Quite a few men get into coaching and come out the other end as fairly wealthy head coaches. Not a lot of them, if any, though, enter the head-coaching game as filthy rich individuals -- and by “filthy rich” we mean “10-digit loaded”.
Yet that’s where the situation currently stands at Coastal Carolina, a Div. 1-AA (FCS) school that announced Tuesday the hiring Joe Moglia as its new head coach. Football-wise, Moglia is probably best known as either the executive adviser to the Nebraska football program in 2009-10 or as the former head coach/current president of the United Football League’s Omaha Nighthawks.
Financial-wise, the 61-year-old Moglia is known as a billionaire businessman who was the CEO of TD Ameritrade from 2001 until becoming the chairman of the board of the same company in 2008, a title he will still hold even as he continues on as the president of a professional football league team and head coach of a college football team. This job at Coastal Carolina will actually be a continuation of Moglia’s coaching career; Moglia coached at programs such as Lafayette and Dartmouth before embarking on a second career in the financial sector in 1983.
What will turn out to be nearly three decades later, however, Moglia will be back at the collegiate level in 2012.
“Having a hand in helping 18-22 year-olds become men through football has always been important to me, and I couldn’t be more excited to do that at Coastal Carolina,” Moglia said. “Being part of our Nighthawks team has been an honor for me.”
Going back to his time with the Cornhuskers, Moglia was effusive in his praise for athletic director Tom Osborne and head coach Bo Pelini. In fact, Moglia said if it weren’t for the time he spent in Lincoln, he wouldn’t be where he’s at in his life right now, which is apparently a very rich man with a really, really cool third job.
“Had it not been for the opportunity I had with the University of Nebraska, none of this would have become a reality,” said the new coach. “I will be forever appreciative to Bo and Tom for allowing me to do that. I’m continuing as Chairman of TD Ameritrade and Omaha has become my home and will always have a place in my heart.”
Honestly, I think the biggest question to come out of this, aside from the obvious “how did the SEC let a billionaire coach get away” query, is whether or not it will give T. Boone Pickens any grandiose ideas of becoming the head coach at Oklahoma State. And, before you ask, no, there’s no truth to the rumor that Pittsburgh has already interviewed Warren Buffet, or that Bill Gates is on Penn State’s radar.
As for the man Moglia will be replacing? David Bennett was the only head coach in the football program’s history, compiling a 63-39 mark during his nine years there. Football-wise, he’s best known for, well, the following YouTube clip that will never, ever get old for a human being who views it. Or cats and dogs, for that matter: