John Bunting

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John Bunting
Date of birth July 15, 1950
Place of birth Portland, Maine
Sport Football
College North Carolina
Title Head Coach
Record with Team 26-45
Overall Record 26-45
Awards None
Championships
  won
None
Coaching Stats College Football DataWarehouse
School as a player
1969-71 North Carolina
Position Linebacker
Schools as a coach
2001-2006 North Carolina

John Bunting (b. July 15, 1950 in Portland, Maine) is a former head football coach at the University of North Carolina as well as a former NFL player.

Bunting was born on July 15, 1950 in Portland, Maine. He grew up in Silver Spring, Maryland and graduated from Springbrook High School in 1968. He was a starting linebacker for the University of North Carolina from 1969 - 1971 under Coach Bill Dooley. In 1971 Bunting earned All-ACC honors and helped lead the Tar Heels to the 1971 ACC football championship.

He had an eleven-year NFL career as a linebacker with the Philadelphia Eagles from 1972-82, and he played in Philadelphia's 1981 Super Bowl game against the Oakland Raiders. Bunting then played for the Philadelphia Stars of the USFL from 1983-84. After retiring as an NFL player, Bunting moved into the coaching ranks. He has served as the assistant coach for three NFL teams: Kansas City, St. Louis, and New Orleans. As the head defensive coach for the Saint Louis Rams, he played a key role in leading that team to their victory in the 2000 Super Bowl. In December 2000, University of North Carolina Athletic Director Dick Baddour decided to hire him as the school's head football coach, replacing the fired Carl Torbush.

In his first season, Bunting led the Tar Heels to an 8-5 record, including a victory over Auburn University in the 2001 Peach Bowl. However, his teams since were highly inconsistent. Bunting compiled an overall record of 26 wins and 45 losses in his 5+ seasons as the head football coach at the University of North Carolina. During his final season (2006), his team had a record of only 3 - 9, while averaging over 23 fewer points per game than their opponents.

Bunting was fired by UNC Athletic Director Dick Baddour on October 22, 2006. However, he was allowed to finish out the 2006 college football season as the head coach. His last home victory on November 18th, 2006 against arch-rival N.C. State University broke a 7-game losing streak, and he was able to close out his career one week later with a 45-44 win at Duke University.


[edit] Record

Season School Record Postseason
2001 UNC 8-5 Defeated Auburn, 16-10 (Peach Bowl)
2002 UNC 3-9 -
2003 UNC 2-10 -
2004 UNC 6-6 Lost to Boston College, 37-24 (Continental Tire Bowl)
2005 UNC 5-6 -
2006 UNC 3-9 -

[edit] External links


Preceded by:
Carl Torbush
University of North Carolina Head Football Coach
20012006
Succeeded by:
Butch Davis