Jim Grobe

Widely regarded as one of the top football coaches in the nation, Jim Grobe enters his fifth season as head coach in 2005. Grobe has established Wake Forest as one of the rising programs, not just in the Atlantic Coast Conference, but on a regional and national basis.

Grobe is fond of the saying, "when people used to see Wake Forest on the schedule, they used a pen to mark down a `W.' We're at the point now where we at least make them use a pencil."

That is a vast understatement of the program's progress that, in four short years, has seen Wake Forest develop into a team that competes with every opponent every week.

The levels of excitement and expectation surrounding Demon Deacons football have reached unprecedented heights. That is a tribute to Grobe and his staff. In the past four years, Wake Forest has defeated seven of nine ACC pre-expansion rivals, plus opponents from the Big Ten (Purdue), Pac-10 (Oregon) and Big East (Boston College).

The Deacons have performed very well against in-state opponents, posting a 13–5 record. Since Grobe's arrival, Wake Forest is has defeated every Division I opponent in the state, including a 4–0 mark against East Carolina, 4–0 vs. Duke, 2–2 vs. North Carolina, 1–3 vs. NC State, plus victories against I-AA Appalachian State and North Carolina A&T. During that same time period against in-state rivals, NC State in 10–3, North Carolina is 9–5, Duke is 2–9 and East Carolina is 0–8.

Wake Forest's 22 wins during the last four years are one of the best four-year totals in school history.

In short, Grobe has put Wake Forest in position to be extremely competitive in the best football conference, the ACC, for many years to come. Grobe began his Wake Forest tenure in impressive fashion, orchestrating one of the greatest turnarounds in program history. While laying the foundation for future gridiron success, he led his first squad to a bowl-eligible 6–5 record after Wake Forest went 2–9 the previous season.

In his second campaign, he guided the Deacs to a postseason victory against Oregon in the Seattle Bowl.

In what many termed a rebuilding year, Grobe got the 2003 edition of Deacon football off to an exciting 2–0 start, with a road win at Boston College and a home victory over 11th-ranked NC State, his first win over a ranked opponent at Wake Forest. That led to another career first for Grobe, as the Deacs themselves earned a national ranking the following week.

Grobe reached another milestone in the 2003 season, recording his 50th career victory with a 42–13 win at Duke.

In 2004, the Deacons fielded a very young team that competed hard each week and captured the imagination of Deacon fans, as the single season attendance record was broken for the third straight year.

Wake Forest seemed to be on the verge of bursting onto the national scene each week, as the Deacons were tied or leading in nine of the 11 games. But against a treacherous schedule in the newly-expanded ACC, Wake Forest posted a 4–7 record.

Grobe owns a 22–25 record after four years at Wake Forest, 55–58–1 in nine overall seasons as a head coach. Before Grobe arrived at WFU, the Deacons went a combined 26–63 in eight previous seasons.

Grobe inherited a young Wake Forest team that went 2–9 in 2000 and guided it to a 6–5 record in 2001. The Deacons won road games at East Carolina, Duke, virginia and North Carolina en route to posting WFU's second winning season since 1992.

The win over Virginia, Grobe's alma mater, was Wake Forest's first over the Cavaliers since 1983. The 32–31 win at North Carolina came after the Deacons trailed the Tar Heels 24–0 at halftime.

A win over Northern Illinois in the 2001 season finale secred the winning season and made Wake Forest eligible for a bowl berth. Grobe became just the eighth rookie head coach at WFU to post a winning record in his first year.

All five losses in 201 came to bowl-bound teams. And in three of those losses – versus Maryland, NC State and Clemson – Wake Forest had the ball with good field position and with a chance to go ahead or even the score late in the game.

The 2001 Deacon team averaged 221.6 yards rushing per game – an increase of over 70 yards per game from the previous season. The Deacons led the ACC in rushing, edging out BCS-bound Maryland for first place, in addition to averaging 401.6 yards of total offense per game.

