Joe Glenn (American Football)
Encyclopedia
Joe Glenn was the 30th head coach
at the University of Wyoming
since the school began playing football
in 1893. Glenn took over Wyoming's football program in December 2002 after Wyoming fired the previous coach, Vic Koenning
. He was fired on November 23, 2008 by UW Athletic Director Tom Burman after six seasons.
, in 1974. He was also a backfield coach at Northern Arizona University
in 1975.
Glenn's first head coaching job was at Doane College
in Crete, Nebraska
. There he was the youngest head college football coach at 27 years of age. While at Doane he compiled a 21-18-1 record over four seasons. After Doane, Glenn did his first stint at the University of Montana
as a quarterback
s and wide receiver
s coach and offensive coordinator
from 1980 to 1985. He was out of coaching in 1986. In 1987, he joined the staff at University of Northern Colorado
(UNC) as quarterbacks and kicking coach. He was named head coach of UNC for the 1989 season.
Prior to coaching at Montana, Glenn led the Division II University of Northern Colorado to two NCAA Division II national football championship
s in 1996 and 1997. Glenn spent eleven seasons at UNC, with a 98-35 record.
Division I-AA and Division II. Before arriving at Wyoming, Glenn coached at the Montana for three seasons. He had a 39-6 record at Montana. In 2001, the Grizzles won the NCAA Division I-AA national football championship
, defeating Furman University
. In the year before, the Grizzlies finished as the NCAA Division I-AA runner-up, losing to Georgia Southern University
in the championship game. In 2002, Montana finished in the quarterfinals of the NCAA Division I-AA Football Championships.
win in two seasons. The 24-21 victory over UCLA
on December 23, 2004, marked the first bowl
appearance for Wyoming in 11 years and their first bowl victory in 38 years. In 2005, after starting 4-1, including a victory over the University of Mississippi
, the Cowboys went on a six game losing skid, finishing 4-7.
The 2006 season was one which saw the Cowboys picked to finish last in the conference. After an opening day victory over Utah State, the Cowboys suffered four heartbreaking losses, two of them in overtime. Then the Cowboys fortunes began to shift. The team enjoyed a four game winning streak, all of those games against conference opponents. The Cowboys next two games were both embarrassing road losses, the first against Texas Christian University
, in which they manage only a field goal. The next game was on the road against than #25 BYU
. The Cougars trounced the Cowboys 55-7. The Cowboys fell to 5-6. The Cowboys won their final game against UNLV, moving them to a 6-6 record, and making them bowl eligible. New Athletics Director Tom Burman made no effort in getting the Cowboys to a Bowl game, and the team did not receive an invitation.
The 2007 season started off on a good foot with a 23-3 victory over Atlantic Coast Conference
(ACC) member Virginia
on opening day. By the end of October, Wyoming was 5-3 and needed only one win in its last four games to become bowl-eligible. However, the Cowboys lost all four games to finish 5-7, including a 50-0 thrashing at the hands of Utah
on November 10.
The 2008 season began with the unspoken mandate to get Wyoming bowl-eligible. Offensive Coordinator Billy Cockhill was fired at the end of the 2007 season and replaced by Bob Cole, formerly of Florida A&M in an attempt to improve the Cowboy's anemic offense. Junior college signal caller Dax Crum, came to the Laramie campus from the Mesa (Arizona) Community College to compete for the starting quarterback job, which he won over Junior Karsten Sween.
The Cowboys opened the 2008 season with a win over Mid-American Conference member Ohio University (21-20), a loss to Air Force (23-3) and a win over FCS Division North Dakota State (16-13). Wyoming followed up that victory with five straight losses to Brigham Young University
(44-0), Bowling Green State University
(45-16), University of New Mexico
(24-0), University of Utah
(40-7), and TCU (54-7). On November 1, the Pokes beat hapless San Diego State 35-10 at home and then followed with a historic win over University of Tennessee
13-7 on the road a week later. Five days later on Thursday, Wyoming lost to UNLV 22-14 on the road. Wyoming finished the season by losing to arch rival Colorado State University
31-20 at home in the 100th Border War
. The following day, November 23, 2008, Glenn was fired. Glenn finished his career at Wyoming with an overall record of 30-41 (.423), and 15-31 (.326) versus Mountain West opponents.
Glenn joined the Mtn.
as a game-day analyst in 2009. In 2010 he left the Mtn. and joined the WAC Sports Network
as a color commentator. Glenn and his wife are retired and living in Arizona.
degree in health, physical education, recreation and athletics. He played quarterback and wide receiver for the Coyotes, and was selected a team captain as a senior. After graduation he earned an ROTC commission as a second lieutenant
and served two years on active duty. In 1975 he received a master's degree in education from South Dakota. In 2006, Joe Glenn was inducted into the University of South Dakota Hall of Fame.
