As promised, we continue our “Before They Were Coaches” feature with the ACC.
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Virginia Tech: Frank Beamer (Virginia Tech, 1966-68)
It’s shocking and sad to see the scars Frank Beamer bore even as a teenager after a childhood gasoline fire. Now known for pumping out great defensive backs, Beamer started at corner for three years with the Hokies and was part of two Liberty Bowl teams.
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Maryland: Ralph Friedgen (Maryland, 1966, 1968)
Oddly enough, the Fridge looked like a 50-year-old man in college. The high school quarterback rode the pine while shuffling positions and constantly got into fights due to his frustration. The coaches noticed this and moved Friedgen to the O-line, but didn’t work out very well. Said Friedgen: “I had never blocked anyone in my life… the more I tried, the worse it got.”
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Florida State: Bobby Bowden (Alabama/Samford, 1949, 1950-52)
The Birmingham native had a life-long dream to play for Alabama but only lasted one semester, returning home to marry his high school sweetheart. He opted for nearby Howard College (now Samford), where he was a Little All-America QB his senior year. But Bowden has been quoted as saying, “”All my life, I’ve thought, `What would have happened if I had stayed there?”
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Miami: Randy Shannon (Miami, 1985-88)
Shannon’s childhood was torture but he kept his sense of humor and was known as the team prankster. He started as an outside linebacker on the 1987 National Championship team.
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Boston College: Frank Spaziani (Penn State, 1966-69)
“Spaz” showed up in Happy Valley a quarterback but left a defensive end, playing four other positions along the way – including punter and halfback. He starred on the 1968 team that went 11-0 and won the Orange Bowl.
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Clemson: Dabo Swinney (Alabama, 1989-92)
He started as a walk-on WR for the Tide and certainly earned his scholarship, practicing against a secondary that included future NFL players George Teague and Antonio Langham on ‘Bama’s ‘92 National Championship team.
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Duke: David Cutcliffe (Alabama, None)
Cutcliffe is one of 6 FBS current that never played college football, instead studying the game as a student assistant to Bear Bryant from 1973-75. The Tide went 23-3 in that span.
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Georgia Tech: Paul Johnson (Western Carolina, None)
Another coach who didn’t play in college, Johnson was a 135-pound high school center who “ran like a duck” according to a former teammate. He graduated in 1979 as a physical education major, then returned to his hometown of Newland, NC to be an assistant coach at his alma mater.
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North Carolina: Butch Davis (Arkansas, 1970)
A stud recruit from Oklahoma, his college career lasted only one year after a knee injury sidelined the defensive end for good. He made the best of it by becoming a student assistant at the local high school.
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North Carolina State: Tom O’Brien (Navy, 1968-70)
The defensive end started three years for the Midshipmen but quit his senior year to focus on his military training. After graduation in 1971, he served nine years in the Marines. He didn’t see combat in Vietnam, instead acting as an air traffic controller in California and Japan.
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Virginia: Al Groh (Virginia, 1963-65)
It looks like Groh’s days in Charlottesville could be numbered. He played defensive end for the Cavaliers and also lettered for the lacrosse team.
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Wake Forest: Jim Grobe (Ferrum/Virginia, 1971-74)
The son of a cop, Grobe spent his first two seasons at the tiny junior college near the North Carolina border. At UVA, he started two years at middle guard (1973) and linebacker (1974).