In 2002, Grobe and his staff once again guided the Deacons to a bowl-eligible record (6–6), and were rewarded with a berth in the Seattle Bowl.

Grobe is just the second coach in Wake Forest history, joining John Mackovic, to lead the Deacons to a bowl appearance in his second season at the helm.

Impressive road wins over Purdue and Georgia Tech, in addition to a 31–0 shutout of rival North Carolina, highlighted the 2002 regular season campaign. The year was capped off with an impressive 38–17 victory over Oregon in Seattle to give WFU its second straight winning season for the first time since the 1987–88 seasons.

Once again, Wake Forest led the ACC in rushing (241.2 ypg) and also averaged a league-high 408.1 yards of total offense per game in 2002. It marked the first time WFU led the ACC in total offense since 1979.

In 2003, Grobe's Deacons led the ACC in rushing for the third straight year, averaging 203.2 yards on the ground. Three players earned first-team All-ACC honors, the most for WFU since 1992.

In 2004, Wake Forest knocked off bowl-bound Boston College for the second straight season. The Deacons posted a three-game winning streak in September, its first such streak since 1992. The Deacons were in every game and had a chance to knock off eventual ACC Champion Virginia Tech and fifth-ranked Florida State at Groves Stadium, but lost both games by a combined 10 points.

Five Deacons earned All-ACC picks, including first team selections Chris Barclay and Ryan Plackemeier.

In Grobe's four years at Wake Forest, the Deacons have had 18 All-ACC selections, the most of any four-year period in program history.

Grobe, 53, has gained a national reputation as a builder of programs.

He came to Wake Forest after turning a struggling Ohio University program into a contender for the Mid-American Conference championship.

In the seasons, before Grobe left his assistant's position at the Air Force Academy to become Ohio University's head coach, the Bobcats won 17 games. In the six years under Grobe, they won 33 and finished with winning records in the Mid-American Conference five straight seasons.

Grobe coached at Ohio for six seasons, from 1995 through 2000. After taking over the reigns of a program that went 0–11 and was ranked last among Division I-A programs in 1994, Grobe led the Bobcats to a cumulative six-year record of 33–33–1.

The Bobcats were 2–8–1 in 1995, 6–6 in 1996, 8–3 in 1997, 5–6 in 1998, 5–6 in 1999 and 7–4 in 2000. Grobe was named the MAC Coach of the Year in 1996 and was a candidate for The Sporting News Division I-A Coach of the Year in 1997.

In 2000, Grobe's final season with the Bobcats, Ohio posted impressive victories over bowl teams Minnesota (23–17) and Marshall (38–28) and closed the season by winning five of its last six games. Statistically, the Bobcats ranked in the top 30 nationally in 2000 in rushing offense (323.0 ypg), 18th in fewest turnovers lost (18), 20th in scoring defense (18.9 ppg), 25th in total offense (418.1 ypg) and 30th in scoring offense (31.18 ppg). The Bobcats also ranked high nationally in two special teams categories – fourth in net punting (39.7 ypp) and 39th in punting returns (11.95 ypr). Grobe's team produced the best fourth down conversion numbers in the MAC.

Grobe could have happily stayed at Ohio for several more years. However, the opportunity to "jump start" another program and coach in the Atlantic Coast Conference enticed him to make the move to Winston-Salem.

"Quite honestly, it's time for a new challenge," said Grobe at his hiring. "We'll see if we get another program jumpstarted."

"We see nothing but good things happening for our program," Wake Forest director of athletics Ron Wellman said at Grobe's hiring. "Jim Grobe is a good fit for Wake Forest University in what he believes about the academic process and the importance of education and graduating his players."

A 1975 University of Virginia graduate, Grobe gained valuable experience as an assistant to Fisher DeBerry at the Air Force Academy prior to going to Ohio. He served as linebackers coach from 1984 to 1994, during which the Falcons produced a record of 84–50 and appeared in seven bowl games.

