Jim Grobe
Jim Britt Grobe (born February 17, 1952) is an American football coach and former player who was most recently the defensive coordinator of the San Antonio Commanders of the Alliance of American Football. He was most recently the head football coach at Baylor University.[1] From 2001 to 2013, Grobe served as the head football coach at Wake Forest University. In 2006, he was named ACC Coach of the Year by a unanimous vote and AP Coach of the Year for coaching Wake Forest to an 11–2 regular season and the Atlantic Coast Conference Championship.
 | |
| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | February 17, 1952 Huntington, West Virginia |
| Playing career | |
| 1971–1972 | Ferrum |
| 1973–1974 | Virginia |
| Position(s) | Guard, linebacker |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1975 | Virginia (GA) |
| 1976–1977 | Liberty HS (VA) |
| 1978 | Emory and Henry (LB) |
| 1979–1983 | Marshall (LB) |
| 1984–1994 | Air Force (LB) |
| 1995–2000 | Ohio |
| 2001–2013 | Wake Forest |
| 2016 | Baylor |
| 2019 | San Antonio Commanders (DC) |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 117–121–1 (college) |
| Bowls | 4–2 |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Championships | |
| 1 ACC (2006) | |
| Awards | |
| AP College Football Coach of the Year (2006) Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Award (2006) Sporting News College Football COY (2006) MAC Coach of the Year (1996) ACC Coach of the Year (2006) | |
Playing career
Grobe earned his undergraduate degree (B.S.) in education from the University of Virginia in 1975 and earned a master's degree in guidance and counseling from Virginia in 1978. As a player at Virginia in 1973 and 1974, Grobe played middle guard (1973) and linebacker (1974). He was a two-year starter for the Virginia Cavaliers and was named Academic All-ACC.
Before enrolling at Virginia, Grobe spent two seasons with Ferrum College, then known as Ferrum Junior College, where he played linebacker on the undefeated Coastal Conference championship team. Grobe earned the Catlin Citizenship Award and the Big Green Award. In the fall of 2002, Grobe was inducted into the Ferrum College Hall of Fame.
Coaching career
2006 season
In 2006, Grobe led Wake Forest to a school record 11 wins with a perfect 6–0 road record. His Wake Forest team also won the Atlantic Coast Conference championship by virtue of defeating Georgia Tech, 9–6, in the conference title game. The Demon Deacons earned their first trip to a BCS bowl game and played Louisville in the Orange Bowl. Grobe was named the ACC Coach of the Year, receiving 80 out of 80 votes from the league's media and making him the sixth Wake Forest coach to win the award. Grobe was also awarded the Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Award and the AP Coach of the Year in 2006.
On February 27, 2007, Grobe signed a 10-year contract extension through 2016.[2]
Resignation
Grobe resigned from Wake Forest on December 2, 2013.[3]
Baylor
On May 30, 2016, Grobe was hired as Baylor's head coach for the 2016 season. Grobe led the Baylor Bears to their seventh consecutive bowl game, the Motel 6 Cactus Bowl in Arizona. Baylor entered the game as heavy underdogs to the 10–2 Boise State Broncos, but the Bears rolled to an easy 31–12 victory.
San Antonio Commanders
In 2018, Grobe was named the defensive coordinator of the San Antonio Commanders.[4]
Family
Grobe and his wife Holly have two sons, Matt and Ben, and four grandchildren. Matt was named Head Men's Golf Coach at Marshall University in 2012. Ben is Assistant Director of Football Operations at The University of North Carolina at Charlotte.
Head coaching record
| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | Coaches# | AP° | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ohio Bobcats (Mid-American Conference) (1995–2000) | |||||||||
| 1995 | Ohio | 2–8–1 | 1–6–1 | 9th | |||||
| 1996 | Ohio | 6–6 | 5–3 | 4th | |||||
| 1997 | Ohio | 8–3 | 6–2 | T–2nd (East) | |||||
| 1998 | Ohio | 5–6 | 5–3 | T–3rd (East) | |||||
| 1999 | Ohio | 5–6 | 5–3 | T–3rd (East) | |||||
| 2000 | Ohio | 7–4 | 5–3 | T–3rd (East) | |||||
| Ohio: | 33–33–1 | 27–20–1 | |||||||
| Wake Forest Demon Deacons (Atlantic Coast Conference) (2001–2013) | |||||||||
| 2001 | Wake Forest | 6–5 | 3–5 | 7th | |||||
| 2002 | Wake Forest | 7–6 | 3–5 | 7th | W Seattle | ||||
| 2003 | Wake Forest | 5–7 | 3–5 | 7th | |||||
| 2004 | Wake Forest | 4–7 | 1–7 | T–10th | |||||
| 2005 | Wake Forest | 4–7 | 3–5 | T–4th (Atlantic) | |||||
| 2006 | Wake Forest | 11–3 | 6–2 | 1st (Atlantic) | L Orange† | 17 | 18 | ||
| 2007 | Wake Forest | 9–4 | 5–3 | T–2nd (Atlantic) | W Meineke Car Care | ||||
| 2008 | Wake Forest | 8–5 | 4–4 | T–3rd (Atlantic) | W EagleBank | ||||
| 2009 | Wake Forest | 5–7 | 3–5 | 4th (Atlantic) | |||||
| 2010 | Wake Forest | 3–9 | 1–7 | 6th (Atlantic) | |||||
| 2011 | Wake Forest | 6–7 | 5–3 | T–2nd (Atlantic) | L Music City | ||||
| 2012 | Wake Forest | 5–7 | 3–5 | 4th (Atlantic) | |||||
| 2013 | Wake Forest | 4–8 | 2–6 | 6th (Atlantic) | |||||
| Wake Forest: | 77–82 | 42–62 | |||||||
| Baylor Bears (Big 12 Conference) (2016) | |||||||||
| 2016 | Baylor | 7–6 | 3–6 | T–6th | W Cactus | ||||
| Baylor: | 7–6 | 3–6 | |||||||
| Total: | 117–121–1 | ||||||||
| National championship Conference title Conference division title or championship game berth | |||||||||
| |||||||||
References
- "Jim Grobe Named Baylor's Acting Head Football Coach". Retrieved January 8, 2017.
- "Grobe inks new 10-year contract with Wake Forest". ESPN.com. Associated Press. February 27, 2007. Retrieved September 25, 2010.
- "Wake Forest's Jim Grobe resigns". ESPN.com. December 2, 2013. Retrieved December 2, 2013.
- Luca, Greg (29 October 2018). "San Antonio Commanders making preparations for upcoming season". ExpressNews.com. Retrieved 1 November 2018.