The Sickos Committee explores Journeyman Coaches - Part 10 - Ted Roof

We think this is the final installment in our many deep dives where we try to find “Where in the world is this coach??”

Ted Roof Playing Career

Ted grew up in a suburb of Atalanta in Lawrenceville, GA and he traveled about an hour away to play linebacker at Georgia Tech. He played from 1982 - 1985 and was named an All-American in his senior year.

He drove about 1 hour and 10 minutes for a total of 30 miles in his playing career.

Ted Roof’s Coaching Journey Begins

After graduating from Georgia Tech in 1987, he was hired at Alabama as a Graduate Assistant. In 1989, he landed a linebackers coach job at the University of West Georgia. (Look at this sweet beveled West Georgia Wolf)

In 1990, after Steve Spurrier left Duke, the Blue Devils’ new coach Barry Wilson hired Ted as the linebackers coach. After Wilson was fired in 1993, Ted found his way up to Amherst, MA to be the linebackers coach for the Minutemen in 1994. In 1995, Ted was promoted to Defensive Coordinator (DC) and served in that position through 1996. Ted then found himself down in Cullowhee, NC as the Western Carolina Catamounts DC. (Look at this beveled Catamount)

Ted was then called back to his Alma Mater by George O’Leary to become the Yellow Jackets linebackers coach in 1998 and was promoted to DC in 1999 and served till 2001. George O’Leary left Georgia Tech to become the Head Coach of Notre Dame (a very interesting story is here O'Leary's 5 days as Notre Dame's Head Coach), Ted found his way back to Duke.

For this section of Ted’s career, he spent much of it on Interstate 85 and you’d have to drive 39 hours and 2,510 miles.

Ted the Head Coach…and back to DC

Ted was the DC at Duke from 2002 and part of the way through the 2003 season when the Blue Devils fired Head Coach Carl Franks and then named Ted the Interim Head Coach. Ted led Duke to two wins in the final three games of the 2003 season and was named full time Head Coach for the first time in his career. From 2004 - 2007, Ted was Duke’s Head Coach and he only won four games over the next four seasons. He was fired on November 26, 2007, having compiled a 6–45 record, note two of those wins were as the interim Head Coach. One thing we will say here is despite the dismal record of Duke teams under Roof, his defenses consistently ranked in the top-30 nationally in tackles behind the line of scrimmage. After being fired, Ted was in line to be hired at Louisville as the DC in 2008. However, about 45 days later he found his way to Minneapolis to be the Gopher’s DC in 2008. Ted was credited with the massive turnaround of the Gopher’s defense which helped the Gophers win the Insight Bowl. In 2009, Ted was hired by Gene Chizik at Auburn to be the DC. Ted was the DC at Auburn for their 2010 National Championship win. After the title winning season, 2011 was a rude awakening for Ted and Auburn. The Roof led Auburn defense registered one of the worst statistical seasons in the program's history. Auburn's defense finished the 2011 regular season 78th in the nation, allowing 405.8 yards per game. The previous yards-per-game high for an Auburn defense was 389.1 in 1979. Ted decided to reunite with George O’Leary at UCF in December of 2011 and Auburn hired Brian VanGorder in his place. The reunion with O’Leary didn’t last more than a month as Roof was then hired by Penn State in January of 2012 after the Sandusky scandal to become the DC under coach Bill O’Brien.

For this leg of Ted’s career, you’d need to drive 64 hours and 4,297 miles.

Roof Return’s to Georgia Tech and then begins to bounce around landing in Oklahoma.

After one year at Penn State, Roof returned to his Alma Mater for a second stint as the DC. Roof was the DC matched up with Head Coach Paul Johnson’s flexbone option teams. From 2013 - 2017, Georgia Tech experienced some ups and downs but did pull off an Orange Bowl winn in 2014. After a 5-6 season in 2017, Johnson and Roof parted ways and Ted found his way to NC State as an Assistant Head Coach and co-DC. After the 2018 season, Ted found his way to Boone, NC to become the Appalachian State DC for the 2019 season. In 2020, Ted was then hired by Vanderbilt to be their DC for the season. In 2021, Roof was then named a Defensive Analyst on Clemson’s staff. At then end of the 2021 season, DC Brent Venables left Clemson to become the Head Coach of Oklahoma and named Ted the Sooners DC, where Ted remains currenly.

For this portion of Ted’s coaching journey, you’d have to drive 46 hours and 3,028 miles.

Ted Roof’s Journeyman Totals

College Playing Career

• 1 hour and 10 minutes for a total of 30 miles

Coaching Career

• Drive 39 hours and 2,510 miles.

• Drive 64 hours and 4,297 miles.

• Drive 46 hours and 3,028 miles.

Journeyman Travel Totals

• Approximately 150 Hours and 9,865 miles.

Dennis Erickson wins the Journeyman Coach travel award for driving with 261 Hours of driving and 17,040 miles.

June Jones wins the Journeyman Coach travel award for most hours flying and most flight mileage of 63 hours and 28,557 miles.

June Jones also wins the Journeyman Coach travel award for the most combined flight & driving with 307 travel hours and 44,906 miles traveled total. 

Thank you for reading, we may pick up this series later this summer but we will stop at Part 10 for now.