Mike London
Encyclopedia
Mike London is the head coach of the Virginia Cavaliers football
program of the University of Virginia
. A native of the Hampton Roads
area of Virginia
, London played college and pro football as a defensive back
for the Richmond Spiders
and Dallas Cowboys
. He was a police officer
and detective
in Richmond, Virginia
with the city's street crimes unit before pursuing a coaching career.
He has served in various coaching roles with Richmond
, William & Mary
, Boston College
, and Virginia
, as well as the Houston Texans
. His most notable roles have come as defensive coordinator
and now head coach
at the University of Virginia, and previously as head coach at the University of Richmond
, where his team won the NCAA Division I Football Championship in 2008
.
coach at the University of Richmond, Mike London later coached the defensive line at the College of William & Mary, Boston College
, the Houston Texans
of the National Football League
, and the University of Virginia
, twice.
London worked closely with St. Louis Rams
defensive end Chris Long
while he played for the Virginia Cavaliers
. In an interview with The Washington Post
, Long would later say of London, "when you get a coach who matches your intensity and emotion, you can just look at that person and know that at some level that coach is going to be with you through the thick and the thin."
as the team's new defensive coordinator
to replace Al Golden. Virginia's defense under London was much more aggressive than it was under Golden. Allowing just 289.5 yards per game, the Virginia defense under London gave up fewer yards than any Virginia defense had in the past 27 years. London developed first year defensive end Jeffrey Fitzgerald, who by the end of the season had more tackles than any freshman in the country.
The next year his defense was perhaps even better. A highlight of this season was when Virginia was scheduled to play the Miami Hurricanes
in the last game ever in the legendary Miami Orange Bowl
. The Virginia defense, under the supervision of London, dominated the 'canes and Virginia won, 48–0. It was Miami's worst loss at the Orange Bowl in their 70 years of playing there. The Cavaliers finished the season ranked 6th in the nation in sacks with 40, and allowed the 19th-fewest rushing yards (106.7 yds/game) and the 16th-fewest points against (19.7/game) on the way to a 9-win season and a narrow loss to Texas Tech and Heisman Trophy candidate Michael Crabtree
in the Gator Bowl
. At the end of the season, lineman Chris Long won the Ted Hendricks Award
and was drafted second overall in the 2008 NFL Draft
.
On January 19, 2008, Mike London was named the head coach of the Richmond Spiders. Previous coach Dave Clawson
had left to become the offensive coordinator at the University of Tennessee
. Sixteen starters returned from a team that Clawson had taken to the semifinals of the FCS Football Championship playoffs. Soon after opening the season with a loss to Football Bowl Subdivision team Virginia 16–0, the team suffered heartbreaking losses to the James Madison Dukes
and Villanova Wildcats
by a touchdown or less. After the JMU loss, London's team stood at 4–3.
The 2008 Spiders
would not lose another game. They rattled off nine straight victories including last-minute heroics against the William & Mary Tribe and Northern Iowa Panthers
, a 33–13 dismantling of the heavily favored Appalachian State Mountaineers
in Kidd Brewer Stadium
, and culminating with a 24–7 blowout victory against the Montana Grizzlies
in the NCAA Championship Game. In his first season, the University of Richmond
had earned its first National Championship in any sport.
2009 Season
On September 5, 2009, Richmond upset the Duke Blue Devils
of the Atlantic Coast Conference
, 24–16, on their home turf in Wallace Wade Stadium
. After beginning the 2009 campaign
8–0 and riding a streak of 17 straight wins, the Richmond Spiders became only the third FCS team ever to receive a vote in the AP Poll
(after Northern Iowa in 2007, and Appalachian State later in the same season). Ray Ratto
of the San Francisco Chronicle
gave the Spiders their AP Top 25 vote for the week of November 2.
The Spiders won the CAA regular season, but lost in the Quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament to Appalachian State. Just two days later, Mike London was announced as head football coach at the University of Virginia on December 7, 2009.
Following the termination of Al Groh
, London was hired to coach the Virginia Cavaliers
and initially awarded a five-year contract paying $1.7 million per year. He is the second African-American head football coach in the ACC, behind Wake Forest
's Jim Caldwell. He is also the second African-American head coach of a major sport at Virginia; the first was former men's basketball coach Dave Leitao
.
