Alfred James Golden Jr. (born July 4, 1969) 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 wi ...

coach who is the defensive coordinator for the

Notre Dame Fighting Irish The Notre Dame Fighting Irish are the athletic teams that represent the University of Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish participate in 23 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I intercollegiate sports and in the NCAA's Division ...

. He is a former head coach at

Temple A temple (from the Latin ) is a building reserved for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. Religions which erect temples include Christianity (whose temples are typically called churches), Hinduism (whose temples ...

from 2006 to 2010. He has also served for five years as defensive coordinator at

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

(2001–2005) and five years as the head coach at

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, i ...

(2011–2015). He is also a former tight end for the New England Patriots of the NFL. He was fired from Miami on October 25, 2015.

Playing career

College

Golden was a three-year (1989–1991) letter winner and

tight end The tight end (TE) is a position in American football, arena football, and Canadian football, on the offense. The tight end is often a hybrid position with the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a wide receiver. Lik ...

for Penn State, where he received the 1991 Ridge Riley Award, given annually to a player who displays excellence in scholarship, sportsmanship, friendship, and leadership. As a junior in 1990, Golden played a key role in Penn State's nationally televised 24–21 upset of #1-ranked Notre Dame at

South Bend South Bend is a city in and the county seat of St. Joseph County, Indiana, on the St. Joseph River near its southernmost bend, from which it derives its name. As of the 2020 census, the city had a total of 103,453 residents and is the fourt ...

. His

touchdown A touchdown (abbreviated as TD) is a scoring play in gridiron football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone. In Amer ...

reception late in the fourth quarter tied the score at 21 as Penn State rallied from a 21–7 deficit. Golden was named captain of the

Nittany Lion The Nittany Lion is the eastern mountain lion mascot of the athletic teams of the Pennsylvania State University: Penn State Nittany Lions. Created in 1907, the "Nittany" forename refers to the local Mount Nittany, which overlooks the university. ...

s his senior year and helped lead them to a 42–17 win over

University of Tennessee The University of Tennessee (officially The University of Tennessee, Knoxville; or UT Knoxville; UTK; or UT) is a public land-grant research university in Knoxville, Tennessee. Founded in 1794, two years before Tennessee became the 16th state ...

in the 1992 Fiesta Bowl, an 11–2 record, and a #3 ranking in the final 1991

AP Poll The Associated Press poll (AP poll) provides weekly rankings of the top 25 NCAA teams in one of three Division I college sports: football, men's basketball and women's basketball. The rankings are compiled by polling 62 sportswriters and broad ...

Professional

Golden spent the

1992 season Year 199 ( CXCIX) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was sometimes known as year 952 ''Ab urbe condita''. The denomination 199 for this year has been used since the ...

in 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 ...

with the New England Patriots as a tight end.

Coaching career

Golden began his coaching career in 1993 as offensive coordinator at

Red Bank Catholic High School Red Bank Catholic High School is a four-year private coeducational Roman Catholic high school, located in Red Bank in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States, serving students in ninth through twelfth grades, operating under the supervision ...

Red Bank, New Jersey Red Bank is a borough in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. Incorporated in 1908, the community is on the Navesink River, the area's original transportation route to the ocean and other ports. Red Bank is in the New York Metropolitan ...

. He then served as a graduate assistant under George Welsh at

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

from 1994 to 1996, where he worked primarily with the

linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, ...

s and

special teams In American football, the specific role that a player takes on the field is referred to as their "position". Under the modern rules of American football, both teams are allowed 11 players on the field at one time and have "unlimited free substitu ...

. He helped develop All-

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 ...

linebackers

James Farrior James Alfred Farrior (born January 6, 1975) is a former American football linebacker who played fifteen seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the University of Virginia. He played with the New York Jets ...

and

Jamie Sharper Harry James Sharper Jr. (born November 23, 1974) is a former American football linebacker and coach who is currently the Linebackers coach for the DC Defenders of the XFL. Sharper played in the National Football League (NFL) for nine seasons, a ...

, both of whom were chosen in the

1997 NFL Draft The 1997 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 19–20, 1997, at the Paramount T ...

. He then coached linebackers at Boston College from 1997 to 1999 under Tom O'Brien. While at Boston College, Golden coached All-

Big East The Big East Conference is a collegiate athletic conference that competes in NCAA Division I in ten men's sports and twelve women's sports. Headquartered in New York City, the eleven full-member schools are primarily located in Northeast and ...

linebackers Frank Chamberlin and Erik Storz. The

Eagles Eagle is the common name for many large birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. Eagles belong to several groups of genera, some of which are closely related. Most of the 68 species of eagle are from Eurasia and Africa. Outside this area, jus ...

finished the 1999 regular season with an 8–3 record and a top-25 national ranking, while making their first postseason bowl appearance since 1994. Named defensive coordinator by

head coach

Al Groh 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, compil ...

in 2001, Golden became the youngest defensive coordinator in Division I-A. He had spent the previous season at his alma mater, Penn State University, serving as

s coach and recruiting coordinator under head coach

Joe Paterno Joseph Vincent Paterno (; December 21, 1926 – January 22, 2012), sometimes referred to as JoePa, was an American college football player, athletic director, and coach. He was the head coach of the Penn State Nittany Lions from 1966 to 2 ...

