Backup QB among three leaving UVa. football program
Virginia head football coach Mike London announced today three members of the 2011 team are no longer with the program. Quarterback Ross Metheny, defensive end Thompson Brown and wide receiver Kevin Royal will not be with the team when it begins spring practice March 19.
Metheny is planning on completing his undergraduate degree this summer and will enroll at another University in the fall to complete his final two seasons of eligibility. Brown has informed the Cavalier coaching staff he no longer wishes to play college football but will remain enrolled at Virginia as an undergraduate student. Royal has been dismissed from the team. Read more
UVa. announces 2012 football schedule
The Atlantic Coast Conference released the 2012 football schedules for the league’s 12 schools today. Virginia’s slate features 12 regular-season games, including seven home contests and a Thursday night appearance on ESPN. Starting times for all contests and the home game designated for Homecomings will be announced at a later date.
“Our schedule will be a great test for our football team,” said Virginia coach Mike London. “I like the way the schedule lays out and the balance between home games and road games. Our fans played a key factor in our success a year ago, and with this schedule, we’re going to need everyone behind us in even greater numbers at home and on the road.” Read more
London gets two-year contract extension
The University of Virginia announced a contract extension for second-year head football coach Mike London today. The two-year addition will extend London’s contract through 2016. London’s annual compensation increases to $2.1 million. The extension includes a longevity bonus that London can earn effective Jan. 15, 2015.
The extension also includes additional compensation for the assistant football coaches on the Cavalier staff.
“Mike London and his staff are a great fit for the University of Virginia,” said Virginia athletics director Craig Littlepage. “Commitment and continuity on the staff are major components of building a program. We want to keep the program’s momentum moving and this extension will help achieve that.” Read more
Press Conference: Mike London
MATT GARVEY: We are joined by University of Virginia head coach Mike London, wide receiver Kris Burd, and Steve Greer.
Coach, if you could make an opening statement and talk about your bowl experience thus far.
COACH MIKE LONDON: First of all, obviously we see why the Chick-fil-A Bowl has been one of those bowls that has been very coveted and gracious in what they do for the players and the coaches, the community. We’ve experienced that the last couple days we’ve been here.
You can ask these guys. They’ve had fun. They’ve enjoyed the events. There’s still more to do. It’s been a neat experience. Read more
London donates $225K to indoor practice facility
Virginia head football coach Mike London has made a $225,000 pledge to support construction of the University of Virginia’s new indoor practice facility. London’s pledge brings the total amount committed to the project to almost $9.5 million. The total cost of the project is $13 million.
“The construction of the indoor practice facility is an important part of the effort to make our football program consistently successful,” London said. “That’s why I want to show my personal support for the fundraising effort by making this pledge.
“The indoor facility will be a tremendous benefit for our team’s in-season preparation and out-of-season conditioning. It will allow us the opportunity to attract the types of student-athletes to Virginia who will play an important role in the building of the program. I can’t think of a better way to express my commitment to the University and to the football program than to personally make a gift to this important project.” Read more
UVa. athletics, London donating $100K to AccessUVa.
The University of Virginia’s Department of Athletics is donating $50,000 from its share of the Chick-fil-A Bowl football game proceeds to the University’s AccessUVa financial aid program. The department also announced head football coach Mike London will personally match the gift, bringing the total donation to AccessUVa to $100,000.
“I appreciate the University of Virginia’s commitment to provide an outstanding undergraduate education regardless of a student’s financial situation,” London said. “The football program is here to foster the University’s educational mission. I often talk about the importance of ‘student’ first in ‘student-athlete’ and AccessUVa does a lot to assist a large number of our undergraduate students. I am proud to be able to assist such an important program.” Read more
London named ACC Coach of the Year
Virginia head coach Mike London was named the Atlantic Coast Conference Coach of the Year, as announced by the league on Tuesday. London becomes the fifth different UVa head footballcoach to garner coach of the year accolades.
London joins a list of Bill Elias (1961), George Blackburn (1968), George Welsh (1983, ’84, ’89, ’91, ’95) and Al Groh (2002, ’07) as UVa head coaches who have won ACC Coach of the Year honors.
“I am both honored and humbled by this selection,” said London. “I greatly respect the coaches in our conference and you could argue there are others who are deserving of this recognition.”
“In two short years, Coach London has proven to be an outstanding fit for the University of Virginia,” said Virginia Director of Athletics Craig Littlepage. “As much as this is an award for Mike as the head coach, this is a program award made possible by the hard work and execution of his players and coaching staff. I share the sentiments of the University community in expressing congratulations to him on this ACC Coach of the Year recognition.”
Virginia was picked in the preseason to finish fifth in the league’s Coastal Division. UVa went on to finish the regular season with an 8-4 overall mark, tying the program’s eighth-best win total for a season. The Cavaliers finished 5-3 in ACC play.
“More than anything I am extremely proud of the performance by our players and coaches this season,” London said. “This is really a reflection on their efforts this year. Quite honestly, I do not think there were very many people outside of our locker room who felt we could go into the final week of the season with a chance to advance to the ACC Championship game. As a coach, you live for the kind of moments where your team buys in, puts in the work and the effort and sees the positive results that come from it.
“We accomplished so many things this year and grew into a team that believed in itself and was confident about what it could achieve on the field. We went from just trying to win a game to managing to win four on basically the last play. That builds a lot of character.
“I am very appreciative in receiving this honor. More importantly, our team is honored to represent the ACC during the upcoming bowl season.”
London’s squad became the first program in the nation to garner road wins at Miami and Florida State in the same season and he orchestrated the nation’s fifth-best turnaround after UVa went 4-8 in 2010.
Virginia will be playing in a bowl game for the first time since 2007 and eight Cavaliers were named to the All-ACCteam, the most since 2004. UVa went 4-1 on the road, the program’s best road winning percentage (.800) since also going 4-1 during the 1999 season.That also was the last season UVa won at least three games in the month of November until this year.
The honor is London’s sixth career coach of the year honor. The Hampton, Va., native was named the 2008 FCS National Coach of the Year by both the American Football Coaches Association and Schutt Sports/American Monthly magazine, and the Black Coaches Association Male Coach of the Year after leading Richmond to the FCS national title. He was also tabbed the State Coach of the Year from both the Virginia Sports Information Directors Association (VaSID) and the Peninsula Sports Club following the 2008 season.