In London's first season with Virginia, his Cavaliers went 4-8, with two wins coming against I-FCS opponents. The best win of the season was over then-#22 Miami
.
Following the season, London enjoyed a strong recruiting class, pulling in what is widely regarded as Virginia's best (and largest) recruiting class since Groh's first full season in 2002.
2011 Season
Having finished with a 4-8 overall record and having managed just one win in the ACC the previous season, London orchestrated a turnaround in 2011, taking the team to an 8-4 regular season record and a 5-3 mark in the conference. Signature wins in the 2011 campaign included upsets over previously undefeated and 12th-ranked Georgia Tech
, at Miami
, and at 23rd-ranked Florida State
, at a venue (Doak Campbell Stadium) where UVA had never won. The final regular season game of the year pitted the 24th-ranked Cavaliers against the #5 Virginia Tech Hokies
in a battle for not only the Commonwealth Cup
, but also for the Coastal Division crown and a chance to play in the ACC championship
. UVa lost the game 38-0, suffering its first home shutout since 1984.
Following the regular season, London was named ACC Coach of the Year, receiving 31 votes, ahead of Virginia Tech's Frank Beamer
, who received 12 votes, and Clemson's Dabo Swinney
, who received two votes.
, is a wide receiver
for the Montreal Alouettes
of the Canadian Football League
. His younger brother Paul London played defensive back
for Virginia under George Welsh in the early 1990s. His daughter, Kristen London, was a women's basketball player for Debbie Ryan
, also at Virginia. He is a member of Phi Beta Sigma
fraternity.
Virginia Cavaliers football
Virginia Cavaliers football is a college football program that competes in the NCAA Division I-FBS and the Coastal Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference...
program of the University of Virginia
University of Virginia
The University of Virginia is a public research university located in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States, founded by Thomas Jefferson...
. A native of the Hampton Roads
Hampton Roads
Hampton Roads is the name for both a body of water and the Norfolk–Virginia Beach metropolitan area which surrounds it in southeastern Virginia, United States...
area of Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
, London played college and pro football as a defensive back
Defensive back
In American football and Canadian football, defensive backs are the players on the defensive team who take positions somewhat back from the line of scrimmage; they are distinguished from the defensive line players and linebackers, who take positions directly behind or close to the line of...
for the Richmond Spiders
Richmond Spiders
The Richmond Spiders represent the University of Richmond, a member of the NCAA's Division I and a member of the Atlantic 10 Conference for all sports except football and women's golf, which participate as members of the Colonial Athletic Association....
and Dallas Cowboys
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas...
. He was a police officer
Police officer
A police officer is a warranted employee of a police force...
and detective
Detective
A detective is an investigator, either a member of a police agency or a private person. The latter may be known as private investigators or "private eyes"...
in Richmond, Virginia
Richmond, Virginia
Richmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area...
with the city's street crimes unit before pursuing a coaching career.
He has served in various coaching roles with Richmond
Richmond Spiders football
The Richmond Spiders are a college football team representing the University of Richmond in Richmond, Virginia. Richmond was the Division I Football Championship Subdivision champion for the 2008 season. Richmond currently competes in the Colonial Athletic Association of the NCAA's Division I...
, William & Mary
William & Mary Tribe football
The William & Mary Tribe are a college football team representing the College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia. William & Mary currently competes in the Colonial Athletic Association of the NCAA's Division I Football Championship Subdivision. As of 2010, Jimmye Laycock is in his 31st...
, Boston College
Boston College Eagles football
The Boston College Eagles football team is the collegiate football program of Boston College. The team is a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference, a Division I Bowl Subdivision league governed by the NCAA. Within the ACC, the Eagles are one of six teams in the Atlantic Division...
, and Virginia
Virginia Cavaliers football
Virginia Cavaliers football is a college football program that competes in the NCAA Division I-FBS and the Coastal Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference...
, as well as the Houston Texans
Houston Texans
The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston, Texas. The team is currently a member of the Southern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
. His most notable roles have come as defensive coordinator
Defensive coordinator
A defensive coordinator typically refers to a coach on a gridiron football team who is in charge of the defense. Generally, along with his offensive counterpart, he represents the second level of command structure after the head coach...
and now head coach
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 Virginia, and previously as head coach at the University of Richmond
University of Richmond
The University of Richmond is a selective, private, nonsectarian, liberal arts university located on the border of the city of Richmond and Henrico County, Virginia. The University of Richmond is a primarily undergraduate, residential university with approximately 4,000 undergraduate and graduate...