. From 2001 to 2004, the Cavaliers' defense improved under his tutelage, ranking 108th in total defense in his first year to ranking 18th in total defense in 2004. In the same time period, Virginia's scoring defense went from 74th in the nation (27.6 ppg) to 17th (17.7 ppg) utilizing Golden's

3–4 defense In American football, the 3–4 defense is a common defensive alignment consisting of three down linemen and four linebackers. It is a called a "base defense" because it is the default defensive alignment used on "base downs" (1st and 2nd downs ...

Temple

Golden was named head football coach at

Temple University Temple University (Temple or TU) is a public state-related research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1884 by the Baptist minister Russell Conwell and his congregation Grace Baptist Church of Philadelphia then calle ...

in December 2005, as the second-youngest head coach in

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...

football at that time, behind Northwestern's

Pat Fitzgerald Patrick William Fitzgerald Jr. (born December 2, 1974) is the current head coach of the Northwestern University Wildcats football team. He was selected after the unexpected death of Randy Walker and announced at a press conference on July 7, 2 ...

. Temple had a record of 3–31 during the three years before Golden was hired, and had just been thrown out of the

Big East Conference The Big East Conference is a collegiate athletic conference that competes in NCAA Division I in ten men's sports and twelve women's sports. Headquartered in New York City, the eleven full-member schools are primarily located in Northeast and ...

for non-competitiveness. In Golden's first three years at the helm, Temple recorded 1–11 in 2006, 4–8 in 2007 and then 5–7 mark in 2008. The 2008 record was the best for the program since a 7–4 mark in 1990. The Owls finished the 2009 regular season at 9–3, their first winning season since 1990. It was also their best record since 1979, the last time they appeared in a postseason game, before facing the

UCLA Bruins The UCLA Bruins are the athletic teams that represent the University of California, Los Angeles. The Bruin men's and women's teams participate in NCAA Division I as part of the Pac-12 Conference and the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) ...

in the

EagleBank Bowl The Military Bowl is a post-season National Collegiate Athletic Association-sanctioned Division I college football bowl game that has been played annually each December in the Washington metropolitan area since 2008. The game was originally held ...

on December 29, 2009. After leading for three quarters, the Owls fell to the Bruins 30–21. Golden was interviewed for the vacant head coach position at

UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California ...

in December 2007.Chris Foster, , ''Los Angeles Times'', December 20, 2007. However, he withdrew his name from consideration on December 26, 2007, choosing to stay with the up-and-coming Temple program. Following the 2009 season, he was a candidate for the head coaching position at the

University of Cincinnati The University of Cincinnati (UC or Cincinnati) is a public research university in Cincinnati, Ohio. Founded in 1819 as Cincinnati College, it is the oldest institution of higher education in Cincinnati and has an annual enrollment of over 44,0 ...

vacated by Brian Kelly, who departed for Notre Dame. He later asked that his name be withdrawn from consideration from that position. That same offseason, he was also a candidate for the job at

Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...

vacated by

Lane Kiffin Lane Monte Kiffin (born May 9, 1975) is an American football coach who is currently the head coach of the Ole Miss Rebels. Kiffin formerly was the offensive coordinator for the USC Trojans football team from 2005 to 2006, head coach of the Nati ...

, who went to

Southern California Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and cultural region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. It includes the Los Angeles metropolitan area, the second most populous urban a ...

. In May 2010, Golden signed a contract extension with Temple through 2014. He led the Owls to an 8–4 record in 2010.

Miami

On December 12, 2010,

ESPN ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). Th ...

reported that Golden was offered and accepted the head coaching job at the University of Miami. In press conference remarks upon his hiring on December 13, 2010, Golden emphasized the importance of the University of Miami football legacy. "It's the most recognizable brand in college football," he said. "I go back to the former players that are here, the five national championships, 20 national award winners, countless All-Americans, incredible tradition. It's a dream job." Golden signed a five-year contract at an undisclosed salary on December 14, 2010. However, due to NCAA rules, Golden did not coach the football team in Miami's bowl game against Notre Dame but instead focused on recruiting players for 2011. Despite fielding teams with multiple future NFL draft picks, Golden was unable to defeat Florida State, his in state rival, in 5 attempts. Golden began his tenure hampered by probation from a previous booster scandal, and self-imposed bowl bans during Golden's first two years with the program.

