About Mike
Mike Gottfried’s Career Highlights
• 1966 - becomes head coach at Roseville (Ohio) High School
• 1978-1980 - head coach at Murray State
• 1981-1982 - head coach at Cincinnati
• 1983-1985 - head coach at Kansas
• 1986-1989 - head coach at Pittsburgh
• Record as college head football coach - 77-56-6
• 1990-Present - ESPN college football analyst
• 1999 - Helps implement GMAC Bowl in Mobile, AL
• 2000 – Founded Team Focus
A Game of Numbers
Football is a game of numbers. Total yards, time of possession, and third down efficiency are often measures of success or failure. For coach Mike Gottfried, the most important and motivating numbers in his life are four, three, and 56, and they have nothing to do with football.
“Those numbers are a date, April 3, 1956, the day my father died. I was 11 years old,” he remembers. “My whole life changed. We were three boys and a mother looking at each other after the funeral and wondering where we go from here.” Gottfried’s journey through life would eventually lead him to national prominence as a college football coach. He would spend 12 successful seasons as head coach at Murray State, Cincinnati, Kansas and Pittsburgh. During his four years at Pitt, he would win 26 games and defeat NCAA powerhouses Notre Dame, Penn State and West Virginia. He would finish his coaching career with 77 victories and parlay that success into a job as lead college football analyst for ESPN. Yet, when Mike Gottfried looks at his life, the wins and losses, the hirings and firings, April 3, 1956 is never far from view.
