Jump to content

John Grass (American football)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

John Grass
Current position
TitleOffensive analyst
TeamClemson
ConferenceACC
Biographical details
Born (1968-02-29) February 29, 1968 (age 56)
Ashville, Alabama, U.S.
Alma materJacksonville State (1990)
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
1990–1992Ashville HS (AL) (OC)
1993–1994Eufaula HS (AL) (DC)
1995–1999Ashville HS (AL)
2000–2001Hoover HS (AL) (OC)
2002Albertville HS (AL)
2003–2005Moody HS (AL)
2006–2007Spain Park HS (AL)
2008–2012Oxford HS (AL)
2013Jacksonville State (AHC/OC)
2014–2021Jacksonville State
2022–presentClemson (analyst)
Head coaching record
Overall72–26 (college)
123–60 (high school)[1]
Tournaments5–6 (NCAA D–I playoffs)
Accomplishments and honors
Championships
6 OVC (2014–2018, 2020)
Awards
OVC Coach of the Year (2014–2016)

John Clyde Grass (born February 29, 1968) is an American football coach. He is the former head football coach at the Jacksonville State University, a position he held from 2014 until 2021. Grass joined the coaching staff of the Jacksonville State Gamecocks in 2013 as assistant head coach and offensive coordinator under Bill Clark. He previously coached high school football in the state of Alabama for over two decades.

Grass was born in Ashville, Alabama. Since he was born on February 29 (commonly known as a "leap year baby"), his date of birth is recognized as February 28.

Coaching career

[edit]

Grass was named head coach of the Jacksonville State Gamecocks in 2014 after Bill Clark left to fill a coaching vacancy at UAB. During the 2014 regular season, the Gamecocks went 10–1 and received the No. 3 seed in NCAA Division I Football Championship playoffs. They won the Ohio Valley Conference outright for the first time.

During the 2015 season, the Gamecocks again won the OVC Championship outright. They narrowly lost to Auburn in an overtime game, and went on to play North Dakota St. Bison in the FCS National Championship game, where they lost 37–10. JSU's record finished at 13–2.

The 2016 season was also a successful season for Jacksonville State, where they again won the OVC Championship outright, and were granted the No. 3 seed for the FCS playoffs. Grass' third season as head coach finished during the second round of the FCS Playoffs, where they were upset by the Youngstown St. Penguins 40–24 at home.

Grass resigned as head coach at Jacksonville State on November 8, 2021 with two regular season games left to play. No reason was given, but it was a mutual decision by Grass and the administration. The following month, it was announced that Grass was hired by Clemson in an off-field analyst role. [2]

Education and family

[edit]

Grass graduated from Jacksonville State in 1990 with a bachelor's degree in physical education. He received a master's of physical education from Jacksonville State in 1997 and an Ed.S. in administration in 2010 from Lincoln Memorial University.

Grass married his wife, Jada (née Arnold) in 1995. They have three children: Judd, Jules, and Jayce Cannon.

Head coaching record

[edit]

College

[edit]
Year Team Overall Conference Standing Bowl/playoffs TSN/STATS# Coaches°
Jacksonville State Gamecocks (Ohio Valley Conference) (2014–2020)
2014 Jacksonville State 10–2 8–0 1st L NCAA Division I Second Round 9 9
2015 Jacksonville State 13–2 8–0 1st L NCAA Division I Championship 2 2
2016 Jacksonville State 10–2 7–0 1st L NCAA Division I Second Round 6 6
2017 Jacksonville State 10–2 8–0 1st L NCAA Division I Second Round 9 10
2018 Jacksonville State 9–4 7–1 1st L NCAA Division I Second Round 10 13
2019 Jacksonville State 6–6 3–5 T–5th
2020–21 Jacksonville State 10–3 6–1 1st L NCAA Division I Quarterfinal 9 9
Jacksonville State Gamecocks (Western Athletic Conference) (2021)
2021 Jacksonville State 4–5[a] 2–2
Jacksonville State: 72–26 49–9
Total: 72–26
      National championship         Conference title         Conference division title or championship game berth
  1. ^ Resigned with two games remaining

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Alabama High School Football Head Coaches: John Grass". Alabama High School Football Historical Society. Retrieved April 22, 2014.
  2. ^ "Former FCS head coach joining Clemson's staff". The Clemson Insider. December 16, 2021. Retrieved February 21, 2022.
[edit]