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Kyle Whittingham Is The New Head Football Coach At Utah
12/8/2004 12:00 AM | Football
Dec. 8, 2004
SALT LAKE CITY -
Kyle Whittingham, the University of Utah's defensive coordinator for the past decade, has been named the school's 20th head coach, director of athletics Dr. Chris Hill announced today. Whittingham has agreed to a six-year contract worth $675,000 a year.
The 45-year-old Whittingham first joined the staff in 1994 as a defensive line coach and has been Utah's defensive coordinator since 1995. During Whittingham's 11 years at Utah, the program has compiled an 85-41 record.
"It became very clear to me from the start of this process that Kyle Whittingham was the right person for the job at the University of Utah," said Hill. "He brings the leadership skills, discipline and knowledge of the game that are essential to a successful program. Kyle's relationship with his student-athletes and his genuine concern for their welfare is tremendous."
Utah has enjoyed the most successful seasons in its history during Whittingham's stay. The Utes played in five bowl games from 1994-2003, winning four. The 2004 Utes will play in the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl on Jan. 1--becoming the first team from a non-Bowl Championship Series conference to qualify for a BCS bowl.
"This is a great opportunity and I am thrilled and honored to be chosen as the new head football coach at the University of Utah," said Whittingham. "I have been preparing for a head coaching position for 19 years and I am ready for the challenge. It is exciting to take over a program at this level. The pieces are in place and my charge is to keep things going in the right direction.
"Our goal at Utah is not going to change. We want to win the Mountain West Conference championship every year. Defensively, we won't miss a beat. We have a proven system in place and our players and staff believe in it. Offensively, I'm going to bring in the best offensive coordinator I can find and I have a line on some excellent candidates. We will keep many elements of our current offense and we'll add some new twists as well," Whittingham added.
Whittingham's leadership skills are well documented. In his 10 years as the U.'s defensive coordinator he developed the premier defense in the Mountain West Conference and one of the best in the nation. Utah has led the MWC in scoring defense in four of the last six years and in total defense three of those seasons.
As the defensive line coach in 1994, he helped install what would become a defensive juggernaut. That team, which led the conference in every defensive category, went 10-2, finished the season in the top 10 and beat Arizona in the Freedom Bowl. When its coordinator--Kyle's father Fred--left for a job in the NFL, Kyle was promoted to the lead defensive post.
The Utes never missed a beat in the transition from father to son. Since 1995, Utah's defense has been ranked in the NCAA top 20 rankings 14 times. Utah has led the conference in total defense four times (1994, 2000, 2001 and 2002). In 2002, Utah led the MWC in total defense, scoring defense and rushing defense--ranking No. 12 in the nation in the latter. But Whittingham's defenses are best known for keeping opponents off the scoreboard. Utah has led the league in scoring defense in four of the past six years (ranking No. 2 in 2003 and 2004) and finished No. 13, 18, 13, 29 and 19 in the nation from 1999-2003.
Whittingham began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at his alma mater Brigham Young from 1985-86. In 1987, he was both the defensive coordinator at College of Eastern Utah and a player for the Los Angeles Rams' replacement squad. His first full-time NCAA coaching job was at Idaho State, where he spent six years (1988-93), his last two as defensive coordinator.
Before that, he had a sterling career as a player. Whittingham played linebacker at Brigham Young from 1978-81, earning first-team all-WAC and WAC Defensive Player of the Year honors in 1981. He played in the Hula and Japan Bowls after his senior year, then launched a professional career that included stints with the Denver Gold and New Orleans Breakers in the U.S. Football League (USFL) from 1983-85. Whittingham played on the Los Angeles Rams' replacement squad in 1987.
He graduated from BYU in 1984 with a bachelor's degree in educational psychology. His master's in athletic administration in 1987 is also from BYU.
A native of Provo, Utah, Whittingham is married to the former Jamie Daniels. Their four children are Tyler, Melissa, Alex and Kylie.
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