2011 season

Golden posted a 6–6 record in his first year at the University of Miami. The 2011 season was only the third time since 1979 that the program had failed to register a winning record. Despite being bowl-eligible, Miami announced on November 20 that it was withdrawing from bowl consideration due to an ongoing investigation into the program's ties to convicted Ponzi schemeer

Nevin Shapiro Nevin Karey Shapiro (born April 13, 1969) is a convicted felon who currently is imprisoned for orchestrating a $930 million Ponzi scheme. According to interviews, he engaged in rampant violations of NCAA rules over eight years as a booster for Un ...

2012 season

The Hurricanes registered a 7–5 record in 2012 and were in contention for a Coastal Division title for much of the year. However, with the NCAA investigation still not resolved, on November 19, Miami announced it was withdrawing from bowl consideration for a second consecutive season. Reportedly, school officials remembered how

Ohio State The Ohio State University, commonly called Ohio State or OSU, is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. A member of the University System of Ohio, it has been ranked by major institutional rankings among the best public ...

opted to play in a bowl in the 2011 season with an NCAA investigation still underway only to be banned from bowl consideration the following year.

2013 season

Golden's third season at Miami saw more improvement from the previous two. The Hurricanes got off to a 7–0 start, including a win over rival

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 ...

, and were ranked as high as #7 in the

. Their first loss came to eventual National Champion

Florida State Florida State University (FSU) is a public university, 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 e ...

, which started a 3-game losing streak for Miami. The Hurricanes ended the regular season at 9-3 (5-3 ACC), good for 2nd place in the Coastal Division. Golden's team was invited to the

2013 Russell Athletic Bowl The 2013 Russell Athletic Bowl was an American college football bowl game that was played on December 28, 2013 at the Florida Citrus Bowl Stadium in Orlando, Florida. It was one of the 2013–14 bowl games that concluded the 2013 FBS footbal ...

, which the Canes lost 36–9 at the hands of future ACC foe

Louisville Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border. ...

2014 season

Golden's fourth season at Miami was seen as a disappointment by many. The Hurricanes began the season with a 6–3 record, but lost their next four games beginning with a heartbreaking home loss to defending National Champions

and concluding with an uninspired defeat at the hands of

South Carolina )'' Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = ...

in the Duck Commander Independence Bowl. Golden's Hurricanes finished the season 6-7 despite being picked by many experts to win the ACC Coastal Division Championship and seven of its players being drafted by NFL franchises which was tied with

Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = "Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County , LargestMetro = Greater Birmingham , area_total_km2 = 135,765 ...

for 4th most by a school, behind only Florida State (11), Louisville (10) and Florida (8).

2015 season

The Hurricanes began their season with a 3–0 start, with wins over

Florida Atlantic University Florida Atlantic University (Florida Atlantic or FAU) is a public research university with its main campus in Boca Raton, Florida, and satellite campuses in Dania Beach, Davie, Fort Lauderdale, Jupiter, and Fort Pierce. FAU belongs to the 12-ca ...

, Bethune-Cookman, and

Nebraska Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the sout ...

. However, in their fourth game they were defeated by the

Cincinnati Bearcats The Cincinnati Bearcats are the athletic teams that represent the University of Cincinnati. Though they will move to the Big 12 Conference (XII) the teams are currently a part of the American Athletic Conference (The American), which from 1979 ...

Nippert Stadium James Gamble Nippert Memorial Stadium is an outdoor stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio, on the campus of the University of Cincinnati. Primarily used for American football, it is the home field of the Cincinnati Bearcats football team. The stadium has ...

. Fans clamored to see his immediate dismissal, even flying anti-Golden banners before games,. Even Florida State Seminoles fans got in on the act, attempting to raise money for their own "Keep Al Golden" banner with a

GoFundMe GoFundMe is an American for-profit crowdfunding platform that allows people to raise money for events ranging from life events such as celebrations and graduations to challenging circumstances like accidents and illnesses. From 2010 to the be ...

campaign.Johnson, Joseph

, September 19, 2015. Due to area banner planes being booked for the contest between the storied rivals on October 10, 2015, funds raised were instead donated to th
Kidz 1st Fund
charity organization in lieu of hiring a plane. Other reports suggested that

and

Miami Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a coastal metropolis and the county seat of Miami-Dade County in South Florida, United States. With a population of 442,241 at ...

officials pressured the campaign's manager to not fly the banner out of respect for the coach. During the buildup for that year's matchup, archrival

sarcastically expressed their admiration for Golden's ability in leading the once mighty

Hurricanes A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system characterized by a low-pressure center, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Depend ...

and began selling similarly themed "Keep Al Golden" T-shirts at their official bookstore. On the day of the game itself, fans posted mock "

Missing Persons A missing person is a person who has disappeared and whose status as alive or dead cannot be confirmed as their location and condition are unknown. A person may go missing through a voluntary disappearance, or else due to an accident, crime, de ...

