| Charley Pell | ||
|---|---|---|
 |
||
| Title | Head coach | |
| Sport | Football | |
| Born | February 17, 1941 | |
| Place of birth |  Albertville, Alabama |
|
| Died | May 29, 2001 (aged 60) | |
| Place of death | Southside, Alabama | |
| Career highlights | ||
| Overall | 83-43-5 | |
| Bowls | 2-3 | |
| Coaching stats | ||
| College Football DataWarehouse | ||
| Championships | ||
| 1 Mid-South Conference (1970) 1 ACC (1978) |
||
| Playing career | ||
| 1961-1963 | Alabama | |
| Position | Guard, defensive tackle | |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | ||
| 1969-1973 1977-1978 1979-1984 |
Jacksonville State Clemson Florida |
|
Charles "Charley" Byron Pell (February 17, 1941 - May 29, 2001) was a football coach, most notably as the head coach at Clemson University (1977-78) and the University of Florida (1979 - 1984). He is credited with laying the foundation for the later success of both programs, but his career was tainted by NCAA rules violations.
Contents |
Coaching Career
Pell, a native of Albertville, Alabama, was a graduate of the Alabama. He played for the Crimson Tide under coach Bear Bryant as a lineman on Bryant's first national title team in 1961. After graduating, Pell stayed with the team, serving as a graduate assistant.
Jacksonville State
Pell earned his first coaching job at the age of 28 when he was named head coach at Jacksonville State University in 1969. Pell led the Gamecocks to 4 consecutive winning seasons, including a 10-0 record and a conference championship in 1970.
Clemson
His success led to his hiring as the head coach at Clemson Tigers football team, where he was twice named ACC Coach of the Year. During his tenure as head coach at Clemson he gained the nickname "Cheatin' Charley" because of deep involvement in NCAA rules and recruiting violations that came to light during successor Danny Ford's tenure at Clemson.
Florida
Pell moved on to coach the Florida Gators from 1979 through 1984. He was winless in his first season in Gainesville, but quickly turned the program around with winning records and bowl invitations for the next 3 years. The Gator's improvement from 0 wins in 1979 to 8 wins in 1980 was the largest one-year improvement in major college history at the time[1].
After the 1983 season, the NCAA began an investigation into possible rule violations by Pell and his staff at Florida, for which he took full responsibility. Pell originally said he would resign at the end of the 1984 season, but when the NCAA announced that Florida was suspected of 106 violations, he was fired three games into the campaign. His successor, Galen Hall, won the 1984 SEC Championship but the Gators were stripped of the title because of the NCAA violations.
During his time at the University of Florida, Pell led the fundraising efforts to make several major facility improvements at Florida Field, including the construction of a world-class training facility (the Ben Hill Griffin, Jr. Athletic Training Center), a major expansion of the south end zone seating and the construction of the first luxury skyboxes. Pell is credited by many with bringing the Florida football program to national prominence and for turning around the finances of the school's athletic department, but at the same time condemned for being responsible for NCAA violations that put the Gators on probation for five years[2].
Post-coaching
After the incidents at UF, Pell was unable to secure another coaching job, a frustration that was a factor in a suicide attempt in 1994. Pell was treated for clinical depression and became a spokesman for depression awareness. He worked in the real estate business for several years before dying of lung cancer in 2001 [3].
Personal life
Charley and Ward Pell were married from 1969 to his death. They had 3 children[4].
Head coaching record
| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl | Coaches# | AP° | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jacksonville State Gamecocks (Alabama Collegiate Conference) (1969) | |||||||||
| 1969 | Jacksonville State | 3-6 | |||||||
| Jacksonville State Gamecocks (Mid-South/Gulf South Conference) (1970–1973) | |||||||||
| 1970 | Jacksonville State | 10-0 | 1st | ||||||
| 1971 | Jacksonville State | 6-3 | |||||||
| 1972 | Jacksonville State | 7-2-1 | |||||||
| 1973 | Jacksonville State | 7-2 | |||||||
| Jacksonville State: | 33-13-1 | ||||||||
| Clemson Tigers (Atlantic Coast Conference) (1977–1978) | |||||||||
| 1977 | Clemson | 8-3-1 | 4-1-1 | 3rd | L Gator | 19 | |||
| 1978 | Clemson | 10-1* | 6-0* | 1st | Invited to Gator* | 7* | 6* | ||
| Clemson: | 18-4-1 | 10-1-1 | |||||||
| Florida Gators (Southeastern Conference) (1979–1984) | |||||||||
| 1979 | Florida | 0-10-1 | 0-6 | 10th | |||||
| 1980 | Florida | 8-4 | 4-2 | T-4th | W Tangerine | 19 | |||
| 1981 | Florida | 7-5 | 3-3 | T-4th | L Peach | ||||
| 1982 | Florida | 8-4 | 3-3 | T-6th | L Bluebonnet | ||||
| 1983 | Florida | 9-2-1 | 4-2 | T-3rd | W Gator | 6 | 6 | ||
| 1984 | Florida | 1-1-1* | 0-0-1* | ||||||
| Florida: | 33-26-3 | 14-16-1 | * Fired after three games | ||||||
| Total: | 84-43-5 | ||||||||
| National Championship Conference Title Conference Division Title | |||||||||
| #Rankings from final Coaches Poll. °Rankings from final AP Poll. |
|||||||||
See also
Bibliography
- Litsky, Frank (2001). "Charley Pell Is Dead at 60; Ousted as Florida Coach." New York Times. May 31.
- (1984). "Florida President Waits No Longer, Fires Pell." Los Angeles Times. September 17.
- Henry, Orville (1966). The Razorbacks: A Story of Arkansas Football. Fayetteville: University of Arkansas Press.
- Nissenson, Herschel (2001). Tales From College Football's Sidelines. New York: Sports Publishing.
- Yaeger, Don (1991). Undue Process: The NCAA's Injustice for All. New York: Sports Publishing.
References
External links
| Sporting positions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Jim Blevins |
Jacksonville State University Head Football Coach 1969–1973 |
Succeeded by Clarkie Mayfield |
| Preceded by Red Parker |
Clemson University Head Football Coach 1977–1978 |
Succeeded by Danny Ford |
| Preceded by Doug Dickey |
University of Florida Head Football Coach 1979–1984 |
Succeeded by Galen Hall |
|
|||||
|
|||||
|
|||||
|
|||||
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
