Fedora Named Kedric Couch Alumni Coach of the Year

Photo courtesey of usatoday.com



The Austin College Alumni Association has announced that former Kangaroo standout football player and new head football coach of the University of North Carolina Larry Fedora has been named the Kedric Couch Alumni Coach of the Year for his outstanding 2011 season with the University of Southern Mississippi.
Fedora, who coached USM from 2008 through the 2011 season, guided the Golden Eagles to the Conference USA Championship and a 12-2 record last year. Among the highlights of the historic season were a 49-28 victory over then No. 6-ranked and previously undefeated Houston in the CUSA title game and a victory over Nevada in the Hawai’i Bowl.

Over his four years at Southern Miss, Fedora compiled a 34-19 overall record and took his teams to bowl games every year. Last season’s 12 victories set a new program record, and marked the first time since 1952 and just the third time ever that the Golden Eagles reached double figures in wins. Fedora’s squad finished the season ranked No. 19 in the nation in 2011.

A former wide receiver at Austin College, Fedora was elected into the Kangaroo Athletics Hall of Honor in 2006 and was a member of the 1981 NAIA National Championship team that celebrated its 30th anniversary this season. Before taking the head coaching job at Southern Miss, Fedora was most notably the offensive coordinator at both Oklahoma State and Florida.

Fedora, who starred both on the field and in the classroom at Austin College, was an Academic All-American as well as a two-time Honorable Mention All-American from his wide receiver position, and earned his master’s degree in teaching education from Austin College in 1986.

Prior to his work as offensive coordinator at both Oklahoma State and Florida, Fedora served in that same role at Middle Tennessee State from 1999 to 2001 and was the wide receivers coach at Air Force in 1997 and 1998. From 1991 to 1996, he coached the wide receivers, tight ends, and running backs at Baylor. Fedora got his first head coaching job in 1987 when he took the reins at Garland High School, and continued in that capacity until leaving for Baylor.

In December of last year, Fedora accepted the position of head football coach at the University of North Carolina, where he becomes the 35th head coach in program history and the 11th since the Tar Heels joined the Atlantic Coast Conference in 1953.


Written by Jeff Kelly