He and his wife, Michele, are both natives of Lincoln, Nebraska
. They have two adult children, a daughter Erin and a son Casey. Casey was an All-American offensive lineman at Carroll College
in Helena, Montana
, concluding his playing career in 2002 when Carroll won their first of five NAIA National Championships. After coaching at Idaho State, South Dakota and Oklahoma. he served as tight ends and fullbacks coach after serving as Director of Football Operations for Wyoming under his father.
Head coach
A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches...
at the University of Wyoming
University of Wyoming
The University of Wyoming is a land-grant university located in Laramie, Wyoming, situated on Wyoming's high Laramie Plains, at an elevation of 7,200 feet , between the Laramie and Snowy Range mountains. It is known as UW to people close to the university...
since the school began playing football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
in 1893. Glenn took over Wyoming's football program in December 2002 after Wyoming fired the previous coach, Vic Koenning
Vic Koenning
-External links:*...
. He was fired on November 23, 2008 by UW Athletic Director Tom Burman after six seasons.
Early coaching career
Joe Glenn served as backfield coach at his alma mater, the University of South DakotaUniversity of South Dakota
The University of South Dakota ', the state’s oldest university, was founded in 1862 and classes began in 1882. Located in Vermillion, South Dakota, United States, USD is home to South Dakota's only medical school and law school. USD is governed by the South Dakota Board of Regents, and its current...
, in 1974. He was also a backfield coach at Northern Arizona University
Northern Arizona University
Northern Arizona University is a public university located in Flagstaff, Arizona, United States. It is accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, and has 39 satellite campuses in the state of Arizona. The university offers both undergraduate and graduate degrees.As of...
in 1975.
Glenn's first head coaching job was at Doane College
Doane College
Doane College is a private liberal arts college in Crete, Nebraska, United States, with additional campuses located in Lincoln and Grand Island.-History:...
in Crete, Nebraska
Crete, Nebraska
Crete is a city in Saline County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 6,960 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Crete is located at .According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all of it land....
. There he was the youngest head college football coach at 27 years of age. While at Doane he compiled a 21-18-1 record over four seasons. After Doane, Glenn did his first stint at the University of Montana
University of Montana - Missoula
The University of Montana ‒ Missoula is a public research university located in Missoula, Montana, in the United States. Founded in 1893, the university is the flagship campus of the four-campus University of Montana System and is its largest institution...
as a quarterback
Quarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
s and wide receiver
Wide receiver
A wide receiver is an offensive position in American and Canadian football, and is the key player in most of the passing plays. Only players in the backfield or the ends on the line are eligible to catch a forward pass. The two players who begin play at the ends of the offensive line are eligible...
s coach and offensive coordinator
Offensive coordinator
An offensive coordinator is a member of the coaching staff of a gridiron football team who is in charge of the offense. Generally, along with his defensive counterpart, he represents the second level of command structure after the head coach...
from 1980 to 1985. He was out of coaching in 1986. In 1987, he joined the staff at University of Northern Colorado
University of Northern Colorado
-Organization:The University of Northern Colorado offers 100 undergraduate programs and more than 100 graduate programs. The university has a satellite campus in Denver, Colorado...
(UNC) as quarterbacks and kicking coach. He was named head coach of UNC for the 1989 season.
Prior to coaching at Montana, Glenn led the Division II University of Northern Colorado to two NCAA Division II national football championship
NCAA Division II national football championship
The NCAA Division II National Football Championship began in 1973. Prior to 1973, four regional bowl games were played in order to provide postseason action for what was then called the NCAA College Division and a poll determined the final champion....
s in 1996 and 1997. Glenn spent eleven seasons at UNC, with a 98-35 record.
Montana coaching career
Glenn came to Wyoming following a distinguished career in NCAANational Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...
Division I-AA and Division II. Before arriving at Wyoming, Glenn coached at the Montana for three seasons. He had a 39-6 record at Montana. In 2001, the Grizzles won the NCAA Division I-AA national football championship
NCAA Division I-AA national football championship
The NCAA Division I Football Championship is an American college football tournament played each year to determine the champion of the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision . Prior to the year 2006, the game was known as the NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship...
, defeating Furman University
Furman University
Furman University is a selective, private, coeducational, liberal arts college in Greenville, South Carolina, United States. Furman is one of the oldest, and more selective private institutions in South Carolina...
