![]() | The topic of this article may not meet Wikipedia's notability guideline for biographies .(September 2022) |
Current position | |
---|---|
Title | Special teams coordinator |
Team | Virginia |
Conference | ACC |
Biographical details | |
Born | Thomasville, North Carolina | September 4, 1974
Playing career | |
1993–1996 | Elon |
Position(s) | Defensive back |
Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
1997 | Greensboro (DB) |
1998–1999 | Tusculum (DB) |
2000–2004 | Thomasville HS (NC) (assistant) |
2005–2008 | Winston-Salem State (DB) |
2009–2010 | Elon (WR) |
2011–2014 | Ball State (WR) |
2015–2016 | Army (WR) |
2017–2018 | East Carolina (PCG/WR) |
2019 | Western Michigan (WR) |
2020–2021 | Army (WR) |
2022–present | Virginia (STC/RB) |
Keith Gaither (born September 4, 1974) [1] is an American football coach and former player. He is currently the special teams coordinator and running backs coach at the University of Virginia. His previous college coaching stops include Greensboro College, Tusculum University, Winston-Salem State University, Elon University, Ball State University, the United States Military Academy, East Carolina University, and Western Michigan University.
Gaither was a four-year starter at defensive back for Elon. He twice earned all-region honors. [2]
Immediately following his playing career, Gaither joined the staff at Greensboro College coaching the defensive backs in 1997. In 1998, Gaither moved on to Tusculum to coach the defensive backs for two seasons. [2]
From 2000 to 2004, Gaither returned to his high school alma mater, Thomasville High School in Thomasville, North Carolina as an assistant coach. [1]
Gaither returned to the college coaching ranks when he was hired as the defensive backs coach and recruiting coordinator at Winston-Salem State from 2005-2008. [2]
From 2009 to 2010, Gaither served as the wide receivers coach for head coach Pete Lembo at his college alma mater, Elon University. While with the Phoenix, he helped Terrell Hudgins break 19 NCAA, Southern Conference, and Elon records, along with a runner-up finish in the Walter Payton Award voting in 2009. He also tutored All-American and future Baltimore Ravens receiver Aaron Mellette. [3]
When Lembo was hired as the new head coach at Ball State prior to the 2011 season, he brought Gaither with him as the wide receivers coach. Throughout Gaither’s tenure at BSU, he mentored five All-Mid-American Conference selections, including future NFL receiver Willie Snead. Snead’s breakout 2013 season led to Ball State single season records in receiving yards (1,516), catches (106) and touchdowns (15). [3]
From 2015 to 2016, Gaither was the wide receivers coach for Jeff Monken and the Army Black Knights. In his second season, his receiving corps finished fourth nationally in yards per reception (17.9). [2]
In 2017, Gaither was hired at East Carolina by head coach Scottie Montgomery as the pass game coordinator and wide receivers coach. In Gaither’s two seasons with the program, he trained a first team all-conference selection each year. [2]
Following Montgomery and his staff's dismissal at East Carolina, Gaither joined Tim Lester’s staff at Western Michigan as the wide receivers coach. [4]
On January 11, 2020, Gaither returned to Army as the wide receivers coach for the Black Knights. [4] Over two seasons, his receivers helped Army win 18 games, including a win over the Missouri Tigers of the Southeastern Conference (SEC) in the 2021 Armed Forces Bowl. The Black Knights receivers averaged 20.55 yards per reception in 2020 and had 11 touchdown receptions in 2021. [5]
In January 2022, Gaither was hired as the special teams coordinator and running backs coach at Virginia as part of new head coach Tony Elliott's inaugural staff. [5]
Gaither, who has a bachelor’s degree in sociology from Elon University. Keith and his wife Holly, have four children; Jonesha, Akeem, Madison and Hazel. [4]
Philip Dale Steele is an American football coach and former player. He was formerly the head coach at Campbell University in Buies Creek, North Carolina, a position he had held since restarting school's football program in 2006. Campbell resumed play in the 2008 season. Steele is the brother of Kevin Steele, the current defensive coordinator at University of Alabama and former head football coach at Baylor University.
Peter Lembo is an American football coach and former player. He is currently the head coach at the University at Buffalo. Previously, he was the special teams coordinator at the University of South Carolina, where, in 2022, he oversaw the highest rated special teams unit in college football. Prior to that, he was the assistant head coach and special teams coordinator at the University of Memphis, a position he assumed in January 2019. Prior to Memphis, he was the associate head coach and special teams coordinator at Rice University. Before joining the coaching staff at Rice University, he was the head coach at Lehigh University from 2001 to 2005, at Elon University from 2006 to 2010, and at Ball State University from 2011 to 2015. He was also the assistant head coach and special teams coordinator at the University of Maryland for two seasons. Lembo enjoyed success in each of his three stops as a head coach and accumulated a 112–65 career record over a 15-year period. His 79–36 record in ten seasons at the FCS level makes him one of the winningest coaches in the history of that classification.
Terrell Hudgins is an American football coach and former wide receiver who set NCAA records in college as a player for Elon University. He was temporarily a member of the Dallas Cowboys off-season/practice squad before being signed by the Chicago Rush of the Arena Football League. He is now the head football coach at Rocky Mount Academy.
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The 2011 Mid-American Conference football season is the 66th season for the Mid-American Conference (MAC). The season began on Thursday, September 1, with four games: Bowling Green played at Idaho, Central Michigan hosted South Carolina State, Temple hosted #14 (FCS) Villanova, and Toledo hosted #10 (FCS) New Hampshire. The conference's other nine teams began their respective 2011 seasons of NCAA Division I FBS competition on Saturday, September 3. The first in-conference game was September 10, with Temple hosting Akron.
The 2012 Mid-American Conference football season is the 67th season for the Mid-American Conference (MAC). The University of Massachusetts joins the conference to create a 13-team, two-division league. Last season at the Marathon MAC Championship game, Northern Illinois defeated Ohio 23–20 for the championship.
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Willie Lee Snead IV is an American football wide receiver for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League (NFL). He was signed by the Cleveland Browns as an undrafted free agent in 2014 and has been a member of the New Orleans Saints, Baltimore Ravens, and Las Vegas Raiders. He played college football at Ball State.
Rich Skrosky is an American college football coach and former player who is currently a senior analyst for Duke. He was hired as head football coach at Elon University for the 2014 season. Skrosky served as an assistant coach at Elon under Pete Lembo from 2006 to 2010. Lembo's tenure brought new success to Elon's football program, which made its first FCS playoff appearance in 2009. Lembo was hired as head coach at Ball State University after the 2010 season. Skrosky joined Lembo's staff as offensive coordinator.
Jerry Mack is an American college football coach and former player. He is the running backs coach at the University of Tennessee, a position he has held since 2021. Mack served as the head football coach at North Carolina Central University from 2014 to 2017, compiling a record of 31–15 in four seasons. He was the offensive coordinator and associate football head coach at Rice University prior to his hiring at Tennessee. Mack played college football as a wide receiver at Jackson State University and Arkansas State University.
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