“This is absolutely the job that I was interested in”, said Fuente, who went 19-6 in the last two seasons of his four-year stint as Memphis’ coach. Last season they won the American Athletic Conference – the program’s first league title in 43 years – and concluded the with a double-overtime win against Brigham Young in the inaugural Miami Beach Bowl to earn the second 10-win season in program history.
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Virginia Tech (6-6) closed out the regular season with a 23-20 victory over rival Virginia on Saturday and is eligible to play in its 23rd consecutive bowl game. A day after reports linked the two parties, the Hokies made the match official by announcing the 39-year-old as their new head coach on Sunday afternoon.
Before TCU, Fuente was the quarterbacks coach at Illinois State from 2001-03 and the offensive coordinator from 2004-06. In just 4 seasons at Memphis, Fuente took the Tigers from a conference bottom feeder to a top-25 team that has had a chance at winning its conference in back to back seasons.
According to the press release, London met with UVA director of athletics Craig Littlepage early Sunday morning, and it was decided a change of leadership was best for the program. It left London with a 27-46 record at the school. That year, London was named the ACC’s coach of the year. That season ended with a loss to Auburn in the Chick-fil-A Bowl, the lone postseason appearance of London’s time at UVA.
London’s fate probably was sealed in the first month of the season, most notably when the Cavaliers were trounced by visiting Boise State 56-14 in a Friday night game that was televised nationally.
Welsh was an offensive assistant at Penn State before taking the head-coaching position at Navy.
The athletic department will likely again work with Parker Executive Search, an Atlanta firm who recommended Fuente and another finalist in 2011.
“There are consequences for many things, but I told them, ‘You’re going to be husbands, fathers, sons, employees and employers for much longer than they will be football players, ‘” he said, his voice cracking with emotion. Virginia struggled to a 4-8 record under London’s watch this season.
Flood was suspended for three games for making inappropriate contact with a professor regarding a player’s academics.
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At the same time, Virginia Tech holds on to its identity as a blue-collar, defensive-minded program by retaining Foster.
