| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1944-09-08)September 8, 1944 (age 81) Johnstown, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Playing career | |
| 1963–1965 | Nebraska |
| Position | Fullback |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1966–1967 | Omaha Holy Name HS (NE) |
| 1968–1978 | Lincoln Southeast HS (NE) |
| 1979–1982 | Nebraska (freshmen) |
| 1983–1997 | Nebraska (RB) |
| 1998–2003 | Nebraska |
| 2005–2020 | Ohio |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 173–101 (college) |
| Bowls | 7–9 |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Championships | |
| Big 12 (1999) 3Big 12 North Division (1999–2001) 4MAC East Division (2006, 2009, 2011, 2016) | |
| Awards | |
| Home Depot Coach of the Year Award (1999) 2×Big 12 Coach of the Year (1999, 2001) MAC Coach of the Year (2006) First-team All-Big Eight (1965) | |
| College Football Hall of Fame Inducted in 2024 (profile) | |
Frank Thomas Solich (born September 8, 1944) is an American formercollege football coach and former player. He was the head coach atOhio University, a position he held from 2005 until 2021. From 1998 to 2003, Solich served as the head coach at theUniversity of Nebraska–Lincoln, where he also playedfullback underBob Devaney in the mid-1960s.
Solich grew up inCleveland, Ohio, and graduated fromHoly Name High School in 1962, where he earned all-state,All-America, and all-scholastic honors.He scored 104 points in high school but was being overlooked due his height, 5'7", and weight, 153 lbs.[1] When he got to his college weigh-in he got his trainer to tape eight-pound weights under his shorts. He made weight at 162 lbs. He was a part ofBob Devaney’s first recruiting class atNebraska, and became a standout for theHuskers in the mid-1960s, where he earned the nickname "Fearless Frankie". An All-Big Eight fullback and co-captain of the Huskers’ 1965 team, his playing career earned him induction into the Nebraska Football Hall of Fame in 1992. In Nebraska's 27–17 win overAir Force in1965, he ran for 204 yards on 17 carries, becoming the first Husker to run for 200 yards in a game, and subsequently the first Husker to be featured on the cover ofSports Illustrated.
He began his career in theNebraska prep ranks, as head coach atOmaha Holy Name High School in 1966 and 1967. His 1967 team was state runner-up. Solich then moved toLincoln Southeast for 11 years, where he compiled a record of 66–33–5 while capturing consecutive Class A state titles in 1976 and 1977.
Solich returned tocollege football at hisalma mater in 1979, spending 19 seasons atNebraska as an assistant coach underTom Osborne: four as the freshman team coach, and 15 as running backs coach. In Solich's 19 years as an assistant, the Huskers captured 3national championships and 11 conference titles. He was the position coach for many of Nebraska's standout running backs of the 1980s and 1990s, includingTom Rathman,Calvin Jones,Ahman Green, andLawrence Phillips.
Osborne retired after the 1997 co-national championship season and named Solich as his successor. Solich directed the Huskers to six consecutivebowl games, including his2001 squad, which started 11–0 but was beaten by Colorado 62–36 in the last regular season game. Despite that loss and failing to qualify for the Big 12 championship game, the Huskers still made it into the national championship game (ahead of #3 Colorado and #2 Oregon) in theRose Bowl against Miami. Nebraska was beaten 37–14. Solich did win at least nine games in five of those six seasons, and finished among the top 10 teams in the nation three times. Solich compiled a 58–19 record (.753) at Nebraska.
Solich's1999 Huskers defeated theTexas Longhorns for theBig 12 championship. Solich was named theBig 12 Coach of the Year in 1999 and 2001, and was one of seven finalists for thePaul "Bear" Bryant Award in 2001.
For the first five years as head coach, Solich served as his ownoffensive coordinator, as Osborne had for most of his tenure. His offenses centered on theoption. He also utilized such plays as theBlack 41 Flash Reverse which became a highlight ofEric Crouch'sHeisman Trophy-winning season in 2001.
