Jan. 9, 2012
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By John Denton
UCFAthletics.com
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - With Bill O'Brien's appointment as head coach at Penn State, the George O'Leary coaching tree that already has roots throughout college football sprouted yet another branch.
Of all of O'Leary's accomplishments in 40-plus years of coaching at the high school, college and pro levels, one that brings him the most pride is how he's helped other coaches grow and progress in the profession. Much like with the players he has guided through the years, O'Leary tries to pass along a message of hard work, discipline and toughness to the coaches that work for him. And that, in turn, helps them be successful later in life.
Hence, the O'Leary coaching tree spreading throughout college football and the NFL. Whether it's Randy Edsall at Maryland, O'Brien at Penn State, George Godsey with the New England Patriots, Danny Crossman working with the Detroit Lions or the dozens of other coaches at other schools, the UCF head coach's broad influence is undeniable.
``Since I started coaching, it's amazing the number of people I have had on my staffs and the success they have had once they left for coordinator jobs or head coaching jobs,'' O'Leary said. ``I'm very proud and happy for them, but the message when you talk to those guys is hard work prevails, and I think that's what they've learned through a good work ethic and that there is no stone unturned as far as coaching is concerned.''
O'Leary is currently hard at work preparing for 2012 as he hopes UCF experiences a season similar to 2010 where the Knights won 11 games, a Conference USA title and the school's first-ever bowl victory against Georgia.
O'Brien made national headlines recently when he was the choice by Penn State to replace iconic head coach Joe Paterno. O'Brien got his start in coaching at Georgia Tech under O'Leary, working as the Yellow Jackets' offensive coordinator for two seasons. Through the years he had risen to the offensive coordinator job with the Patriots before jumping at the chance to be a head coach at Penn State.
O'Leary was quick to congratulate O'Brien, but he knows he has his work cut out for him while trying to follow the legendary Paterno.
``I'm happy for Bill O'Brien and I think it's great for him. That's an awfully hard job and I don't know if there are any perfect candidates to replace a legend, but I think Bill has a great background as far as knowing what it takes to win and how to run a program,'' O'Leary said. ``I wish him all the luck. If given the correct opportunity in that job, he'll get his share of wins and be very successful.''
O'Brien is one of several coaches who worked previously under O'Leary to go onto a head coaching gig. Ralph Friedgen, the offensive coordinator at Georgia Tech from 1997-00, was the head coach at Maryland for 10 years. And Randy Edsall, who worked under O'Leary's direction at both Syracuse and Georgia Tech, was a head coach at Connecticut for 12 years and just completed his first season as Maryland's head coach.
And coaches with O'Leary's influence are also littered throughout college football. Whether it's Dave Huxtable (defensive coordinator at Pitt), Glenn Spencer (co-defensive coordinator at Oklahoma State) or Brian Polian (special teams coach/recruiting coordinator at Stadford), all grew early in their coaching careers under O'Leary.
Ted Roof, UCF's new defensive coordinator, served as the head coach at Duke and helped Auburn win a national title a year ago as its defensive coordinator. But he left the Tigers when the opportunity came for him to reunite with O'Leary, the coach who gave him his first shot at being a coordinator when the two were together at Georgia Tech.
``Coming to UCF was just a great chance to work for a guy who I have a tremendous amount of respect for and someone who gave me my first break as a coordinator in I-A football,'' Roof said recently. ``I think it says a lot about how I feel about coach to leave a program that won a national championship last year. I think it speaks volumes about me believing in what Coach O'Leary is all about and the way he goes about things.''
O'Leary said nothing pleases him more than when one of his former coaching cohorts calls him to see how he's doing or to ask for advice on how to deal with certain situations. And he's always eager to help because he knows those coaches preach the same values that he believes in.
``Most of the coaches who I have dealt with over the years contact me during the season and see how things are going,'' O'Leary said. ``I get called quite often for advice and help, and I think that's great. They all know one thing, and that is nothing beats hard work. They are all successful because they have that one thing.''
In many ways, O'Leary said he feels like a proud parent watching his aspiring youngsters spread their wings and have success. He said that the influence that he's had on other coaches throughout the nation is one of his proudest accomplishments.
``I didn't realize the tree was that big, but when you look at the number of people who have gone on to have success it's amazing,'' O'Leary said. ``Seeing the success a lot of these coaches have had, I think the lineage there is great.''
John Denton's Knights Insider appears on UCFAthletics.com several times a week. E-mail John at jdenton@athletics.ucf.edu.