, where his team won the NCAA Division I Football Championship in 2008
2008 NCAA Division I FCS football season
The 2008 NCAA Division I FCS football season, part of the college football season, began on August 28, 2008 and concluded on December 19, 2008 in Chattanooga, Tennessee at the 2008 NCAA Division II National Football Championship game, where the Richmond Spiders defeated the Montana Grizzlies to...
.
Position coach
First hired as a linebackerLinebacker
A linebacker is a position in American football that was invented by football coach Fielding H. Yost of the University of Michigan. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up approximately three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage, behind the defensive linemen...
coach at the University of Richmond, Mike London later coached the defensive line at the College of William & Mary, Boston College
Boston College
Boston College is a private Jesuit research university located in the village of Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, USA. The main campus is bisected by the border between the cities of Boston and Newton. It has 9,200 full-time undergraduates and 4,000 graduate students. Its name reflects its early...
, the Houston Texans
Houston Texans
The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston, Texas. The team is currently a member of the Southern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
of the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
, and the University of Virginia
University of Virginia
The University of Virginia is a public research university located in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States, founded by Thomas Jefferson...
, twice.
London worked closely with St. Louis Rams
St. Louis Rams
The St. Louis Rams are a professional American football team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are currently members of the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Rams have won three NFL Championships .The Rams began playing in 1936 in Cleveland,...
defensive end Chris Long
Chris Long (American football)
Christopher Howard Long is an American football defensive end for the St. Louis Rams of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Rams second overall in the 2008 NFL Draft. He played college football at Virginia.Long is a son of Hall of Fame NFL defensive end Howie Long.-Early...
while he played for the Virginia Cavaliers
Virginia Cavaliers football
Virginia Cavaliers football is a college football program that competes in the NCAA Division I-FBS and the Coastal Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference...
. In an interview with The Washington Post
The Washington Post
The Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
, Long would later say of London, "when you get a coach who matches your intensity and emotion, you can just look at that person and know that at some level that coach is going to be with you through the thick and the thin."
Defensive coordinator
In 2006, London was named by Virginia coach Al GrohAl Groh
Al Groh is the defensive coordinator of the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football team. He is also a former head coach of the University of Virginia football team, a former head coach of the Wake Forest Demon Deacons football team and the former head coach of the New York Jets of the NFL...
as the team's new defensive coordinator
Defensive coordinator
A defensive coordinator typically refers to a coach on a gridiron football team who is in charge of the defense. Generally, along with his offensive counterpart, he represents the second level of command structure after the head coach...
to replace Al Golden. Virginia's defense under London was much more aggressive than it was under Golden. Allowing just 289.5 yards per game, the Virginia defense under London gave up fewer yards than any Virginia defense had in the past 27 years. London developed first year defensive end Jeffrey Fitzgerald, who by the end of the season had more tackles than any freshman in the country.
The next year his defense was perhaps even better. A highlight of this season was when Virginia was scheduled to play the Miami Hurricanes
Miami Hurricanes football
The Miami Hurricanes football program competes in the Atlantic Coast Conference of the NCAA's Division I Football Bowl Subdivision for the University of Miami. The program began in 1926 and has won five AP national championships...
in the last game ever in the legendary Miami Orange Bowl
Miami Orange Bowl
The Orange Bowl, formerly Burdine Stadium, was an outdoor athletic stadium in Miami, Florida, west of downtown in Little Havana. Considered a landmark, it was the home stadium for the Miami Hurricanes college football team...
. The Virginia defense, under the supervision of London, dominated the 'canes and Virginia won, 48–0. It was Miami's worst loss at the Orange Bowl in their 70 years of playing there. The Cavaliers finished the season ranked 6th in the nation in sacks with 40, and allowed the 19th-fewest rushing yards (106.7 yds/game) and the 16th-fewest points against (19.7/game) on the way to a 9-win season and a narrow loss to Texas Tech and Heisman Trophy candidate Michael Crabtree
Michael Crabtree
Michael Alex Crabtree is an American football wide receiver for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League. He was drafted by the 49ers with the 10th overall pick in the 2009 NFL Draft. He played college football for Texas Tech, where he received recognition as one of the nation's...
in the Gator Bowl
Gator Bowl
The Gator Bowl is an annual college football bowl game played at EverBank Field in Jacksonville, Florida. Held continuously since 1946, it is the sixth oldest college bowl, as well as the first one ever televised nationally...
