Longhorns Country

Grambling Runs Reverse: School Won’t Hire Controversial Coach Art Briles

Former Baylor head coach Art Briles will no longer be returning to the college ranks

Matt Galatzan

After his highly controversial hiring back into the college ranks, former Baylor head coach Art Briles is now reportedly out as the offensive coordinator at Grambling State. 

The hiring had originally created substantial backlash around to country due to Briles' sordid past in Waco, prompting former Grambling State quarterback Doug Williams to speak out against his alma mater's decision. 

“I’m not a fan at all," Williams told the Washington Post. "I’m very, very disappointed in Grambling, I really am.…I talked to the A.D. a couple times. They knew where I stood, but they did it and if that’s what they want to do, that’s fine. I’m out.”

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Former Baylor coach Art Briles

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Former Baylor coach Art Briles

However, Briles did receive some support with former NFL coach Hue Jackson coming to his defense in recent days, via his charity foundation. 

Jackson preached forgiveness and redemption, among other things, in his plea to the public.

Grambling recently hired Jackson as its head coah following his lone season as Tennessee State's offensive coordinator. During his time with Cleveland Browns and now-Las Vegas Raiders, Jackson posted an overall record of 11-46-1.

Briles, of course, was fired following a massive sexual assault scandal in 2016, in which one lawsuit stated that were 52 rapes committed by at least 31 different Baylor football players between 2011 and 2014 under Briles’ watch.

Prior to his success at Baylor, Briles was named Houston's head coach in 2003. He posted a 34-28 record, helping the Cougars win the Conference USA title in 2006.

During his eight seasons at Baylor, Briles posted a 65-37 record and went 3-3 in bowl games. Under Briles' watch, the Bears finished with 10-plus wins on four different occasions. Baylor also finished ranked in the AP's top 25 four times as well. Baylor won two Big 12 Championships under Briles' watch.

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Former Baylor coach Art Briles

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Former Baylor coach Art Briles

Following the firing of Matt Wells, Texas Tech was reportedly interested in hiring Briles but ultimately elected to hire Baylor associate coach Joey McGuire instead. Briles has also coached in the Italian Football League and was hired to coach the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in the Canadian Football League before the backlash of criticism and pressure from league officials reversed the decision.

Briles, 66, last coached in 2020 at Mount Vernon (Texas) High School. His team reached the Class 3A Division I semifinals, but he resigned shortly after the season's conclusion.

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Matt Galatzan
MATT GALATZAN

Matt Galatzan is the Managing Editor and Publisher of Texas Longhorns On SI and Texas A&M Aggies On SI and a long-time member of the Football Writer’s Association of America. He graduated from the University of Mississippi, where he studied integrated marketing communications, with minors in journalism and business administration. Galatzan started in the sports journalism industry in 2014 covering the Dallas Mavericks and SMU Mustangs with 247Sports. He then moved to Sports Illustrated's Fan Nation network in 2020, eventually being taking over as the Managing Editor and Publisher of the Longhorns and Aggies sites a year later. You can find Galatzan on all major social media channels, including Twitter on @MattGalatzan.

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