Holliday Named Associate Head Coach
January 12, 2008 10:59 AM | General
January 12, 2008
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| Doc Holliday |
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – West Virginia University Football Coach Bill Stewart has announced that former Mountaineer standout player and coach John “Doc” Holliday is returning to Morgantown as the associate head coach, director of recruiting and the tight ends/fullbacks coach.
”Doc Holliday is one of the top recruiters in college football today,” Stewart said. “He knows West Virginia University and this football program inside and out. He is a tremendous competitor and knows the game of college football as well as anyone. Having worked on both sides of the football at the I-A level, he brings a level of coaching pedigree that will help make our program that much better. We are happy to have him here.”
Holliday worked on Hall of Fame Coach Don Nehlen’s staff at West Virginia from 1979-99. He returns to the Mountain State after serving as the associate head coach and safety position coach for the past three years at Florida. He spent the 2000-04 seasons as the associate head coach and wide receivers coach at NC State.
Holliday brings 29 years of collegiate coaching experience, including 18 bowl appearances with two national championship games (1989 Fiesta Bowl with West Virginia and winning the national championship with Florida in 2007). He has coached nine players who have been drafted, including two first round choices (2002 – Koren Robinson – Seattle; 2007 – Reggie Nelson – Jacksonville Jaguars).
During his time with the Gators, Florida has collected a record of 31-8 and 17-7 in SEC action. Holliday was named one of Rivals.com's Top 25 recruiters in 2005.
The Gator secondary has led the SEC in interceptions two of the past three seasons with 16 in 2005 (tied with Georgia) and 21 in 2006. UF's 2006 total tied for the fourth highest in school history. Florida's 2006 pass defense efficiency (98.3) ranked fourth nationally and second in the SEC. UF surrendered 10 passing touchdowns in 2006 (tied for eighth nationally). The unit also ranked second in scoring defense in the league and sixth nationally (13.5). One of his star pupils, safety Reggie Nelson, was a consensus All-American and a finalist for the Jim Thorpe and Bronko Nagurski Awards in 2006. In 2005, the safeties at Florida were part of a secondary that allowed just 52.3 percent of passes to be completed – the 16th best percentage nationally.
In his four-year stint at NC State, the Wolfpack produced a record of 39-23, including eight or more wins three times and an 11-win season in 2002. NC State also played in four bowl games in the five years he was there.
Holliday coached three of the top-eight receivers in NC State history (Koren Robinson, Bryan Peterson and Jerricho Cotchery). The 2001 Wolfpack offense set school records for completion percentage (.644) and fewest turnovers (13). The 2002 offense led the ACC in scoring (32.9 ppg.) and finished first in school history in total yards (5,485), passing yards (3,468), most points scored (460) and most first downs (281).
The 2003 NC State team set school records in almost every statistical category: pass attempts (496), pass completions (357), passing yards (4,580), passing yards per game (352.3), passing TDs (35) and pass completion percentage (.720). They also topped school marks with 37.6 points per game, 453.2 total offensive yards per game, 311 first downs and 6.6 yards per play.
During his 21-year tenure with the Mountaineers, as either a graduate assistant (1979-80), part-time assistant (1981-82), full-time assistant (1983-99) or as the assistant head coach, he helped lead WVU to one of its most prosperous times in the history of the school. West Virginia played for the national championship in 1988, finished as one of the top teams in the nation in 1993 and played in 12 bowl games.
He spent two stints as wide receivers coach (1983-89, 1995-99) and coached three of the top six receivers in BIG EAST history. He mentored the league’s top receiver in 1996, 1997 and 1998 and coached the top three career and single-season reception leaders in WVU history and eight of the top 10 players in both categories.
A three-year letterwinner for the Mountaineers, the Hurricane, W.Va., native graduated from West Virginia with a bachelor’s degree in physical education in 1979 and a master’s degree in safety management in 1981. He, and his wife, the former Diana Phillips, have four children, Meghan, Cade, Chase and Cody.
