Brian VanGorder
Encyclopedia
Brian VanGorder is the current 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...

 of the Atlanta Falcons
Atlanta Falcons
The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta, Georgia. They are a member of the South Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...

. He previously was the 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...

 of Wayne State University
Wayne State University
Wayne State University is a public research university located in Detroit, Michigan, United States, in the city's Midtown Cultural Center Historic District. Founded in 1868, WSU consists of 13 schools and colleges offering more than 400 major subject areas to over 32,000 graduate and...

, Georgia Southern University
Georgia Southern University
Georgia Southern University is a national public university located on a campus in Statesboro, Georgia, USA. Founded in 1906, it is part of the University System of Georgia and is the largest center of higher education in the southern half of Georgia offering 117 academic majors in a comprehensive...

 and has been as assistant coach under many other universities, most notably the University of Georgia
University of Georgia
The University of Georgia is a public research university located in Athens, Georgia, United States. Founded in 1785, it is the oldest and largest of the state's institutions of higher learning and is one of multiple schools to claim the title of the oldest public university in the United States...

.

Early coaching career

VanGorder started his coaching career in 1981 as an assistant coach at West Bloomfield High School
West Bloomfield High School
West Bloomfield High School is a public secondary school in West Bloomfield, Michigan. The school is the only public high school in the West Bloomfield School District. The School Enrollment for the 2010-2011 school year is about 1900. West Bloomfield High School was previously located in the...

. He served as the head coach at three high schools in the state of Florida, including Boca Raton Academy (now the Boca Raton campus of Pine Crest School
Pine Crest School
Pine Crest School is a private college preparatory school with campuses in Boca Raton and Fort Lauderdale, Florida. It was founded in Fort Lauderdale in 1934 by Mae McMillan who began as a tutor to children of families spending the winter in South Florida, USA. In 1995, Dr. Lourdes Cowgill became...

). VanGorder posted a record of 52-16 and was named "Coach of the Year" on seven different occasions. VanGorder's 1987 American Heritage School
American Heritage School (Florida)
American Heritage School is an American, private school located in the Plantation, Florida.-History:Founded by William R. Laurie in 1965. American Heritage, is modeled after Southern universities, in both its buildings and curriculum...

 team was ranked No. 1 in the state of Florida. He joined the college ranks in 1989 at Grand Valley State University
Grand Valley State University
Grand Valley State University is a public liberal arts university located in Allendale, Michigan, United States. The university was established in 1960, and its main campus is situated on approximately west of Grand Rapids...

.

VanGorder had his first head coaching opportunity from 1992-94 at his alma mater, Wayne State University
Wayne State University
Wayne State University is a public research university located in Detroit, Michigan, United States, in the city's Midtown Cultural Center Historic District. Founded in 1868, WSU consists of 13 schools and colleges offering more than 400 major subject areas to over 32,000 graduate and...

. During his final two seasons as Head Coach, Wayne State recorded its first winning record in more than a decade, going 6-5 in each season. After leaving Wayne State University in 1994, he coached at University of Central Florida
University of Central Florida
The University of Central Florida, commonly referred to as UCF, is a metropolitan public research university located in Orlando, Florida, United States...

 and Central Michigan
Central Michigan
Central Michigan, often called Mid Michigan, is a region in the Lower Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. Southern Michigan can be considered as a subregion of Central Michigan. As its name implies, it is the central area of the Lower Peninsula. Lower Michigan is said to resemble a mitten, and...

. From 1998-99, VanGorder served as the Defensive Coordinator at Central Michigan University, following a three-year stint at the University of Central Florida, where he spent two years coaching linebacker
Linebacker
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...

s and special teams before being assigned to assistant head coach/defensive coordinator.

After Central Michigan, VanGorder was the Defensive Coordinator during the 2000 season at Western Illinois University. The Leathernecks ended the year 9-2, finishing eighth nationally in passing efficiency defense and 12th in both passing defense and total defense while allowing just 17.6 points per game.

University of Georgia

In 2001 he was hired as Defensive Coordinator and linebackers coach for the University of Georgia Bulldogs
Georgia Bulldogs
The Georgia Bulldogs are the athletic teams of the University of Georgia. The Bulldogs compete in National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I and are members of the Southeastern Conference...

. During his first year as Defensive Coordinator at Georgia in 2001, the Bulldogs allowed just 18.9 points per game, ended up fifth in rushing defense and ranked 17th in scoring defense. For his coaching efforts, he was named the seventh recipient of the Valvoline Southern Sports Tonight "Assistant Coach of the Year".

The 2002 season saw VanGorder's defense not only lead the SEC in scoring defense, but finish fourth nationally. The Bulldogs allowed less than 15 points per game during the season on their way to eventually winning the Sugar Bowl and finishing third in the final national poll.

In 2003, VanGorder's defense ranked third nationally in scoring defense, fourth in total defense and sixth in passing defense. In turn, VanGorder received the Frank Boyles "Assistant Coach of the Year" award, which honors the nation's top assistant coach.

During his final season at Georgia in 2004, the 10-2 Bulldogs were ranked seventh in the final national poll as VanGorder's defense finished the season ranked eighth and ninth in scoring defense.

During his Georgia tenure, six of VanGorder's players were selected in the first two rounds of the NFL Draft, including defensive tackle Jonathan Sullivan, safety Thomas Davis and defensive end David Pollack
David Pollack
-Injury:In the Bengals' September 17, 2006 game against in-state rival Cleveland Browns, Pollack suffered what was later determined to be a broken sixth cervical vertebrae on a first quarter tackle on running back Reuben Droughns. He reportedly suffered no paralysis, but was taken off the field on...

 in the first round, and safety Sean Jones
Sean Jones (safety)
Sean Jones is an American football safety for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Cleveland Browns in the second round of the 2004 NFL Draft. He played college football at Georgia.-Early years:Jones attended Westlake High School where he played both as a...

 and line-backers Boss Bailey
Boss Bailey
Rodney "Boss" Bailey is a American football linebacker in the National Football League. He was originally drafted by the Detroit Lions in the 1st round of the 2003 NFL Draft...

, as well as Odell Thurman
Odell Thurman
Odell Lamar Thurman is an American football linebacker for the Virginia Destroyers of the United Football League. He was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals in the second round of the 2005 NFL Draft. He played college football at Georgia....

 in the second round.

Post Georgia coaching career

In 2005 VanGorder was hired as the Jacksonville Jaguars
Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida, U.S. They are currently members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...

 linebackers coach. He only served one year with the Jaguars before being hired as the head coach for the Georgia Southern Eagles
Georgia Southern Eagles
The Georgia Southern Eagles are the athletic teams of Georgia Southern University. The Eagles compete in the Division I Football Championship Subdivision and are members of the NCAA Division I Southern Conference...

 on December 9, 2005. BVG resigned after a disastrous season and left for the Atlanta Falcons where he was the Linebackers Coach. On 14 December 2009 speculation ran wild on a popular UGA website the VanGorder would again take over the reins as defensive coordinator at the University of Georgia.

On January 24, 2008, ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....

 reported that Vangorder was joining new Atlanta Falcons
Atlanta Falcons
The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta, Georgia. They are a member of the South Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...

 Head Coach Mike Smith's staff as their defensive coordinator.

Personal

He and his wife, Pollie, have five children: Molloy, Morgan, Mack, Montgomery and Malone.
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