London Names Four Assistant Coaches to UVa Football Staff

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CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA – Virginia head football coach Mike London has announced four additions to his coaching staff. London has retained current assistant coach Anthony Poindexter, while adding Vincent Brown, Jeff Hanson and Mike Faragalli, who all coached with him at Richmond. London will announce specific position assignments at a future date.

“All of them will bring passion and energy. They are men of character who understand the academic pursuits and aspirations that a young man might seek at a university like the University of Virginia,” London said. “They are good coaches, good people and good family men. They are guys that, when you meet me, you meet them. They are very capable and confident in what they do. In a short time people will see that they bring a lot to the table in terms of the overall development of the student-athletes they are going to be coaching.”

London will also make an announcement regarding Bob Price’s status with the UVa football program following further evaluation. Price, along with Poindexter, was retained to oversee the administration of the football program during the period of the coaching search.

Poindexter, who has been an assistant coach at Virginia since 2004, moved to the defensive side of the ball in 2009 as defensive backs coach after coaching UVa’s running backs his first five years on Grounds. Under Poindexter’s watchful eye, Ras-I Dowling earned All-ACC second team honors as UVa finished the regular season boasting the league’s No. 4 and nation’s No. 21 pass defense.

Regarded as one of the fiercest hitters in the game during his collegiate career (1994-98), Poindexter remains at his alma mater where he won first-team All-America honors at safety during his junior and senior seasons.

Brown will work with London for the third time in his career and will bring NFL playing and coaching experience to UVa. He served as Richmond’s linebackers coach under London the past two seasons, including during their 2008 FCS National Championship season. He coached Richmond’s three starting linebackers in 2009 to all-league honors as the Spiders shared the CAA crown.

This is a homecoming of sorts for Brown, who was a graduate assistant at Virginia during the Cavaliers’ 2007 season, which culminated with a Gator Bowl berth.

Prior to his start in collegiate coaching, Brown served as an inside linebackers coach for the Dallas Cowboys in 2006. Brown played the final three years of his eight-year NFL career with the New England Patriots before retiring in 1995.

Brown’s previous coaching experience includes a four-year stint as an assistant coach at Meadowcreek High School near Atlanta. He was also the school’s assistant AD for one year.

A native of Atlanta, Brown played at Mississippi Valley State where he earned Kodak All-America honors as a senior in 1987. He was a second team AP All-American as a junior. A three-time all-conference pick, he broke the school’s record for career tackles with 570 stops while leading the team in tackles his last three seasons. He graduated with a degree in criminal justice.

After being selected in the second round of the 1988 NFL Draft, Brown went on to start 103 of 123 career games for the Patriots, logging 811 tackles, 16.5 sacks and 10 interceptions.

“It is a fantastic opportunity having been here a couple years ago,” Brown said. “I have seen how things operate and it’s a first class operation. Now I have the chance to come back and work with a first class coach I have been privileged to work with the past couple years. I still know some of the young men that are on this team and I am really excited about it. The sky’s the limit. There is no reason why this program can’t be a championship caliber program. I know Coach London and the rest of the staff will work hard to make that happen. The facilities, the support is here. We have a great head coach in place, now we just have to go out and get it done.”

Hanson brings 38 years of collegiate coaching experience to UVa – 28 with Richmond over three different stints. London brought Hanson on as his assistant head coach/recruiting coordinator/defensive line coach at Richmond in 2008 after a one-year stop at VMI where he rejoined former Richmond head coach Jim Reid, serving the Keydets as the associate head coach/defensive line coach.

A native of Beloit, Wis., Hanson graduated from Beloit High School in 1967 and came to Richmond as a linebacker. He played on the 1968 Tangerine Bowl championship team and coached the 1971 Tangerine Bowl team.
Hanson remained with the Spiders as a graduate assistant, coaching the freshman defensive linemen from 1971-73 while completing his degree in physical education and his master’s in education. Hanson then became a full-time member of Richmond’s staff, working with the tight ends and receivers during his first year and the defense for the next four seasons.

He has also enjoyed coaching stops at West Texas State (defensive coordinator), Southwest Texas State (defensive coordinator), Lamar (assistant coach) and Marshall (assistant coach).

“This is a great opportunity to come to the University of Virginia, a school of this stature with its academic and football reputation,” Hanson said. “I am real excited about being here and the speed of the leader determines the rate of the pack. Mike is a great leader. He knows how to communicate with people. He knows how to treat players. He pushes them and doesn’t put up with anything, yet there is a line of communication so the kids know he cares about them. He is a quality person, but he is also a great football coach.”

Faragalli comes to UVa after serving London as his offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach the past two seasons at Richmond. During Faragalli’s two seasons with the Spiders, quarterback Eric Ward enjoyed two prolific seasons en route to the 2008 FCS National Championship and the 2009 CAA title. During Faragalli’s tenure as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, Ward amassed 5,102 passing yards, 749 rushing yards, 32 passing scores and 12 more touchdowns on the ground. Ward completed 64 percent of his passes (419-of-659) under Faragalli’s tutelage.

Faragalli brings a wealth of experience to Virginia, including other collegiate stops as the offensive coordinator at Lafayette (2000-07) and Bowling Green (1991-94; 1996-99). He also brings professional football experience after four stops with franchises in the CFL. Faragalli was the youngest head coach in club history when he skippered the Toronto Argonauts in 1995, after holding down offensive coordinator positions with the Edmonton Eskimos (1988-90), Montreal Alouettes (1987) and the Hamilton Tiger-Cats (1985-87).

Faragalli began his coaching career at Rhode Island in 1979 and later coached at Wisconsin and William & Mary. He coached the receivers during each of those three stints. A 1980 graduate of URI with a degree in secondary education, Faragalli played defensive back for the Rams.

“It is a fantastic opportunity especially since it’s Coach London,” Faragalli said. “I would go to the end of the world for the guy. The fact that it’s Virginia – the reputation academically, athletically, the Charlottesville community – there is just not a better situation for my family and me. Our fans will see a lot of enthusiasm, a lot of energy and a very physical football team, as well as a very passionate football team. The student-athletes that are under him are going to give their all at all times. He inspires that kind of effort, attitude and relationships. I have been around three coaches in my life that are like that and he is right there.”