LARRY BLAKENEY

*EDITOR’S NOTE- This story orginally ran in 2012 as a part of the Class of 2012 Troy Sports Hall of Fame ceremony.*

Football coaches seem to come and go with the change of the seasons in recent years; well at least everywhere but Troy University. Larry Blakeney has roamed the sidelines of the field that now bears his name for an almost unheard of 22 seasons and has led the Trojans to some unprecedented success.

Already the all-time winningest coach in Troy football history, Blakeney is the second-longest tenured active coach in the country trailing just Virginia Tech’s Frank Beamer (26 years).

Blakeney has amassed 169 victories to just 98 defeats in his 22 seasons with the Trojans. He has led the Trojans to eight conference championships, including a run of five straight Sun Belt titles from 2006 to 2010; a feat that has been matched or bested at the Football Bowl Subdivision level by only Alabama under Bear Bryant, Florida State under Bobby Bowden, Ohio State under Woody Hayes, USC under Pete Carroll and BYU under LaVell Edwards.

Blakeney’s impact ranges far past the white lines that confine the football field. Shayne Wasden, Troy’s assistant head coach and a former player under Blakeney at Auburn, was one of those young men affected by Blakeney.

“Coach Blakeney has had a positive impact on countless lives in his long, successful coaching career,” Wasden said. “While his success will be measured by many through wins and losses, Coach Blakeney’s true success should be measured by the number of boys he has helped become men. Coach Blakeney is a man of character and he tries to instill qualities in his players that will not only make them better players, but more importantly better people.

“I have had the privilege to both play for and coach under Larry Blakeney. Throughout the years I have known him; I have always admired his work ethic, kindness, and his genuine love for people. Because of his loyalty, dedication and pivotal role in Troy University’s growth he is more than deserving of this honor.”

A member of the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame, Blakeney guided Troy’s assent from Division II to the Football Championship Subdivision and now the Football Bowl Subdivision. When the Trojans made the jump to Football Bowl Division status in 2001, Blakeney made NCAA history becoming one of only two coaches to lead a program from NCAA Division II to the FBS.

To say the Trojans have dominated the Sun Belt Conference since joining the league in 2004 would be an understatement. To go along with the record five league titles, Troy has won 45 league games, had 41 players named first team all-conference and averaged over 28.0 points per game.

Blakeney has also established a substantial pipeline to the NFL as 21 of his former players have heard their names called in the NFL Draft, while numerous others have signed free agent deals as 63 of his former players have played professionally.

Blakeney has led the Trojans to 15 winning seasons, including six seasons of 10 wins or more, and he currently stands fourth among all college coaches to have manned a sideline in the state of Alabama with 169 victories.

He led the Trojans to a pair of FCS Semifinal appearances and the FCS postseason seven times, including an NCAA-record four consecutive seasons after making the move from NCAA Division II in 1993. His list of firsts also includes leading the Trojans to five bowl games over a seven-year period.

Blakeney and his wife Janice reside in Troy. They have three daughters; Kelley Taylor, Julie Ivory and Tiffany Rash. They have three granddaughters; Caroline, Madeline and Danielle.

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