Former Virginia defensive coordinator Bob Pruett officially announced his retirement Wednesday, stepping down after 30 years of service in the collegiate coaching ranks. Though Pruett’s tenure as a Cavalier was brief — he joined the program last February as defensive coordinator and was recently moved to the assistant coach/defense position — he helped shape college football during his three decades of coaching.
After 14 years at the high school level, Pruett first emerged on the collegiate scene at Marshall in 1979, where he served as the school’s defensive line coach under the legendary Sonny Randle. Pruett traveled from school to school during the following decade-and-a-half, patrolling the sidelines at programs such as Wake Forest — where current Virginia head coach Al Groh was stationed at the time — Mississippi, Tulane and Florida.
In 1996, Pruett returned to Marshall as the school’s head coach. He would go on to compile a 94-23 record with the program, including a first season that saw the Thundering Herd go 15-0 en route to claiming a Division I-AA national championship. After moving up to Division I in 1997, the squad managed to rack up a 65-13 record in six seasons, earning a bowl-bid in each.
Although Pruett did not provide specific reasons for stepping down, his retirement will mark the end of 44 years of coaching.
Additional Football Notes
The Virginia football team released its 2009 season schedule yesterday. The lineup includes non-conference matchups against in-state rival William and Mary, as well as TCU, Southern Mississippi and Indiana. The schedule includes a total of seven home games, with a season finale against Virginia Tech at Scott Stadium Nov. 28 ... Five former Cavaliers — Eugene Monroe, Kevin Ogletree, Cedric Peerman, John Phillips and Clint Sintim — received invitations to the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis Feb. 18 to 24.
—compiled by Cayce Troxel
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