" notices throughout Tallahassee questioning the whereabouts of the formerly feared

program as they welcomed them for their biennial visit to

Tallahassee Tallahassee ( ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat and only incorporated municipality in Leon County. Tallahassee became the capital of Florida, then the Florida Territory, in 1824. In 2020, the population ...

and FSU's

Doak Campbell Stadium Doak S. Campbell Stadium (in full Bobby Bowden Field at Doak S. Campbell Stadium), popularly known as "Doak", is a football stadium on the campus of Florida State University in Tallahassee, Florida. It is the home field of the Florida State Semino ...

. After being identified as a 7-point home underdog to Clemson in Week 8, many in national media picked Miami to have a good chance at covering the

spread Spread may refer to: Places * Spread, West Virginia Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Spread'' (film), a 2009 film. * ''$pread'', a quarterly magazine by and for sex workers * "Spread", a song by OutKast from their 2003 album ''Speakerboxxx/T ...

and possibly even upset the Tigers. Despite this, Clemson jumped out to a 45–0 lead before pulling out their starters. Clemson handed the Hurricanes their worst loss in the 90-year history of the program as the Hurricanes fell by a score of 58–0. This then led the University of Miami athletic director Blake James to dismiss Golden as head coach, only a day after the loss. Golden was 32-25 (17-18 in the ACC) in over four seasons with the Hurricanes. Golden announced after his firing that "On behalf of my family I want to thank the University of Miami for a tremendous opportunity," Golden said in a release. "I believe in what we are doing and how we are doing it and we have some outstanding young men in our football program. Though this moment is difficult, we wish the Canes the best of luck going forward."

Detroit Lions

On February 1, 2016, Golden was named tight ends coach of the Detroit Lions. On February 7, 2018, Golden was named linebackers coach of the Lions. He was fired December 31, 2019.

Cincinnati Bengals

Golden was hired by the Cincinnati Bengals as their linebackers coach on January 20, 2020. He missed the team's week 10 game in 2020 against the Pittsburgh Steelers due to

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...

protocols.

Notre Dame

On February 16, 2022, Golden was announced as the new defensive coordinator at Notre Dame, serving under recently-promoted head coach Marcus Freeman.

Personal life

A native of

Colts Neck, New Jersey Colts Neck Township is a township in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. It is located in the New York Metropolitan Area. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 9,957, down from the 10,142 counted in the 2010 census, i ...

, Golden graduated from

, Red Bank, New Jersey, and earned his undergraduate degree in

pre-law In the United States, pre-law refers to any course of study taken by an undergraduate in preparation for study at a law school. The American Bar Association requires law schools to admit only students with an accredited Bachelor's Degree or it ...

from Pennsylvania State University in 1991 before receiving his master's in

sports psychology Sport psychology was defined by the European Federation of Sport in 1996, as the study of the psychological basis, processes, and effects of sport. Otherwise, sport is considered as any physical activity where the individuals engage for competi ...

from the

in December 1996. A 2004 inductee of the Jersey Shore Sports Hall of Fame, he is married to Kelly Elizabeth Hanna of

Lock Haven, Pennsylvania Lock Haven is the county seat of Clinton County, in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. Located near the confluence of the West Branch Susquehanna River and Bald Eagle Creek, it is the principal city of the Lock Haven Micropolitan Statistical Area ...

, and has a son, A.J.(Alfred James II) Golden, and two daughters, Addison Elizabeth Golden and Grace Hanna Golden. For most of his head coaching career, Golden wore a dress shirt, slacks, and a tie in school colors on the sidelines, unlike most coaches of his generation.

Head coaching record

‡ Ineligible for Atlantic Coast Conference title,

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 Subdivi ...

and

Coaches Poll The Coaches Poll is a weekly ranking of the top 25 NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) college football, Division I college basketball, and Division I college baseball teams. The football version of the poll has been known officiall ...

References

External links

Notre Dame profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Golden, Al 1969 births Living people American football tight ends Boston College Eagles football coaches Cincinnati Bengals coaches Detroit Lions coaches Miami Hurricanes football coaches New England Patriots players Notre Dame Fighting Irish football coaches Penn State Nittany Lions football players Temple Owls football coaches Virginia Cavaliers football coaches High school football coaches in New Jersey Red Bank Catholic High School alumni People from Colts Neck Township, New Jersey Sportspeople from Monmouth County, New Jersey Coaches of American football from New Jersey Players of American football from New Jersey