. In the year before, the Grizzlies finished as the NCAA Division I-AA runner-up, losing to Georgia Southern University
Georgia Southern University
Georgia Southern University is a national public university located on a campus in Statesboro, Georgia, USA. Founded in 1906, it is part of the University System of Georgia and is the largest center of higher education in the southern half of Georgia offering 117 academic majors in a comprehensive...
in the championship game. In 2002, Montana finished in the quarterfinals of the NCAA Division I-AA Football Championships.
Wyoming coaching career
The Joe Glenn era at the University of Wyoming had a strong, promising start which it later was unable to maintain, to the disappointment of fans. Over a three-year period, Glenn and his staff took a team that won only five games in the three previous seasons to a Pioneer PureVision Las Vegas BowlLas Vegas Bowl
The Maaco Bowl Las Vegas is an NCAA-sanctioned Division I-A post-season college football bowl game that has been played annually at 40,000-seat Sam Boyd Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S. since 1992. From 1992 to 1996, matchups featured the champion teams from the Big West and Mid-American...
win in two seasons. The 24-21 victory over UCLA
University of California, Los Angeles
The University of California, Los Angeles is a public research university located in the Westwood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, USA. It was founded in 1919 as the "Southern Branch" of the University of California and is the second oldest of the ten campuses...
on December 23, 2004, marked the first bowl
Bowl game
In North America, a bowl game is commonly considered to refer to one of a number of post-season college football games. Prior to 2002, bowl game statistics were not included in players' career totals and the games were mostly considered to be exhibition games involving a payout to participating...
appearance for Wyoming in 11 years and their first bowl victory in 38 years. In 2005, after starting 4-1, including a victory over the University of Mississippi
University of Mississippi
The University of Mississippi, also known as Ole Miss, is a public, coeducational research university located in Oxford, Mississippi. Founded in 1844, the school is composed of the main campus in Oxford, four branch campuses located in Booneville, Grenada, Tupelo, and Southaven as well as the...
, the Cowboys went on a six game losing skid, finishing 4-7.
The 2006 season was one which saw the Cowboys picked to finish last in the conference. After an opening day victory over Utah State, the Cowboys suffered four heartbreaking losses, two of them in overtime. Then the Cowboys fortunes began to shift. The team enjoyed a four game winning streak, all of those games against conference opponents. The Cowboys next two games were both embarrassing road losses, the first against Texas Christian University
Texas Christian University
Texas Christian University is a private, coeducational university located in Fort Worth, Texas, United States and founded in 1873. TCU is affiliated with, but not governed by, the Disciples of Christ...
, in which they manage only a field goal. The next game was on the road against than #25 BYU
BYU
-Education:* Brigham Young University, a university located in Provo, Utah, USA administered by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.**BYU Salt Lake Center, a satellite center in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA...
. The Cougars trounced the Cowboys 55-7. The Cowboys fell to 5-6. The Cowboys won their final game against UNLV, moving them to a 6-6 record, and making them bowl eligible. New Athletics Director Tom Burman made no effort in getting the Cowboys to a Bowl game, and the team did not receive an invitation.
The 2007 season started off on a good foot with a 23-3 victory over Atlantic Coast Conference
Atlantic Coast Conference
The Atlantic Coast Conference is a collegiate athletic league in the United States. Founded in 1953 in Greensboro, North Carolina, the ACC sanctions competition in twenty-five sports in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association for its twelve member universities...
(ACC) member Virginia
University of Virginia
The University of Virginia is a public research university located in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States, founded by Thomas Jefferson...
on opening day. By the end of October, Wyoming was 5-3 and needed only one win in its last four games to become bowl-eligible. However, the Cowboys lost all four games to finish 5-7, including a 50-0 thrashing at the hands of Utah
Utah Utes
The Utah Utes are the athletics teams of the University of Utah. They are named after the Ute tribe of Native Americans. The men's basketball team is known as the "Runnin' Utes"; the women's basketball team, formerly known as the "Lady Utes," now prefers to be referred to as the "Utes"; and the...
on November 10.
The 2008 season began with the unspoken mandate to get Wyoming bowl-eligible. Offensive Coordinator Billy Cockhill was fired at the end of the 2007 season and replaced by Bob Cole, formerly of Florida A&M in an attempt to improve the Cowboy's anemic offense. Junior college signal caller Dax Crum, came to the Laramie campus from the Mesa (Arizona) Community College to compete for the starting quarterback job, which he won over Junior Karsten Sween.
