_(cropped).jpg) Grobe in 2009 | |
| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1952-02-17)February 17, 1952 (age 73) Huntington, West Virginia, U.S. |
| Playing career | |
| 1971–1972 | Ferrum |
| 1973–1974 | Virginia |
| Position(s) | Guard,linebacker |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1975 | Virginia (GA) |
| 1976–1977 | Liberty HS (Bedford, VA) |
| 1978 | Emory & Henry (LB) |
| 1979–1983 | Marshall (LB) |
| 1984–1994 | Air Force (LB) |
| 1995–2000 | Ohio |
| 2001–2013 | Wake Forest |
| 2016 | Baylor |
| 2019 | San Antonio Commanders (DC) |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 117–121–1 (college) |
| Bowls | 4–2 |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Championships | |
| 1ACC (2006) | |
| Awards | |
| AP College Football Coach of the Year (2006) Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Award (2006) Sporting News College Football COY (2006) MAC Coach of the Year (1996) ACC Coach of the Year (2006) | |
Jim Britt Grobe (born February 17, 1952) is an Americancollege football coach and former player who was most recently thedefensive coordinator of theSan Antonio Commanders of theAlliance of American Football. His previous position to that was as head football coach atBaylor University.[1] From 2001 to 2013, Grobe served as the head football coach atWake Forest University. In 2006, he was namedACC Coach of the Year by a unanimous vote andAP Coach of the Year for coachingWake Forest to an 11–2 regular season and theAtlantic Coast Conference (ACC) title.
Grobe earned his undergraduate degree (B.S.) in education from theUniversity of Virginia in 1975 and earned a master's degree in guidance and counseling from Virginia in 1978. As a player at Virginia in 1973 and 1974, Grobe playedmiddle guard (1973) andlinebacker (1974). He was a two-year starter for theVirginia Cavaliers and was named Academic All-ACC.
Before enrolling at Virginia, Grobe spent two seasons withFerrum College, then known as Ferrum Junior College, where he played linebacker on the undefeated Coastal Conference championship team. Grobe earned the Catlin Citizenship Award and the Big Green Award. In the fall of 2002, Grobe was inducted into the Ferrum College Hall of Fame.
Grobe obtained his first head coaching job in 1994 withOhio University. He inherited a struggling program that went 0–11 theprior season.[2] He guided theBobcats to a 33–33–1 record over six seasons and wonMAC coach of the year in 1996.[3]
In 2006, Grobe ledWake Forest to a school record 11 wins with a perfect 6–0 road record. His Wake Forest team also won the Atlantic Coast Conference championship by virtue of defeatingGeorgia Tech, 9–6, in theconference title game. The Demon Deacons earned their first trip to aBCSbowl game and playedLouisville in theOrange Bowl. Grobe was named theACC Coach of the Year, receiving 80 out of 80 votes from the league's media and making him the sixth Wake Forest coach to win the award. Grobe was also awarded theBobby Dodd Coach of the Year Award and theAP Coach of the Year in 2006.
On February 27, 2007, Grobe signed a 10-year contract extension through 2016.[4]
Grobe resigned from Wake Forest on December 2, 2013.[5]
On May 30, 2016, Grobe was hired as Baylor's head coach for the 2016 season, coming out of semi-retirement. He made it known when he was brought on that he would not be a full time coach for the University, which had suspended and later terminatedArt Briles due to theBaylor University sexual assault scandal. The Bears won their first six games before losing five in a row to close out the regular season.[6] However, the Bears were invited to their seventh consecutive bowl game, theMotel 6 Cactus Bowl in Arizona. Baylor entered the game as heavy underdogs to the 10–2Boise State Broncos, but the Bears rolled to an easy 31–12 victory. After the game, Grobe retired again.
In 2018, Grobe was named the defensive coordinator of theSan Antonio Commanders of theAlliance of American Football.[7] On April 2, 2019, the league's football operations suspended[8]
Grobe and his wife Holly have two sons, Matt and Ben, and five grandchildren. Matt has been head men's golf coach atMarshall University since 2012.[9] Ben has formerly served as Assistant Director of Football Operations at theUniversity of North Carolina at Charlotte.
| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | Coaches# | AP° | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ohio Bobcats(Mid-American Conference)(1995–2000) | |||||||||
| 1995 | Ohio | 2–8–1 | 1–6–1 | 9th | |||||
| 1996 | Ohio | 6–6 | 5–3 | 4th | |||||
| 1997 | Ohio | 8–3 | 6–2 | T–2nd(East) | |||||
| 1998 | Ohio | 5–6 | 5–3 | T–3rd(East) | |||||
| 1999 | Ohio | 5–6 | 5–3 | T–3rd(East) | |||||
| 2000 | Ohio | 7–4 | 5–3 | T–3rd(East) | |||||
| Ohio: | 33–33–1 | 27–20–1 | |||||||
| Wake Forest Demon Deacons(Atlantic Coast Conference)(2001–2013) | |||||||||
| 2001 | Wake Forest | 6–5 | 3–5 | 7th | |||||
| 2002 | Wake Forest | 7–6 | 3–5 | 7th | WSeattle | ||||
| 2003 | Wake Forest | 5–7 | 3–5 | 7th | |||||
| 2004 | Wake Forest | 4–7 | 1–7 | T–10th | |||||
| 2005 | Wake Forest | 4–7 | 3–5 | T–4th(Atlantic) | |||||
| 2006 | Wake Forest | 11–3 | 6–2 | 1st(Atlantic) | LOrange† | 17 | 18 | ||
| 2007 | Wake Forest | 9–4 | 5–3 | T–2nd(Atlantic) | WMeineke Car Care | ||||
| 2008 | Wake Forest | 8–5 | 4–4 | T–3rd(Atlantic) | WEagleBank | ||||
| 2009 | Wake Forest | 5–7 | 3–5 | 4th(Atlantic) | |||||
| 2010 | Wake Forest | 3–9 | 1–7 | 6th(Atlantic) | |||||
| 2011 | Wake Forest | 6–7 | 5–3 | T–2nd(Atlantic) | LMusic City | ||||
| 2012 | Wake Forest | 5–7 | 3–5 | 4th(Atlantic) | |||||
| 2013 | Wake Forest | 4–8 | 2–6 | 6th(Atlantic) | |||||
| Wake Forest: | 77–82 | 42–62 | |||||||
| Baylor Bears(Big 12 Conference)(2016) | |||||||||
| 2016 | Baylor | 7–6 | 3–6 | T–6th | WCactus | ||||
| Baylor: | 7–6 | 3–6 | |||||||
| Total: | 117–121–1 | ||||||||
| National championship Conference title Conference division title or championship game berth | |||||||||
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