George O ' Leary George Joseph O ' Leary ( born August 17 , 1946 ) is an American football coach , currently serving as the head football coach at the University of Central Florida . He has served as the head coach of the UCF Knights since 2004 . O ' Leary previously coached the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets from 1994 to 2001 , and served as an assistant coach for the Minnesota Vikings from 2002 to 2004 . O ' Leary is widely known for his success with the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets , his brief tenure as head coach for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish , and for coaching the UCF Knights to the fourth - best turnaround in NCAA history in his second year with the team . Personal . George O ' Leary was born on August 17 , 1946 in Central Islip , New York . O ' Leary is married to Sharon O ' Leary and they have four children ; two daughters , Chris and Trish , and two sons , Tim and Marty . Marty was a senior free safety on the 2001 Georgia Tech team that his father coached . O ' Leary earned a Bachelor ' s of Science degree in physical education from the University of New Hampshire , where he graduated in 1968 . Coaching career . Early years . He began his coaching career at Central Islip High School in New York , serving as their assistant coach from 1968 - 1974 . From 1975 - 1976 he served as the head coach at Central Islip . He then became head coach at Liverpool High School in New York from 1977 - 1979 . During his time at the two high schools , between 1975 and 1979 , O ' Leary amassed a 37 - 8 - 1 record , winning more than 82 % of his games . His initial collegiate coaching job was as the defensive line s coach at Syracuse . He served in this capacity from 1980 – 1984 . Between 1985 and 1986 , O ' Leary took on the added responsibility of being the Orange ' s assistant head coach . His next assignment was at Georgia Tech , serving as their defensive coordinator and defensive lines coach from 1987 - 1991 . During this tenure , the team finished 11 - 0 - 1 in 1990 and won the national championship , defeating Nebraska at the Florida Citrus Bowl . Following his initial stint with the Yellow Jackets , O ' Leary received his first coaching job in the NFL with the San Diego Chargers , serving as the their defensive lines coach in 1992 and 1993 . In 1994 , O ' Leary would return to the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets as their defensive coordinator and defensive lines coach , and eventual head coach . Georgia Tech . In the 1994 season , O ' Leary took over the program as interim head coach with three games remaining in the season , after then head coach Bill Lewis was fired for the team ' s 1 – 7 record just three years after winning the 1990 National Championship . He was later named the head coach prior to the 1995 season . After two off years , O ' Leary rebuilt the program into a consistent winner , leading the team to a victory in the 97 Carquest Bowl in Miami , Florida . O ' Leary ' s 1998 team went 10 – 2 , defeating its archrival the University of Georgia for the first time in 7 years , as well as the University of Notre Dame in the Gator Bowl . For the remainder of his tenure at Georgia Tech , the team went to a bowl game every season . O ' Leary won the Bobby Dodd National Coach of the year in 2000 and the ACC Coach of the Year Award in 1998 and 2000 . During his seven - year stint at Georgia Tech , O ' Leary guided the Yellow Jackets to a 52 – 33 ( . 612 ) record , including five bowl appearances . From 1995 – 2001 , Georgia Tech recorded five winning seasons in six years , including the 1998 ACC Co - championship and an appearance in the Toyota Gator Bowl on New Year ' s Day . O ' Leary ' s Georgia Tech teams won at least seven games four times during his tenure , including a 10 - win season in 1998 and a nine - win campaign in 2000 . During an NCAA investigation after he had left Georgia Tech and Chan Gailey was the Head Coach it was revealed that the Georgia Tech football program used ineligible players while O ' Leary was head coach . These infractions were due to the deficiencies in the school ' s academic administration who had incorrectly accounted for student - athletes credit hours and were not attributed to O ' Leary or his staff . The initial requirement that Georgia Tech vacate the performances of the football team for games in which these ineligible players participated was overturned on appeal . Further , Georgia Tech was placed on probation and lost scholarships because of the violations . Notre Dame . In 2001 , O ' Leary left Georgia Tech to take over as the head coach for the University of Notre Dame . A few days after he was hired , inaccuracies were discovered in his published biographical sketch . In the