The Sickos Committee explores Journeyman Coaches - Part 2 - Brian VanGorder

At the Sickos Committee, we tend to find ourselves digging through Wikipedia looking for weird and niche information. One of our favorite past times is to look at Journeyman coaches and just go through their stops in their careers while trying to figure out how and why they took this path in their playing and coaching careers. We will do this all throughout the college football off-season, so come along with us on this Wikipedia journey. Also, we will try to map out the path on Google Maps (if at all possible) and track the mileage each coach has journeyed. Follow us on our many deep dives where we try to find “Where in the world is this coach??”

Brian VanGorder - Playing Career

Brian moved from his hometown of Jackson, Michigan to Detroit to play for Wayne State as a linebacker. He lettered four seasons in football (1977-80) at Wayne State, helping the Tartars (now Warriors) to three consecutive runner-up finishes in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) for Hall of Fame coach Dick Lowry. Brian was inducted into the Wayne State Hall of Fame in 2013.

We beveled the Wayne State Logo that was active during Brian’s career.

In this portion of his career, we will count the journey from his hometown of Jackson, MI to Detroit, MI for 1 hour and 9 minutes of driving and 77 miles traveled. 

The Brian VanGorder - Coaching Journey - High School Beginnings. 

Brian landed his first Head Coaching job at West Bloomfield High school in West Bloomfield. Michigan. Then after one year there he moved to Boca Raton, Florida to coach at Boca Raton Academy, a private school, for two years. He then hopped to American Heritage School in nearby DelRay Beach, Florida for 4 years. Then moved Boca Raton Community High School for one year in 1988. Then Brian landed his first collegiate job at Grand Valley State in 1989 as a Linebackers Coach. 

To match the beginning of Brian’s Career, you’d have to drive 43 hours and 2,913 miles. 

Brian VanGorder - College Coach

Brian was able to be promoted to Defensive Coordinator at Grand Valley State. In 1992 he landed his first colliegiate Head Coaching gig at his alma Mater, Wayne State. He led Wayne State to their first winning season in over a decade at a record of 6-5. After a three year stint at Wayne State, he took a job with UCF as the Linebackers and Special Teams coach. In two years, Brian was promoted to Assistant Head Coach and Defensive Coordinator at UCF.

In 1998, Brian returned back to Michigan and became the Defensive Coordinator at Central Michigan. After two years, he then moved on to Western Illinois as a Defensive Coordinator. The Leathernecks ended the year 9–2. His defensive unit finished eighth nationally in passing efficiency defense and 12th in both passing defense and total defense while allowing just 17.6 points per game. However, they lost to Lehigh in the first round of the FCS Playoffs. After his one year stint at Western Illinois, Brian was finally making his move to the Power 5. 

To match the journey Brian took here, you’d have to drive 46 hours and 3,109 miles. 

Brian VanGorder -  SEC College Coach to the NFL and back to the SEC Again

After his stint at Western Illinois, new Georgia Head Coach Mark Ritcht hired a relatively unknown VanGorder to become his defensive coordinator.  In his 4 year stint, Brian won Valvoline Southern Sports Tonight Assistant Coach of the Year and the Frank Boyles "Assistant Coach of the Year". In 2003, the Bulldogs defense ranked third nationally in scoring defense, fourth in total defense and sixth in passing defense. During his final season at Georgia in 2004, VanGorder's defense finished the season ranked eighth and ninth in scoring defense. During his four years at Georgia the Bulldogs defense only gave up 30 points one time, against LSU in the 2003 SEC Championship Game.

Then Jack Del Rio and the Jacksonville Jaguars called Brian to become their Linebackers Coach. Brian only served on the Jags staff until December when Georgia Southern called him to become their next Head Coach. However, the year in Statesboro was one that he and Georgia Southern fans would like to forget. VanGorder resigned after finishing his only season at 3–8.

Brian nearly had a full year off from coaching but South Carolina hired him to be their next Defensive Coordinator and Linebackers coach in 2007. However, five weeks later the Atlanta Falcons came calling. He stayed with the Falcons as their Defensive Coordinator until 2011. In 2012, Gene Chizik hired Brian to become the Defensive Coordinator but Auburn finished a dreadful 3-9 and cleaned house completely. 

To match the journey Brian took here, you’d have to drive 27 hours and 1,751 miles. 

Brian VanGorder - Back to the NFL to Notre Dame and back to Florida again

After Auburn cleared house in 2012, Brian was able to find a job as the New York Jets Linebackers coach under Rex Ryan. In December 2013, just mere hours after winning the Pinstripe Bowl, Notre Dame announced VanGorder as their next Defensive Coordinator. A rocky tenure as the Notre Dame Defensive Coordinator saw Brian let go from the position just four games into the 2016 season. Later that year, 1st year Georgia coach, Kirby Smart, brought Brian in as an analyst for the defense for the remainder of the 2016 year.

Brian, then headed the furthest west in his career he had ever been. He found himself in Stillwater, Oklahoma as a Defensive Analyst under Mike Gundy in 2017. In 2018, he found his way back to being a Defensive Coordinator under Bobby Petrino at Louisville. After Petrino was fired in 2018, Louisville cleared house and VanGorder was let go.

In 2019, he was hired as the Defensive Coordinator for the Bowling Green Falcons and was let go after the 2020 season. In 2021, Brian announced his retirement from coaching college football and took a Defensive Coordinator job at Gulf Shores High School in Gulf Shores, Alabama. 

In 2022, Brian returned back to a place he worked from 1984 to 1987, the American Heritage School in DelRay Beach, Florida where he became Head Coach again 34 years later. 

To match the journey Brian took here, you’d have to drive 98 hours and 5,931 miles. 

Brian VanGorder Journeyman Totals

(Just to and from destinations, not the actual travel during each job) 

Playing Career

• Drive 1 hour and 9 minutes of driving for 77 miles.

Coaching Career

• Drive 43 hours and 2,913 miles

• Drive 46 hours and 3,109 miles. 

• Drive 27 hours and 1,751 miles. 

• Drive 98 hours and 5,931 miles. 

Journeyman Travel Totals

• 215 Hours of Driving and 13,704 miles driven.

Incredible Journeyman totals thrown up by Brian VanGorder. It’s even more impressive when you think about how he only worked west of the Mississippi River once in his career. We hope Brian is doing well back in Florida. 

So far Bart Andrus has the Journeyman Coach travel lead with 250 ½ Hours of driving and 16,546 miles. Bart also has the most combined flight & driving combined 274 ½ travel hours and 25,363 miles traveled total.