferences had surrendered more yards per game. The 2014 team ranked 120th nationally in overall defense. Through 11 games, Chizik's defense had surrendered 384 yards per game, a major factor in the Tar Heels going on a school record eleven-game winning streak and earning their 1st ACC Coastal Division championship. Chizik's 2015 and 2016 defense units ranked 96th and 63rd nationally, respectively. Chizik resigned in February 2017.
Return to North Carolina
After a multi-year hiatus from coaching, Chizik returned to Chapel Hill and was named assistant head coach for defense, following the departure of defensive coordinator Jay Bateman
Jay Bateman (born July 16, 1973) is an American football coach who is currently the inside linebackers coach for the Florida Gators. He was previously the co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach at the University of North Carolina at Chapel ...
. He replaced Bateman on January 8, 2022. Chizik will serve as the de-facto defensive coordinator, with the defense utilizing his preferred scheme, despite Charlton Warren and Tommy Thigpen
Tommy Thigpen (born March 17, 1971) is an American college football coach and former player. He is currently the co-defensive coordinator and linebackers coach at University of North Carolina, a position he assumed in January 2018. Prior to that, ...
having co-coordinator titles.
Media career
Following his termination from Auburn, Chizik did media work related to football, including ESPNU coverage of National Signing Day
National Signing Day has traditionally been the first day that a high school senior can sign a binding National Letter of Intent for a collegiate sport with a school that is a member of the United States National Collegiate Athletic Association ...
and hosting a weekly football radio show on Sirius Satellite Radio
Sirius Satellite Radio was a satellite radio (SDARS) and online radio service operating in North America, owned by Sirius XM Holdings.
Headquartered in New York City, with smaller studios in Los Angeles and Memphis, Sirius was officially lau ...
in 2013. In 2014, he joined the SEC Network
The SEC Network is an American multinational sports network owned by ESPN Inc., a joint venture between The Walt Disney Company (which operates the network, through its 80% controlling ownership interest) and Hearst Communications (which holds ...
as a studio analyst. Following his resignation from North Carolina after the 2016 season, he rejoined the SEC Network as an analyst. He stepped down from the SEC Network upon his return to North Carolina in 2022.
Personal life
Chizik is married to Joanna Chizik, the daughter of his high school football coach. They have identical twin daughters named Landry and Kennedy and a son Eugene Calloway, or "Cally". Cally is named after a former player that Chizik coached at Stephen F. Austin State University, Calloway "Cally" Presley Belcher. Belcher and Chizik had a very close relationship and Chizik named Cally in honor of Belcher, who died of a brain aneurysm
An intracranial aneurysm, also known as a brain aneurysm, is a cerebrovascular disorder in which weakness in the wall of a cerebral artery or vein causes a localized dilation or ballooning of the blood vessel.
Aneurysms in the posterior circ ...
after suffering a hit to the head in practice.[Schmitz, Brian. (August 15, 2000]
Ucf Defensive Coordinator Names Son In Remembrance Of Beloved Former Player – Orlando Sentinel
Articles.orlandosentinel.com. Retrieved on 2012-11-25.
Honors
* Broyles Award
The Broyles Award is an annual award given to honor the best assistant coach in college football. First awarded in 1996, it was named after former University of Arkansas men's athletic director Frank Broyles. The award is presented in Little R ...
(2004)
* SEC Coach of the Year (AP) (2010)
* Home Depot Coach of the Year Award
The Coach of the Year Award is given annually to college football's top head coach. The award for the Division I (NCAA), Division I Football Bowl Subdivision is selected by ESPN and American Broadcasting Company, ABC college football analysts. Br ...
(2010)
* Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year Award
The Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year Award was an annual college football award given to the a head coach from each NCAA
The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics amon ...
(2010)
* Paul "Bear" Bryant Award
The American Heart Association (AHA) Paul "Bear" Bryant Awards are an annual awards banquet that is hosted each year in January, in Houston, Texas, by the AHA.For a list of American Heart Association offices, by state, go to: There are two aw ...
(2010)
* Bobby Bowden National Collegiate Coach of the Year Award
The Bobby Bowden National Collegiate Coach of the Year Award was a college football award given annually to the nation's best head coach. Established in 2009, Nick Saban was the award's first recipient. The trophy commemorates former Florida State ...
(2010)
* Amos Alonzo Stagg Coaching Award (2011)
Head coaching record
NCAA
References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chizik, Gene
1961 births
Living people
American football linebackers
College football announcers
Auburn Tigers football coaches
Clemson Tigers football coaches
Florida Gators football players
Iowa State Cyclones football coaches
Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders football coaches
North Carolina Tar Heels football coaches
Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks football coaches
Texas Longhorns football coaches
UCF Knights football coaches
High school football coaches in Florida
Clearwater High School alumni
People from Tarpon Springs, Florida
Sportspeople from Pinellas County, Florida
Coaches of American football from Florida
Players of American football from Florida