biographical sketch , it stated that O ' Leary had earned a master ' s degree from " NYU - Stony Brook University , " a non - existent institution and actually two separate institutions over 50 miles apart . In fact , he had taken only two courses at SUNY - Stony Brook , and never graduated . He also claimed that he had earned three letters in football at the University of New Hampshire , when the school claimed he had not even played in one game . O ' Leary said in a statement released that day , " Due to a selfish and thoughtless act many years ago , I have personally embarrassed Notre Dame , its alumni and fans . " O ' Leary blamed the inaccuracies on " resume padding " that had followed him through his career , admitting : " In seeking employment I prepared a resume that contained inaccuracies regarding my completion of course work for a master ' s degree and also my level of participation in football at my alma mater . These misstatements were never stricken from my resume or biographical sketch in later years . " Minnesota Vikings . In 2002 , O ' Leary was hired as the defensive coordinator and defensive line coach by Mike Tice for the Minnesota Vikings and served for two seasons . He was credited with improving the 2002 Vikings defense to 10th in the NFL , after it was ranked 30th in 2001 . University of Central Florida . O ' Leary left the Vikings in 2004 to become the head coach at the University of Central Florida . In his first season , the Knights posted their worst season in school history with an 0 – 11 record . The team rebounded in 2005 after joining Conference USA . The team finished the season with an 8 – 3 record ( 7 – 1 in C - USA ) . UCF defeated Rice to clinch the C - USA East Division and earned the right to host the first - ever C - USA Championship Game , a loss to Tulsa that was played in front of more than 51 , 000 people . The team would then go on to play in the Hawaii Bowl , barely losing to Nevada after UCF kicker Matt Prater missed an extra point in overtime . The Knights were just the sixth team in NCAA history to go to a bowl a year after going winless . O ' Leary was named Conference USA Coach of the Year in addition to being named National Coach of the Year by CBSSportsLine . com and SportsIllustrated . com . Facing an 11 - game schedule with just four home games , O ' Leary ' s UCF squad became just the fourth team in NCAA history to earn a bowl berth while playing seven road games in an 11 - game schedule . During O ' Leary ' s leadership , UCF has made more of an effort to improve the athletic facilities on campus . On September 15 , 2007 , it opened its 45 , 000 seat on - campus football facility , Bright House Networks Stadium with a 3 - point loss to the Texas Longhorns on ESPN . O ' Leary was instrumental in getting state - of - the - art practice fields and an indoor football practice facility , the only one of its kind in Florida . UCF had opened the 2007 season on the road with a 25 – 23 victory against ACC team NC State . This was the first victory over a BCS conference team in the O ' Leary era . After a 64 – 12 loss to cross - state rival USF , UCF successfully finished the season leading the C - USA East Division , and again earned the right to host the C - USA Championship in its first season at Bright House Networks Stadium . In a rematch of the 2005 Conference Championship game , the Knights would again face the University of Tulsa in the title game . This time , however , O ' Leary would lead the Knights to their first ever Conference Championship , a feat that would land the Knights a bid to the 2007 Liberty Bowl in Memphis , TN . This was the second bowl berth in school history ( the first coming in 2005 also under O ' Leary ) and the second one in three years . O ' Leary led the Knights to an eight - loss season in 2008 . The losing season , in conjunction with the controversy surrounding the death of Ereck Plancher , led many to question whether O ' Leary ' s tenure at UCF was coming to a close . O ' Leary remained and made significant changes to his coaching staff for the 2009 season . George O ' Leary once again lead UCF to bowl eligibility during the 2009 season , and on November 14 , 2009 , Coach O ' Leary lead the Knights to their first win in program history against a nationally ranked opponent , defeating # 13 Houston 37 – 32 at Bright House Networks Stadium . For the third time in five years the Knights were bowl eligible and faced the Rutgers Scarlet Knights in the 2009 St . Petersburg Bowl , losing 45 – 24 . In 2010 , for the first time in school history , the Knights were ranked following a nationally televised 40 – 33 upset road victory against Houston . After winning 5 straight games , and posting an 11 - game conference winning streak , UCF was ranked in all three