"I was fortunate to play for and coach with some outstanding people," Grobe said. "Everything I know I learned from someone else. Qualities like hard work, loyalty, discipline and toughness are thing we take pride in at Wake Forest.

"At the same time, it's important to enjoy the game. I don't think any team or staff has more fun playing or coaching than our guys."

Grobe also worked previously as an assistant coach at Marshall (1979–83) for head coach Sonny Randle at Emory & Henry (1978) for head coach Jerry Kirk. He began his coaching career at his alma mater, Virginia, in 1975 after talking head coach Sonny Randle into hiring him as a graduate assistant.

One year later, he was head coach at Liberty High School in Bedford, Va., from 1976–77.

As a player at Virginia in 1973 under coach Don Lawrence and 1974 under Randle, Grobe played middle guard (1973) and linebacker (1974). He was a two-year starter for the Cavaliers and was named Academic All-ACC.

Before enrolling at Virginia, Grobe played under coach Hank Norton for two seasons at Ferrum (VA) 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 in to the Ferrum College Hall of Fame.

"I don't know if there's anybody who loves the game more than I do," Grobe said. "I'd still rather be playing. The player don't get it, but I tell them that all the time. I'm just a big kid who can't play anymore."

Grobe was born on Feb. 17, 1952. A native of Huntington, W. Va., Grobe earned his undergraduate degree (B.S.) in education from Virginia in 1975 and earned a Master's degree in guidance and counseling from Virginia in 1978.

Grobe and his wife, Holly, have two sons, Matt and Ben. Matt is a 1995 graduate of Marshall graduate who works as the tournament director at Dragon Ridge Country Club in Las Vegas. He and his wife, Melanie, have a daughter, Mackenzie, and a son, Cameron. Ben graduated from Ohio University in 2002 with a degree in health care administration. He currently resides in Charlotte and works for Jefferson-Pilot Financial.

Grobe wasted no time in assembling his staff. He brought eight assistant coaches with him from Ohio University, seven of whom enter their fifth season at WFU. Those seven include Keith Henry, defensive ends; Dean Hood, defensive coordinator/secondary; Steed Lobotzke, offensive coordinator/offensive line; Ray McCartney, recruiting coordinator/defensive line; Billy Mitchell, assistant head coach/running backs/kickers; Jeff Mullen, quarterbacks; and Kevin Sherman, receivers.

The eighth coach, Troy Calhoun, was WFU's offensive coordinator for two season before taking a position with the Denver Broncos in 2003. The only Ohio assistant who did not accompany Grobe to Winston-Salem was Brian Knorr, who was promoted to head coach of the Bobcats.

"The main advantage is that we were able to get right to work," Grobe said. "We didn't have to get to know each other. We were able to use that time to get to know the players."

The ninth spot at Wake Forest was filled by Brad Lambert, who joined the Deacons staff as inside linebackers coach after a stint at the University of Georgia. After Calhoun's departure, Grobe brought back Tom Elrod, a former Deacon quarterback who served as a graduate assistant during Grobe's first season in 2001, to coach the fullbacks and tight ends.

"That not only says something for him that we all wanted to come," defensive coordinator Dean Hood said. "There are a lot of guys on our staff now who have been offered jobs over the years. A lot of guys. And we have stayed with Coach Grobe.

"It's not just a quality of life, though that's important. It's the fact that you believe in the man. You believe in what he stands for."

The Jim Grobe File

Born Feb. 17, 1952 in Huntington, WV

Education University of Virginia 1978 – M.Ed. in Guidance and Counseling 1975 – B.S. in Education

Ferrum Junior College 1972 – Associate of Science

Playing History University of Virginia, 1973–74 Middle guard (1973), Linebacker (1974); two-year starter; Academic All-ACC selection

Ferrum Junior College, 1971–72 Linebacker (1971–72); undefeated Coastal Conference Championship team; Catlin Citizenship Award; Big Green Award