The Huskers slumped to 7–7 in2002, a year in which they fell out of the rankings for the first time since 1981; their 348 consecutive weeks in the AP Poll is still the longest in college football history. The .500 finish snapped a streak of 40 consecutive winning seasons for the Cornhuskers, which is also a record. He gave up offensive play-calling duties to newly hired offensive coordinatorBarney Cotton and brought inBo Pelini, the linebackers coach for theGreen Bay Packers, asdefensive coordinator.2003 began with Nebraska starting out 5–0, but suffered three key losses later in the year: 41–24 toMissouri, 31–7 toTexas and 38–9 toKansas State. After winning the final game of the regular season, Solich was fired by newathletic directorSteve Pederson.
Solich's 58 wins during his first six seasons as Nebraska's head coach exceeded those of his predecessors,Bob Devaney (53 wins) and Osborne (55 wins), both of whom are in theCollege Football Hall of Fame.[2]
Solich took the 2004 season off, the first time he'd been away from the game in 39 years. In 2005, Solich was hired atOhio University inAthens, and his impact on the football program was immediate. He arrived when renovation plans for the Ohio football facilities, which had begun eight years earlier (prior to 2004, the program was furnished with new coaches office, practice fields, a new 10,000 square-foot strength and conditioning center, enhancement to the team locker room, revitalization of Peden Stadium including installation of a state-of-the-art FieldTurf playing surface, improved and expanded seating complete with a popular concert-style berm at the south end zone) were nearly complete. They were finished with two final projects, new team meeting rooms and a new athletic training room. Fan interest in the program was revitalized and reached its highest since the 2001 season. Also, Ohio was selected to appear on national television six times for the 2005 football season, a record for the program. Solich's first home game as coach of theBobcats was a memorable one, asPeden Stadium brought in its largest crowd ever. 24,545 fans were in attendance on September 9, 2005, to watch the Bobcats defeat thePittsburgh Panthers, 16–10. The Pittsburgh–Ohio game was among the top 15 most viewed regular season college football games ever onESPN2.[3]
The Bobcats' 2005 record under Solich (4–7) was the same as the team's record in the previous year underBrian Knorr. However, in 2006, Solich led the Bobcats to a 9–5 record including aMAC East Division title and aGMAC Bowl invitation. Thebowl game (which Ohio lost toSouthern Miss, 28–7) was the program's first bowl appearance since 1968.
In the 2007 season, the Bobcats took a step backward and finished with a record of 6–6. Two of those losses were by less than three points, and a third was a 28–7 loss to nationally rankedVirginia Tech.[4] The Bobcats were one of sixbowl eligible teams that missed the postseason.
On July 18, 2008, Solich was given an extension of his contract through the 2013 season.[5]
In 2009, Solich led the Bobcats to a 9–5 overall mark with another MAC East championship and an appearance in the Little Caesars Pizza Bowl. That 2009 senior class amassed more wins (28) than any other Ohio football class in more than 40 years.
In2011, Solich coached the Bobcats to a 10–4 record, another MAC East Division title, and their first ever bowl win. The Bobcats defeatedUtah State 24–23 in theFamous Idaho Potato Bowl. It was Ohio's first ten win season since 1968.[6]
During the 2012 season, Solich coached the Bobcats to a 7–0 start, which saw their first Associated Press Top 25 weekly ranking since 1968, as well as a spot in the weekly coaches poll. In October 2018, Coach Solich celebrated his 100th win at Ohio University. Later that year, he passedBill Hess as the second-winningest coach in school history. A 66–24 victory over Bowling Green in November 2019 gave Solich his 111th win as Ohio coach, making him the winningest coach in MAC history.
