Elliot Uzelac Elliot Uzelac ( born July 24 , 1941 ) is an American football coach . Most recently he was the head coach as St . Joseph High School in St . Joseph , Michigan . Uzelac was the head coach at Western Michigan University from 1975 to 1981 and at the United States Naval Academy from 1987 to 1989 . He compiled a 38 – 39 record at Western Michigan and an 8 – 25 record with Navy . Playing career . A native of Gary , Indiana , Uzelac played high school football at Tolleston High School . He graduated from Western Michigan University in 1964 with a degree in physical education . A knee injury ended his football playing career before he could letter at Western Michigan but he was Mid - American Conference outdoor shot put champion as a senior . College coaching career . Before St . Joseph , Uzelac coached at Bowling Green University , the University of Michigan , Indiana University , Ohio State University , the University of Colorado , the University of Kentucky , the University of Minnesota , the University of Maryland , and the NFL ' s Cleveland Browns . Most stops were for one or two years , while the longest he stayed at any one school was his seven - year tenure as head coach at Western Michigan University . Along the way he has coached under or alongside Bo Schembechler , Lloyd Carr , Bill McCartney , Don Nehlen , Bill Mallory , Les Miles , and Bill Belicheck . While head coach at Navy , Uzelac had several notable assistants , including Tom Amstutz , Chuck Bresnahan , Steve Belichick , Dean Pees , and Carl Reese . Some assistants had connections to the University of Michigan as either past or future coaches , including Fred Jackson , Greg Mattison , and Mike Trgovac . While Uzelac has had number of stints in college football as a head coach and as an assistant , his most famous incident occurred in 1991 while he was the offensive coordinator at Ohio State . Uzelac encouraged and pressured players to skip class so they could make practice . This prioritization of football over academics did not sit well with Robert Smith , future Minnesota Vikings running back , who spoke up about the issue . As a result , Smith sat out the season . The next season Uzelac was fired and Smith returned to the team . High school coaching career . Uzelac began his coaching career as an assistant at Chesterton ( IN ) High School in 1964 . He was head coach at Logan ( WV ) HS in 1966 - 67 , compiling a 16 - 4 record and winning a league championship . From 2002 – 2003 , Uzelac coached football at St . John ' s College High School in Washington , D . C . In April 2006 , Uzelac returned to the state of Michigan to coach at St . Joseph High School . Uzelac led the Bears to a 6 – 5 record in 2006 after the team went 0 – 9 the previous season . During the 2007 season , Uzelac led the Bears to a 9 – 0 regular season record and the Final Four of Michigan high school football . The team won the Big 16 Conference and was named the West Division champions , Division 3 district champions , and Division 3 regional champions . Coach Uzelac was also named 2007 High School Coach of the Year by the Michigan Associated Press . In 2008 , Uzelac led the Bears to another 9 – 0 season and another Big 16 Conference title . The team was ranked # 1 in the state for their undefeated season in Division 3 . He resigned as head coach at . St . Joseph on June 29 , 2011 , with a record of 45 - 13 . Personal life . Uzelac is known for his temper and intensity and has had a history of coronary artery disease that has led to multiple surgical procedures .