Larry Blakeney

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Larry Blakeney

Title Head coach
College Troy
Sport Football
Conference Sun Belt
Team record 37-35 (I-A)
Born September 21, 1947 (1947-09-21) (age 60)
Place of birth Birmingham, Alabama
Career highlights
Overall 136-68-1 (66.6%)
Bowls 1-1
Coaching stats
College Football DataWarehouse
Championships
2006 Sun Belt Co-Champion
2007 Sun Belt Co-Champion
Playing career
1966-69 Auburn
Position Quarterback
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
1977-1990
1991-Present		 Auburn (Assistant)
Troy

Larry Blakeney (born September 21, 1947 in Birmingham, Alabama) is the football head coach of the Troy Trojans at Troy University. He is the most successful coach in the history of Troy and his stint there is the 4th longest tenure among active head coaches in college football (behind Joe Paterno, Bobby Bowden and Frank Beamer).

Contents

[edit] Playing career

Blakeney was the first sophomore to start at quarterback for Ralph Jordan at Auburn. As a three-year letterman, he led the Auburn Tigers football team to two bowl games. In 1968, they defeated Arizona Wildcats 34-10 in the Sun Bowl and in 1969 they lost 36-7 to Houston Cougars in the Bluebonnet Bowl. He graduated in 1970 with a bachelor's degree in business administration.

He also lettered twice in baseball in 1968 and 1969.

[edit] Coaching career

Blakeney became a head coach at three high schools after graduation: Southern Academy (1970-71), Walker High School (1972-74) and Vestavia Hills High School (1975-76). He compiled a 50-24-2 record as a high school head coach.

He was hired on at his alma mater, Auburn, in 1977 as the offensive line assistant coach. In 1979, he was the tight end and wide receivers coach for two years and then just wide receivers from 1981 to 1990. He added on the offensive play calling duties in 1986. During the 14 seasons at Auburn, the Tigers were 110-50-3 and won four Southeastern Conference championships and were 6-2-1 in bowl games.

[edit] Troy

Blakeney became the twentieth head football coach at what was then known as Troy State University[1] on December 3, 1990. The program was officially still a Division II program, but were already approved to transition to Division I-AA the following season. He took over a program that had won two national championships the previous decade, but were 13-17 the previous three years.

The first full year at Division I-AA, the Troy State Trojans made it to the semifinal game and finished 12-1-1, 10-0-1 in the regular season. This marked the first undefeated, regular, full season of Troy State Trojans football and they finished ranked first in the end of season poll by Sports Network. In 1995, the team improved on that record finishing 11-0 in the regular season for the first undefeated, tie-less season in history. During the eight seasons the team was a member of I-AA football, they made the playoffs seven seasons and won the Southland Conference championship three times and made the playoff semifinals twice.

Troy State transitioned to Division I-A in 2001. During that season they defeated three Division I-A schools, including their first win over a BCS conference school, Mississippi State. Since joining I-A (from 2002), Troy has posted a 29-31 record. The transition makes Blakeney one of two coaches to ever take a football team from Division II to I-A (the other is UCF’s Gene McDowell).

Blakeney earned his first bowl win in 2006, beating the Rice Owls football team 41-17 in the New Orleans Bowl.

[edit] Coaching record

Year Team Overall Conference Standing Bowl Rank#
Troy State Trojans (D-II) (Independent) (1991)
1991 Trojans 5-6
Troy State Trojans (I-AA transition) (Independent) (1992)
1992 Trojans 10-1
D-II transition: 15-7
Troy State Trojans (I-AA) (Independent) (1993 – 1995)
1993 Trojans 12-1-1 I-AA semifinal
1994 Trojans 8-4 I-AA first round
1995 Trojans 11-1 I-AA first round
Troy State Trojans (I-AA) (Southland Conference) (1996 – 2000)
1996 Trojans 12-2 5-1 1st I-AA semifinal
1997 Trojans 5-6 2-5 T-6th
1998 Trojans 8-4 5-2 T-2nd I-AA first round
1999 Trojans 11-2 6-1 T-1st I-AA quarterfinal
2000 Trojans 9-3 7-0 1st I-AA first round
I-AA: 86-24-1 (.782) 25-18 (.582)
Troy State Trojans (I-A transition) (Independent) (2001)
2001 Trojans 7-4
I-A transition: 7-4
Troy State Trojans (I-A) (Independent) (2002 – 2003)
2002 Trojans 4-8
2003 Trojans 6-6
Troy Trojans (I-A) (Sun Belt Conference) (2004 — present)
2004 Trojans 7-5 5-2 2nd L, 21-34 Silicon Valley Football Classic
2005 Trojans 4-7 3-4 5th
2006 Trojans 8-5 6-1 1st W, 41-17 New Orleans Bowl
2007 Trojans 8-4 6-1 1st
I-A: 37-35 20-8
Total: 136-68-1
      National Championship         Conference Title         Conference Division Title
#Rankings from final no of the season.

[edit] Personal

Blakeney is married to the former Janice Powell and they have three daughters, Kelley, and twins Julie and Tiffany. All three daughters graduated from Troy. Tiffany is married and lives in Atlanta, Georgia with her husband Jason Rash and two daughters, two-year-old Caroline Elizabeth Taylor and one-year old Madeline Ann Rash (as of November 2004).

[edit] References

  1. ^ The school did not become Troy University until 2004.
Preceded by
Robert Maddox		 Troy Trojans Head Football Coach
1991—Present		 Succeeded by
Current
v • d • e
Troy Trojans Head Football Coaches

McKinley • Herren • Penton • J.W. Campbell • Ford • Bynum • Gaumer • Elmore • Choate • McCollum • Grantham • Clipson • Atkins • Jones • Whigham • Bradshaw • Gailey • Rhoades • Maddox • Blakeney
v • d • e
Current Head Football Coaches of the Sun Belt Conference


Persondata
NAME Blakeney, Larry
ALTERNATIVE NAMES
SHORT DESCRIPTION 20th century American football coach
DATE OF BIRTH September 21, 1947
PLACE OF BIRTH Birmingham, Alabama
DATE OF DEATH
PLACE OF DEATH