. At the end of the season, lineman Chris Long won the Ted Hendricks Award
Ted Hendricks Award
The Ted Hendricks Award is given annually to college football's top defensive end. The award is named after Ted Hendricks, who is a member of both the College Football Hall of Fame as well as the Pro Football Hall of Fame and is presented by his own 501 foundation, called the Ted Hendricks...
and was drafted second overall in the 2008 NFL Draft
2008 NFL Draft
The 2008 NFL Draft took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City on April 26 and April 27, 2008. For the 29th consecutive year, ESPN televised the draft; the NFL Network also broadcast the event, its third year doing so...
.
Richmond Spiders
2008 SeasonOn January 19, 2008, Mike London was named the head coach of the Richmond Spiders. Previous coach Dave Clawson
Dave Clawson
Dave Clawson is the head coach of the Bowling Green Falcons college football team. Before joining Bowling Green, Clawson was the short-lived offensive coordinator for the University of Tennessee Volunteers and was the coach at Fordham University and the University of Richmond where he won two Div...
had left to become the offensive coordinator at the University of Tennessee
University of Tennessee
The University of Tennessee is a public land-grant university headquartered at Knoxville, Tennessee, United States...
. Sixteen starters returned from a team that Clawson had taken to the semifinals of the FCS Football Championship playoffs. Soon after opening the season with a loss to Football Bowl Subdivision team Virginia 16–0, the team suffered heartbreaking losses to the James Madison Dukes
James Madison Dukes football
The James Madison Dukes football team, founded in 1972, plays at Bridgeforth Stadium. Originally called JMU Stadium, it was renamed for William E. Bridgeforth in 1990. The JMU football team was rarely the centerpiece of JMU sports until the hiring of Mickey Matthews in 1999...
and Villanova Wildcats
Villanova Wildcats football
The Villanova Wildcats football program represents Villanova University in the Division I Football Championship Subdivision . The Wildcats play at Villanova Stadium with capacity of 12,500.-History:...
by a touchdown or less. After the JMU loss, London's team stood at 4–3.
The 2008 Spiders
2008 Richmond Spiders football team
The 2008 Richmond Spiders football team represented the University of Richmond in National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Football Championship Subdivision college football during the 2008 season...
would not lose another game. They rattled off nine straight victories including last-minute heroics against the William & Mary Tribe and Northern Iowa Panthers
2008 Northern Iowa Panthers football team
The 2008 Northern Iowa Panthers football team represented the University of Northern Iowa in the 2008 NCAA Division I FCS football season. The previous year's team finished first in the Gateway Football Conference. The Gateway Football Conference was renamed the Missouri Valley Football League in...
, a 33–13 dismantling of the heavily favored Appalachian State Mountaineers
2008 Appalachian State Mountaineers football team
The 2008 Appalachian State Mountaineers football team represented Appalachian State University in the college football season of 2008–2009. It was the 79th season of play for the Mountaineers. The team was led by Jerry Moore, the 2006 Eddie Robinson Award winner for Coach of the Year. It was his...
in Kidd Brewer Stadium
Kidd Brewer Stadium
Kidd Brewer Stadium is located in Boone, North Carolina and is Appalachian State University's 21,650 seat multi-purpose stadium. Nicknamed "The Rock", the stadium is home to the Mountaineers, the NCAA 2005, 2006, and 2007 Division I FCS national champions. It is also the home of the school's field...
, and culminating with a 24–7 blowout victory against the Montana Grizzlies
2008 Montana Grizzlies football team
The 2008 Montana Grizzlies football team represented the University of Montana in National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Football Championship Subdivision college football during the 2008 season...
in the NCAA Championship Game. In his first season, the University of Richmond
University of Richmond
The University of Richmond is a selective, private, nonsectarian, liberal arts university located on the border of the city of Richmond and Henrico County, Virginia. The University of Richmond is a primarily undergraduate, residential university with approximately 4,000 undergraduate and graduate...
had earned its first National Championship in any sport.