In 2021, Solich stepped down as head coach of the Ohio Bobcats to focus on his health. He retired with a career record of 173–101 (0.631) with a record of 115–82 (0.584) at Ohio.[7] His long time assistantTim Albin was promoted to replace him.[7] He currently serves as a special assistant to the Athletic Director at Ohio.[8]
Prior to the2022 season Ohio University installed new turf inPeden Stadium.[9] The field at Peden was now christened "Frank Solich Field"[10][7] Through the completion of the 2024 season Ohio is 17–1 on the new field.
On January 8, 2023, Solich was announced as a member the 2024 College Football Hall of Fame class.[11] In 2024, he will be included in Croatian American Sports Hall of Fame.[12]
Solich married Pamela Wieck ofBeatrice, Nebraska. They have two children, Cindy and Jeff.
In 2005, police in Athens, Ohio found Solich passed out behind the wheel of his car, facing the wrong direction ona one-way street. Solich was convicted of drunken driving, resulting in a $250 fine and driver's license suspension.[13] He attempted to fight this based on testing that revealed the "date rape" drug GHB in his system. His attempt to withdraw his plea failed.[14]
| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | Coaches# | AP° | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nebraska Cornhuskers(Big 12 Conference)(1998–2003) | |||||||||
| 1998 | Nebraska | 9–4 | 5–3 | T–2nd(North) | LHoliday | 20 | 19 | ||
| 1999 | Nebraska | 12–1 | 7–1 | 1st(North) | WFiesta† | 2 | 3 | ||
| 2000 | Nebraska | 10–2 | 6–2 | T–1st(North) | WAlamo | 7 | 8 | ||
| 2001 | Nebraska | 11–2 | 7–1 | T–1st(North) | LRose† | 7 | 8 | ||
| 2002 | Nebraska | 7–7 | 3–5 | 4th(North) | LIndependence | ||||
| 2003 | Nebraska | 9–3* | 5–3 | 2nd(North) | Alamo* | 18 | 19 | ||
| Nebraska: | 58–19 | 33–15 | * Did not coach bowl game | ||||||
| Ohio Bobcats(Mid-American Conference)(2005–2020) | |||||||||
| 2005 | Ohio | 4–7 | 3–5 | 4th(East) | |||||
| 2006 | Ohio | 9–5 | 7–1 | 1st(East) | LGMAC | ||||
| 2007 | Ohio | 6–6 | 4–4 | T–4th(East) | |||||
| 2008 | Ohio | 4–8 | 3–5 | T–4th(East) | |||||
| 2009 | Ohio | 9–5 | 7–1 | 1st(East) | LLittle Caesars Pizza | ||||
| 2010 | Ohio | 8–5 | 6–2 | 2nd(East) | LNew Orleans | ||||
| 2011 | Ohio | 10–4 | 6–2 | 1st(East) | WFamous Idaho Potato | ||||
| 2012 | Ohio | 9–4 | 4–4 | 3rd(East) | WIndependence | ||||
| 2013 | Ohio | 7–6 | 4–4 | T–3rd(East) | LBeef 'O' Brady's | ||||
| 2014 | Ohio | 6–6 | 4–4 | 2nd(East) | |||||
| 2015 | Ohio | 8–5 | 5–3 | T–2nd(East) | LCamellia | ||||
| 2016 | Ohio | 8–6 | 6–2 | T–1st(East) | LDollar General | ||||
| 2017 | Ohio | 9–4 | 5–3 | 2nd(East) | WBahamas | ||||
| 2018 | Ohio | 9–4 | 6–2 | T–2nd(East) | WFrisco | ||||
| 2019 | Ohio | 7–6 | 5–3 | T–2nd(East) | WFamous Idaho Potato | ||||
| 2020 | Ohio | 2–1 | 2–1 | T–3rd(East) | |||||
| Ohio: | 115–82 | 77–46 | |||||||
| Total: | 173–101 | ||||||||
| National championship Conference title Conference division title or championship game berth | |||||||||
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