Biography

Call 1.800.966.1380 to contact Al Groh booking agent, publicist, manager, pr firm, representative and management company for booking Al Groh speaker appearances, autograph signing, endorsement deals or hiring Al Groh as a keynote speaker for your next event. Find Al Groh official website information, speaker fees, booking fees, costs and schedule. Football coach, Al Groh, was born on July 13, 1944 in New York City. Al Groh is the current head coach of the University of Virginia college football team and the former head coach of the New York Jets of the NFL. He is a two-time Atlantic Coast Conference Coach of the Year, winning the award in 2002 and 2007. Groh has over 38 years of professional and collegiate coaching experience; This history includes 13 seasons in the NFL, an NFL championship with the 1990 New York Giants, and over a decade of working under coach Bill Parcells.

Since taking over as head coach in 2001, Groh has led Virginia to 51 wins and five bowl appearances. Groh guided the 2007 team to a 9-4 record and a berth in the Konica Minolta Gator Bowl while earning ACC Coach of the Year laurels for the second time in his career.

Virginia showed great resolve by winning numerous close games during the campaign. In fact, the Cavaliers set an NCAA record by winning five games by two-points-or-fewer. The team featured a defense ranked 23rd nationally spearheaded by All-American Chris Long, who was recognized as the Ted Hendricks Award winner as the nation’s top defensive end. Long was also named the ACC’s Defensive Player of the Yyear. Groh was recognized at the end of the season as the ACC’s coach of the year, the second time he has earned that accolade.

The 2007 season marked the fifth time during his seven years on Grounds Groh has led UVa to a winning season, all resulting in a bowl invitation. During that span his teams came away victorious three times, including a dramatic 34-31 win against Minnesota in the Gaylord Hotels Music City Bowl in 2005.

When he was named the program’s head coach on Dec. 30, 2000, Groh traded in a high-profile NFL head coaching job with the New York Jets for an opportunity to return to Virginia. He succeeded George Welsh, who retired after 19 seasons at the helm of the Cavaliers, as the winningest coach in ACC and school history.

In addition to his 51-37 record, Groh’s teams are 31-25 against ACC competition. His conference win total is the second-most in school history behind Welsh (85).

Al Groh moved with Bill Parcells when Parcells resigned as head coach of the New England Patriots to take over as the Jets’ head coach in 1997. During Groh’s tenure at New England, where he served as defensive coordinator, the Patriots’ defense improved yearly in nearly every category and ranked among the league’s best in takeaways, yards allowed and points allowed. The Patriots finished with an 11-5 record in 1996, winning the AFC championship and playing the Green Bay Packers in Super Bowl XXXI. Chris Slade, a former All-America linebacker at Virginia, was among the many defensive standouts whom Groh coached at New England.

Groh’s other NFL coaching stops include one season as linebackers coach on Bill Belichick’s staff with the Cleveland Browns (in 1992) and one season with the Atlanta Falcons (in 1987) as special teams and tight ends coach for Marion Campbell.

Groh and his wife, Anne, are the parents of two sons, Mike and Matthew, and a daughter, Ashley Anne. Matthew played quarterback at Princeton and is currently attending law school at Virginia. The Grohs have two grandsons– Cameron (seven) and Connor (five). The Groh family is very active in the Charlottesville area.

Their work with charitable causes includes the UVa Children’s Hospital, Madison House, Computers 4 Kids and the Charlottesville Catholic School.

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