2009 Season
On September 5, 2009, Richmond upset the Duke Blue Devils
2009 Duke Blue Devils football team
The 2009 Duke Blue Devils football team represented Duke University in its 57th season as a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference in its Coastal Division. The Blue Devils were led by second-year head coach David Cutcliffe...
of the 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...
, 24–16, on their home turf in Wallace Wade Stadium
Wallace Wade Stadium
Wallace Wade Stadium is a stadium on the campus of Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Primarily used for American football, it is the home field of the Duke Blue Devils. It opened in 1929 with a game against Pitt, as the first facility in Duke's new west campus. The...
. After beginning the 2009 campaign
2009 Richmond Spiders football team
The 2009 Richmond Spiders football team represented the University of Richmond in National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Football Championship Subdivision college football during the 2009 season...
8–0 and riding a streak of 17 straight wins, the Richmond Spiders became only the third FCS team ever to receive a vote in the AP Poll
AP Poll
The Associated Press College Poll refers to 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 sportswriters across the nation...
(after Northern Iowa in 2007, and Appalachian State later in the same season). Ray Ratto
Ray Ratto
Ray Ratto has been a San Francisco Bay Area sportswriter since the 1970s and a sports columnist since the 1980s. He is "Senior Insider" for the TV station Comcast SportsNet Bay Area and writes for the website . He also has written national columns for and currently does same at CBS'...
of the San Francisco Chronicle
San Francisco Chronicle
thumb|right|upright|The Chronicle Building following the [[1906 San Francisco earthquake|1906 earthquake]] and fireThe San Francisco Chronicle is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California, but distributed throughout Northern and Central California,...
gave the Spiders their AP Top 25 vote for the week of November 2.
The Spiders won the CAA regular season, but lost in the Quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament to Appalachian State. Just two days later, Mike London was announced as head football coach at the University of Virginia on December 7, 2009.
Virginia Cavaliers
2010 SeasonFollowing the termination of Al Groh
Al Groh
Al Groh is the defensive coordinator of the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football team. He is also a former head coach of the University of Virginia football team, a former head coach of the Wake Forest Demon Deacons football team and the former head coach of the New York Jets of the NFL...
, London was hired to coach the Virginia Cavaliers
Virginia Cavaliers football
Virginia Cavaliers football is a college football program that competes in the NCAA Division I-FBS and the Coastal Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference...
and initially awarded a five-year contract paying $1.7 million per year. He is the second African-American head football coach in the ACC, behind Wake Forest
Wake Forest Demon Deacons
Originally, Wake Forest's athletic teams were known as the Fighting Baptists, due to its association with the Baptist Convention...
's Jim Caldwell. He is also the second African-American head coach of a major sport at Virginia; the first was former men's basketball coach Dave Leitao
Dave Leitao
Dave Leitao is the head coach of the Maine Red Claws of the NBA Development League and the former head men's basketball coach of the University of Virginia. Previously, he was head coach at Northeastern University and DePaul University...
.
In London's first season with Virginia, his Cavaliers went 4-8, with two wins coming against I-FCS opponents. The best win of the season was over then-#22 Miami
2010 Miami Hurricanes football team
The 2010 Miami Hurricanes football team represented the University of Miami during the 2010 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Hurricanes were coached by Randy Shannon during the regular season, then coached by Jeff Stoutland during their bowl game and played their home games at Sun Life...
.
Following the season, London enjoyed a strong recruiting class, pulling in what is widely regarded as Virginia's best (and largest) recruiting class since Groh's first full season in 2002.
2011 Season
Having finished with a 4-8 overall record and having managed just one win in the ACC the previous season, London orchestrated a turnaround in 2011, taking the team to an 8-4 regular season record and a 5-3 mark in the conference. Signature wins in the 2011 campaign included upsets over previously undefeated and 12th-ranked Georgia Tech
2011 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football team
The 2011 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football team represents the Georgia Institute of Technology in the 2011 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Yellow Jackets are led by fourth year head coach Paul Johnson and play their home games at Bobby Dodd Stadium...
