Al Groh Names Four Assistant Coaches
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Jan. 12, 2001
Charlottesville, Va. – Head football coach Al Groh announced Friday the hiring of Corwin Brown, Mike Groh, Mike London and Bill Musgrave as assistant coaches on his staff.
Brown assumes the duties of special teams coach after retiring from the NFL following this past season. He was a standout special teams player and safety during an eight-year NFL career with the New England Patriots (1993-96), New York Jets (1997-98) and Detroit Lions (1999-2000). He was in on 32 tackles with the Lions this past season, including 10 special teams stops. He recorded at least 10 special teams tackles every season of his pro career except as a rookie in 1993.
He was a fourth-round pick by the Patriots in the 1993 draft following a standout career at Michigan. While at Michigan, Brown played in three Rose Bowls and was an All-Big Ten safety in 1992.
Brown first became associated with coach Groh at the Senior Bowl following the completion of his college career. The relationship continued as Brown played for the Groh-coached New England defense for four seasons from 1993-96. Following his release by the Patriots prior to the 1997 campaign, he was reunited with Groh who had moved from the Patriots to the Jets. He spent the final two years of his professional playing career with the Detroit Lions following his release by the Jets.
Mike Groh, son of the head coach, returns to his alma mater and will coach the wide receivers. A starting quarterback in 1994-95, Groh is the only signal caller in school history to lead the team to nine wins and a bowl victory in back-to-back seasons. A second-team All-ACC selection in 1995, he graduated from UVa in May, 1995 and competed as a graduate student that fall. Well known for guiding the Cavaliers to a 33-28 win over #2 Florida State in 1995, Groh completed his career ranked in the top three in every UVa passing category. His 2510 yards passing in 1995 remain a school record.
Groh served as offensive assistant for the New York Jets in 2000, a team coached by his father. The Jets finished sixth in the NFL in pass offense that season and staged the “Monday Night Miracle” by overcoming a 30-7 fourth quarter deficit to beat Miami 40-37 in overtime.
London comes to UVa as the defensive line coach. He served in the same capacity at Boston College from 1997-2000, helping to lead the Eagles to two bowl appearances. One of his players, defensive tackle Chris Hovan, was a first-round selection by the Minnesota Vikings in the 2000 draft. A Hampton, Va., native, London graduated from the University of Richmond in 1983 where he was team captain and team MVP. He broke into the coaching ranks at his alma mater as outside linebackers coach from 1988-89. From there he moved to William & Mary for five seasons (1990-94) as the Tribe’s defensive line coach before moving to Boston College. His younger brother, Paul, was a defensive back at UVa from 1991-95.
London signed as a free agent with the Dallas Cowboys following his collegiate career and has assisted at several NFL mini camps and training camps since entering the coaching ranks. He worked with Groh at the Jets’ training camps in 1999 and 2000.
Musgrave, offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for the Carolina Panthers last season, enters the college ranks as a coach for the first time. He will oversee the quarterbacks and serve as offensive coordinator for the Cavaliers. Musgrave was a fourth-round selection by the Dallas Cowboys in the 1991 draft and played for the San Francisco 49ers from 1991-94 and the Denver Broncos from 1995-96.
His coaching career started before his playing days were over. He served as an assistant coach with the Oakland Raiders during the 1997 season after being released by Denver in training camp. That year he helped guide Jeff George to a league-leading 3,919 yards passing and an AFC-best 29 touchdown passes. A year later he went to training camp with the Indianapolis Colts and worked with Peyton Manning. He joined the Philadelphia Eagles’ coaching staff as offensive coordinator for the last 10 games of that season after being released by the Colts. Musgrave attended the University of Oregon where he was a three-time All-Academic selection and was the nation’s All-Academic player of the year in 1992.
During his playing and coaching career, he has worked closely with some of the top quarterbacks and offensive minds in the NFL including John Elway, George, Manning, Mike Shanahan and Steve Young.
“These four coaches all fit the profile of the type of coach I want on my staff at UVa,” said Groh in making the announcement. “They are ambitious and high-energy individuals. Each one has a strong personal awareness of how I coach. They understand what is important to me and the type of team we’re putting together here. All four have been exposed to competition and game preparation on the highest level.”