major college polls released on November 7 , 2010 . The Knights were ranked 25 in the AP Poll , 23 in the USA Today Coaches Poll and 25 in the Harris Poll . UCF fell just short of garnering a BCS ranking , placing 27th . UCF finished the 2010 regular season with a 10 - 3 record , after winning the Conference USA Championship over the SMU Mustangs , 17 – 7 , and earning the Knights second invitation to the Liberty Bowl . The Knights ranked 25th in the final BCS standings , marking the first time UCF has ever been ranked in the BCS standings . UCF also ranked 24th in Coaches Poll , 25th in Harris Poll , and were unofficially ranked 26th in the AP Poll . For the third time in his tenure at UCF , George O ' Leary won C - USA Coach of the Year honors . He then led the Knights to a 10 – 6 Liberty Bowl victory over the SEC ' s Georgia Bulldogs and final rankings of 20 and 21 in the Coaches and AP Polls , respectively . The bowl win and 11 total wins were two more firsts for the Knights , capping off the most successful year in team history . 2011 proved to be a disappointing season as UCF finished with a losing record , and were not bowl eligible for the first time since 2008 . Following an investigation into recruiting violations in the men ' s basketball and football programs in 2011 , on July 31 , 2012 , the NCAA announced sanctions – in addition to penalties UCF had already self - imposed . The NCAA imposed a one - year postseason football ban for the 2012 season , in addition to a $ 50 , 000 fine , five years ' probation , reduction of football scholarships , and tighter limits of football recruiting visiting days . Death of Ereck Plancher . On March 18 , 2008 , running back Ereck Plancher died after conditioning drills . According to four UCF football players interviewed by the " Orlando Sentinel " , Coach O ' Leary verbally abused Plancher throughout the workout , and continued to push the young man to perform despite what they reported to be obvious physical signs that Plancher was in no shape to continue . According to the four unnamed players , O ' Leary cursed at Ereck Plancher in a post - workout huddle . Plancher collapsed shortly after the workout and was immediately attended by UCF athletic trainers . He was then transported to a nearby hospital where he died approximately one hour later . Subsequent to the " Orlando Sentinel " article , ESPN ' s " Outside The Lines " program on November 2 , 2008 interviewed players who were at the training session at which Plancher became ill and after which he died ; they stated that the session was longer and far more rigorous than O ' Leary and other UCF Athletics officials have admitted to publicly . They also alleged that O ' Leary and other coaches had initially warned players against providing assistance to Plancher when he became visibly distressed . UCF medical records indicate that UCF coaches and trainers knew that Plancher had a sickle - cell trait which could lead to problems , and even death , during high - intensity workouts . After a 14 – day trial in 2011 , a jury found the UCF Athletics Association guilty of negligence in the death of Plancher . The jury awarded each of his parents $ 5 million . Academic success . George O ' Leary has reshaped the UCF football program in regard to improved academic results in the classroom and overall team discipline on and off the football field . Since O ' Leary ' s arrival , UCF has posted its top two fall semester team grade point averages in the classroom . The Knights set a new school Division I - A history record with a 2 . 78 team GPA in 2004 , only to break that mark with a 2 . 808 team GPA in the fall of 2005 . In 2005 , UCF placed 39 student - athletes on the Conference USA Commissioner ' s Honor Roll , the most of any football squad in the conference . O ' Leary ' s first recruiting class showed 82 percent of the class receiving academic honor roll accolades . The impressive honor roll number was not limited to the newcomers as 40 percent of the entire team earned a 3 . 0 GPA or higher during the fall 2004 semester . The Knights academic success continued during the Fall 2007 semester , when the Knights had an in - season team GPA of 2 . 753 . This brought the cumulative GPA of the Knights ' roster to 2 . 838 . Furthermore , 44 members of the roster posted a GPA of 3 . 0 or higher . For the fall 2008 semester the Knights combined cumulative grade point average was 2 . 969 , and has been as high as 3 . 035 following the 2007 summer semester . The overall team cumulative GPA for the fall 2009 semester is 2 . 99 . According to UCF ' s associate director of Academic Services for Student - Athletes , UCF football players are required to attend 10 hours of study hall a week , with at least two hours completed each and every night .