Larry Blakeney
Alabama-native Larry Blakeney (1947- ) is best known for his successful run as the head football coach at Troy State University (present-day Troy University) from 1991 to 2014. During his tenure, he became the second college football coach to take a program from the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division II to Division 1-A (present-day Football Bowl Subdivision, or FBS) and recorded the most all-time wins as a coach in Trojan history and Sun Belt Conference history by the time he retired.
Blakeney was born on September 21, 1947, in Birmingham, Jefferson County, to J.C. and Lucille Blakeney. His family later moved to Gordo, Pickens County, where Blakeney would begin his career as a multi-sport athlete for Gordo High School. He was recruited to play baseball and football for the Auburn Tigers and, as a sophomore, went on to start several games at quarterback under celebrated head coach Ralph “Shug” Jordan.
After graduating from Auburn University with a bachelor’s degree in business administration in 1970, Blakeney briefly worked at Scott Paper Company in Atlanta and later at an insurance business in Gordo. However, he was soon asked to coach the football team at the private pre-K through 12th grade Southern Academy in Greensboro, Hale County. Blakeney turned this opportunity into more head coaching opportunities at Walker High School (present-day Jasper High School), Walker County, and Vestavia Hills High School, Jefferson County. He won 50 out of 76 games as a high school coach. After receiving a master’s degree in education from the University of Montevallo in 1976, Blakeney landed an assistant coaching role with the Auburn Tigers thanks to his success as a high school coach.
Beginning in the 1977 season, Blakeney coached at Auburn for 14 years in several capacities. He coached the offensive line, wide receivers, and tight ends at various points and eventually became the primary offensive play caller from 1986 to 1990. The Tigers were quite successful with Blakeney supporting iconic head coach Pat Dye on the sidelines, and the team recorded a 110-50-3 record, four Southeastern Conference (SEC) Championships, and six bowl game wins. Blakeney left the Tigers following a 1990 scandal that tied multiple Auburn assistant coaches to National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) violations involving player payment.
Despite the controversy, Blakeney was hired to be the Troy State Trojans head coach for the 1991 season. Troy, an NCAA Division II school at the time, had been approved to transition to Division I-AA (present-day Football Championship Subdivision, or FCS) for the 1992 season. Blakeney led the Trojans to its first undefeated regular season in 1993 and its first ever undefeated and untied regular season in 1995. After the Trojans made seven Division I-AA playoff appearances in eight years, Troy State officially transitioned to Division I-A and became the Troy University Trojans in 2001.
Blakeney helped the Trojans become a serious competitor at the highest level of college football competition, including against top conference teams. As heavy underdogs, the Trojans beat the Mississippi State Bulldogs of the SEC in 2001 and upset the 17th ranked Missouri Tigers of the Big 12 Conference in 2004, perhaps the Trojans’ most significant win at the time. Then, they defeated another Big 12 team, the Oklahoma State Cowboys, in 2007. During these transition periods, Blakeney also helped plan and execute many renovations to Veterans Memorial Stadium in 1998 and 2003 to increase audience capacity, which led to the team renaming the field “Larry Blakeney Field at Veterans Memorial Stadium” in 2011.
From 2006 to 2010, Blakeney led the Trojans to five consecutive Sun Belt Conference titles, five FBS bowl appearances, and two New Orleans Bowl wins, in 2006 and 2010. Following this dominant run, the Trojans had three consecutive losing seasons, and Blakeney retired after the 2014 season, his 24th season as head coach. Despite this difficult stretch at the end of his career, Blakeney is still known as one of the most successful program builders in NCAA history. He also retired as the most successful coach in Troy’s history to date with a 178-113-1 record; 86 of those wins came at the Division I level. He became the all-time wins leader in Troy and Sun Belt Conference history. Not only did he help Troy establish itself as a legitimate Division I/FBS team, but he also coached 21 players to the NFL, including National Football League Hall of Famer DeMarcus Ware, Osi Umenyiora, Lawrence Tynes, and Leodis McKelvin.
For his accomplishments, Blakeney was inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame in 2009 and the Troy University Sports Hall of Fame in 2012. In 2025, he also became the first coach or player from Troy (and the Sun Belt Conference as a whole) to be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.