, at Miami
2011 Miami Hurricanes football team
The 2011 Miami Hurricanes football team represents the University of Miami during the 2011 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Hurricanes are led by first year head coach Al Golden and play their home games at Sun Life Stadium...
, and at 23rd-ranked Florida State
2011 Florida State Seminoles football team
The 2011 Florida State Seminoles football team represents Florida State University in the 2011 NCAA Division I FBS college football season. The Seminoles are led by 2nd year head coach Jimbo Fisher and play their home games at Bobby Bowden Field at Doak Campbell Stadium...
, at a venue (Doak Campbell Stadium) where UVA had never won. The final regular season game of the year pitted the 24th-ranked Cavaliers against the #5 Virginia Tech Hokies
2011 Virginia Tech Hokies football team
The 2011 Virginia Tech Hokies football team represents the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in the 2011 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Hokies are led by 25th year head coach Frank Beamer and play their home games at Lane Stadium...
in a battle for not only the Commonwealth Cup
Commonwealth Cup
The Commonwealth Cup is an American college football rivalry game played between the Virginia Cavaliers football team of the University of Virginia and the Virginia Tech Hokies football team of Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. Typically, this series is played on a Saturday...
, but also for the Coastal Division crown and a chance to play in the ACC championship
2011 ACC Championship Game
The 2011 ACC Championship Game will be the seventh football championship game for the Atlantic Coast Conference. It will feature the winners of the ACCs two divisions, the Atlantic Division and the Coastal Division. Clemson will represent the Atlantic while the Coastal division will be represented...
. UVa lost the game 38-0, suffering its first home shutout since 1984.
Following the regular season, London was named ACC Coach of the Year, receiving 31 votes, ahead of Virginia Tech's Frank Beamer
Frank Beamer
Frank Beamer is an American football coach and former player. He is currently the head coach at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University , a position he has held since 1987. From 1981 to 1986, Beamer served as the head coach at Murray State University...
, who received 12 votes, and Clemson's Dabo Swinney
Dabo Swinney
William Christopher "Dabo" Swinney is the head coach of the Clemson University Tigers football team; he was previously assistant head coach and wide receivers coach.-Playing career:...
, who received two votes.
Personal
His son, Brandon LondonBrandon London
Brandon Jaime London is an American football wide receiver who is currently playing with the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League. He was signed by the New York Giants as an undrafted free agent in 2007. He played college football at Massachusetts.London has also played for the Miami...
, is a 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...
for the Montreal Alouettes
Montreal Alouettes
The Montreal Alouettes are a Canadian Football League team based in Montreal, Quebec.The current franchise named the Alouettes moved to Montreal from Baltimore, Maryland, in 1996 where they had been known as the Baltimore Stallions...
of the Canadian Football League
Canadian Football League
The Canadian Football League or CFL is a professional sports league located in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football, a form of gridiron football closely related to American football....
. His younger brother Paul London played defensive back
Defensive back
In American football and Canadian football, defensive backs are the players on the defensive team who take positions somewhat back from the line of scrimmage; they are distinguished from the defensive line players and linebackers, who take positions directly behind or close to the line of...
for Virginia under George Welsh in the early 1990s. His daughter, Kristen London, was a women's basketball player for Debbie Ryan
Debbie Ryan
Debbie Ryan is the former head coach for the women's basketball team at the University of Virginia. Ryan also coached the American women's basketball team at the 2003 Pan American Games. She was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2000 but is currently in remission...
, also at Virginia. He is a member of Phi Beta Sigma
Phi Beta Sigma
Phi Beta Sigma is a predominantly African-American fraternity which was founded at Howard University in Washington, D.C. on January 9, 1914, by three young African-American male students. The founders A. Langston Taylor, Leonard F. Morse, and Charles I...
fraternity.
Head coaching record
External links
- London's Calling: From Cop to Coach - The Washington PostThe Washington PostThe Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
- University of Virginia biography - University of VirginiaUniversity of VirginiaThe University of Virginia is a public research university located in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States, founded by Thomas Jefferson...
- Hampton native London to take over at Richmond - Daily PressDaily Press (Virginia)The Daily Press is a morning newspaper located in Newport News, Virginia, that covers the Hampton Roads metro area of Virginia. It was established in 1896 and has been owned by the Tribune Company since July 1986...