Matt Luke (American football)

Matt Luke
Sport(s) Football
Current position
Title Head coach
Team Ole Miss
Conference SEC
Record 11–8
Annual salary $3 million
Biographical details
Born (1976-10-29) October 29, 1976
Gulfport, Mississippi
Playing career
1995–1998 Ole Miss
Position(s) Center
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
1999 Ole Miss (GA)
2000–2001 Murray State (OL)
2002–2005 Ole Miss (OL/TE)
2006–2007 Tennessee (OL/TE)
2008–2011 Duke (Co-OC/OL)
2012–2016 Ole Miss (Co-OC/OL)
2017 Ole Miss (interim HC)
2018–present Ole Miss
Head coaching record
Overall 11–8

Matthew Barham Luke (born October 29, 1976)[1] is an American football coach and former player. He currently serves as the head coach at the University of Mississippi. He was an assistant serving as the co-offensive coordinator at Ole Miss from 2012 to 2016, and served as the interim head coach during the 2017 season. On November 26, 2017, Ole Miss named Luke as the official head coach.

Playing career

Luke was born in Gulfport, Mississippi. He was a standout at Gulfport High School, but he was a walk-on at Ole Miss, where scholarships were limited because of NCAA sanctions.[2] He played center there from 1995 to 1998, graduating in 1999.[3] His father, Tommy Luke, played defensive back at Ole Miss in the 1960s while his older brother, Tom Luke, played quarterback there from 1989 to 1991.[4] As a senior, he played in the 1998 Independence Bowl against Texas Tech.[2]

Coaching career

Assistant coach

Luke exhausted his eligibility after the 1999 season but joined the coaching staff as a graduate assistant.[5] After graduating from Ole Miss in 2000 with a Bachelor of Business Administration,[6] he took a job with Murray State University as an offensive line coach.[4] Following the 2001 season, he returned to Ole Miss to coach offensive line and tight ends under head coach David Cutcliffe.[7] Ole Miss fired Cutcliffe after the 2004 season, but new head coach Ed Orgeron retained Luke as part of his staff. Luke departed Ole Miss in 2006 to be reunited with Cutcliffe at the University of Tennessee, where the latter was the assistant head coach/offensive coordinator.[1]

Luke coached the offensive line and tight ends at Tennessee for two seasons (2006–2007).[7] In early 2008, Duke University hired Cutcliffe as its new head coach, and Cutcliffe brought several Tennessee assistants with him, including Luke.[8] At Duke, Luke was co-offensive coordinator with responsibility for the running game, while also coaching the offensive line.[7] Luke departed Duke at the end of the 2011 season to rejoin the Ole Miss coaching staff under new head coach Hugh Freeze.[7] At Ole Miss, he had a similar role: co-offensive coordinator and offensive line coach.[9]

Head coach

On July 20, 2017, Luke became the interim head coach at Ole Miss after Freeze was forced to resign.[10] After a late season push to finish 6–6, Ole Miss removed the interim tag on November 26, 2017 and named Luke the 37th head football coach in school history.[11][12]

Head coaching record

Year Team Overall ConferenceStanding Bowl/playoffs
Ole Miss Rebels (Southeastern Conference) (2017–present)
2017 Ole Miss 6–63–56th (Western)
2018 Ole Miss 5–21–2(Western)
Ole Miss: 11–84–7
Total:11–8

References

  1. 1 2 "2006 Tennessee Football Media Guide" (PDF). University of Tennessee. 2006. p. 57.
  2. 1 2 Magee, Patrick (July 21, 2017). "'This is his chance,' mentor says of Matt Luke's new job as Ole Miss head coach". Sun Herald.
  3. ↑ "Matt Luke". University of Mississippi. Retrieved July 20, 2017.
  4. 1 2 "Former Rebel Matt Luke Joins Cutcliffe Staff". Ole Miss Football. March 5, 2002.
  5. ↑ "Five things to know about Ole Miss interim coach Matt Luke". Retrieved January 17, 2018.
  6. ↑ "Employee Profile: Matt Luke". University of Mississippi. Retrieved October 28, 2017.
  7. 1 2 3 4 "Matt Luke Bio - Ole Miss Rebels Official Athletic Site Ole Miss Rebels Official Athletic Site - Football". Retrieved January 17, 2018.
  8. ↑ Low, Chris (January 15, 2008). "Cutcliffe embraces challenge of rebuilding Duke". ESPN.com.
  9. ↑ "Matt Luke". Ole Miss Football. Retrieved July 22, 2017.
  10. ↑ Schlabach, Mark (July 20, 2017). "Ole Miss coach Hugh Freeze resigns; escort-service calls cited". ESPN.com.
  11. ↑ "Ole Miss makes interim Matt Luke its permanent coach". Retrieved January 17, 2018.
  12. ↑ "Ole Miss removes interim tag, names Matt Luke full-time coach". November 26, 2017. Retrieved November 27, 2017.
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