The Cowboys opened the 2008 season with a win over Mid-American Conference member Ohio University (21-20), a loss to Air Force (23-3) and a win over FCS Division North Dakota State (16-13). Wyoming followed up that victory with five straight losses to Brigham Young University
Brigham Young University
Brigham Young University is a private university located in Provo, Utah. It is owned and operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , and is the United States' largest religious university and third-largest private university.Approximately 98% of the university's 34,000 students...
(44-0), Bowling Green State University
Bowling Green State University
Bowling Green State University, often referred to as Bowling Green or BGSU, is a public, coeducational research university located in Bowling Green, Ohio, United States. The institution was granted a charter in 1910 by the State of Ohio as part of the Lowry Bill, which also established Kent State...
(45-16), University of New Mexico
University of New Mexico
The University of New Mexico at Albuquerque is a public research university located in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in the United States. It is the state's flagship research institution...
(24-0), University of Utah
University of Utah
The University of Utah, also known as the U or the U of U, is a public, coeducational research university in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. The university was established in 1850 as the University of Deseret by the General Assembly of the provisional State of Deseret, making it Utah's oldest...
(40-7), and TCU (54-7). On November 1, the Pokes beat hapless San Diego State 35-10 at home and then followed with a historic win over University of Tennessee
University of Tennessee
The University of Tennessee is a public land-grant university headquartered at Knoxville, Tennessee, United States...
13-7 on the road a week later. Five days later on Thursday, Wyoming lost to UNLV 22-14 on the road. Wyoming finished the season by losing to arch rival Colorado State University
Colorado State University
Colorado State University is a public research university located in Fort Collins, Colorado. The university is the state's land grant university, and the flagship university of the Colorado State University System.The enrollment is approximately 29,932 students, including resident and...
31-20 at home in the 100th Border War
Border War
-Military conflicts:*Border War, also referred to as Bleeding Kansas, a series of violent events, involving Free-Staters and pro-slavery elements*Border War , referring to the conflicts between the United States military and Mexico which took place roughly between 1910 and 1918 along the Mexico –...
. The following day, November 23, 2008, Glenn was fired. Glenn finished his career at Wyoming with an overall record of 30-41 (.423), and 15-31 (.326) versus Mountain West opponents.
Glenn joined the Mtn.
MountainWest Sports Network
MountainWest Sports Network, informally known as the mtn. , is an American regional sports network dedicated to the Mountain West Conference.-History:...
as a game-day analyst in 2009. In 2010 he left the Mtn. and joined the WAC Sports Network
Western Athletic Conference
The Western Athletic Conference is an American collegiate athletic conference, which was formed on July 27, 1962, making it the sixth oldest of the 11 college athletic conferences currently participating in the NCAA's Division I FBS...
as a color commentator. Glenn and his wife are retired and living in Arizona.
Personal life
Glenn graduated from the University of South Dakota in 1971. While there, he earned a bachelor of artsBachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
degree in health, physical education, recreation and athletics. He played quarterback and wide receiver for the Coyotes, and was selected a team captain as a senior. After graduation he earned an ROTC commission as a second lieutenant
Second Lieutenant
Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces.- United Kingdom and Commonwealth :The rank second lieutenant was introduced throughout the British Army in 1871 to replace the rank of ensign , although it had long been used in the Royal Artillery, Royal...
and served two years on active duty. In 1975 he received a master's degree in education from South Dakota. In 2006, Joe Glenn was inducted into the University of South Dakota Hall of Fame.
He and his wife, Michele, are both natives of Lincoln, Nebraska
Lincoln, Nebraska
The City of Lincoln is the capital and the second-most populous city of the US state of Nebraska. Lincoln is also the county seat of Lancaster County and the home of the University of Nebraska. Lincoln's 2010 Census population was 258,379....
. They have two adult children, a daughter Erin and a son Casey. Casey was an All-American offensive lineman at Carroll College
Carroll College (Montana)
Carroll College is a private Catholic liberal arts college in Helena, Montana, USA. Carroll College has earned national and regional awards for its academic programs. Carroll's colors are purple and gold...
in Helena, Montana
Helena, Montana
Helena is the capital city of the U.S. state of Montana and the county seat of Lewis and Clark County. The 2010 census put the population at 28,180. The local daily newspaper is the Independent Record. The Helena Brewers minor league baseball and Helena Bighorns minor league hockey team call the...
, concluding his playing career in 2002 when Carroll won their first of five NAIA National Championships. After coaching at Idaho State, South Dakota and Oklahoma. he served as tight ends and fullbacks coach after serving as Director of Football Operations for Wyoming under his father.