Art Briles Arthur Ray Briles ( born December 3 , 1955 ) is an American football coach and former player . He is currently the head football coach at Baylor University , a position he has held since the 2008 season . From 2002 to 2007 , Briles was the head coach at the University of Houston . Playing career . A native of Rule , Texas , Briles attended Rule High School , where he was coached by his father . Playing quarterback and earning all - state honors , Briles accepted a scholarship offer by Bill Yeoman at the University of Houston . There Briles switched to wide receiver and played three seasons , including the 1977 Cotton Bowl Classic . His parents and aunt died in a car crash on their way to see him play in a game in October 1976 . After finishing the 1976 – 77 academic year , Briles left Houston and transferred to Texas Tech to complete his bachelor ' s degree , which he earned in 1979 . He went on to earn a master ' s degree in education at Abilene Christian University before entering coaching . Briles is a staunch churchgoer and has attested to the role his faith has had in influencing his coaching . Coaching career . High school . Briles began his coaching career as an assistant at Sundown High School . From 1980 to 1983 , he served as an assistant at Sweetwater High School . At age 28 , he became head coach at 2A Hamlin High School , where he coached from 1984 to 1985 . He guided the team to a 27 – 1 – 1 record including a 35 – 19 loss to Electra High School in the 1985 state semifinals . His instant success caught the attention of bigger schools , so Briles left Hamlin for 5A Georgetown High School in 1986 , where he had a difficult two - year span in the school ' s first two seasons at the highest classification in Texas high school football . Briles left the school in 1987 with a 4 – 15 – 1 overall record . In 1988 , he took over head coaching duties at 4A Stephenville High School in Stephenville , Texas , a school that was playing in the same area as state powerhouse Brownwood High School and had not reached the playoffs in football since 1952 . After a 4 – 5 – 1 season in 1989 , Briles ' Stephenville squads made the playoffs in 1990 and ever since . During Briles ' tenure they won four state championships , including back - to - back titles in 1993 and 1994 , and then again in 1998 and 1999 . Coincidentally , in the 1993 and ' 94 state finals Briles ' Stephenville squads faced La Marque , then coached by Briles ' defensive coordinator at Houston , Alan Weddell . Briles ' record at Stephenville was 135 – 29 – 2 Although Stephenville ' s offense was devastating throughout the 1990s , Briles shifted his offensive scheme from a running game in the early 90s to a passing game in the late 90s . Stephenville ' s first two state championship teams scored 89 touchdowns rushing in 1993 , and 96 touchdowns rushing in 1994 , which was second and third all - time in the nation , respectively , only behind Big Sandy ' s national record 114 touchdowns rushing from the 1975 season . In the late 90s , Briles adapted the spread offense and today is one of the coaches credited for introducing it to Texas high school football . His 1998 team posted 8 , 664 yards of total offense , breaking the 73 - year - old national record 8 , 588 yards originally established by Pine Bluff High School in 1925 . Briles was also known for developing quarterbacks , sending six of his former players to Division I colleges , including Kellan Luker , Branndon Stewart , Kevin Kolb , and his son Kendal Briles . Briles ended his high school coaching career with a record of 165 – 46 – 3 . College . Briles left Stephenville after the 1999 season to join Mike Leach ' s staff at Texas Tech . While serving as running backs coach , Briles improved Texas Tech ' s rushing average every year from 66 . 4 yards a game in his first year to 99 . 6 yards a game in 2002 . He also coached all - conference backs and later NFL players Ricky A . Williams , Shaud Williams , and Taurean Henderson . In 2003 , Briles was hired as head coach at the University of Houston , where he took over a program that had an 8 – 26 record under the previous coach , Dana Dimel . The Cougars went 0 – 11 just two years before Briles ' s arrival . In his first season , Briles led the Cougars to a 7 – 5 record , including a 48 – 54 triple overtime loss to Hawaii , in the Sheraton Hawaii Bowl . After a 3 – 8 season in 2004 , Briles guided the Cougars to a 6 – 6 season and another bowl game in 2005 . In 2006 , he led the Cougars to a 10 – 4 record and the Conference USA Championship that was played on December 1 , 2006 . The Cougars won the game 34 – 20 and it was the school ' s second C - USA Championship ( the first came in 1996 , in the school ' s inaugural season in the C - USA ) . In 2007 , the Cougars finished second in the Conference USA West Division to Todd Graham ' s Tulsa Golden Hurricane . Houston was invited to the Texas Bowl , which was played December 28 , 2007 at Reliant Stadium . It was Houston ' s fourth bowl appearance in five years . Briles left the Cougars before their bowl game to take the head coaching job at Baylor . Briles interviewed for the Baylor head coach position on November 27 , 2007 , and was hired the next day for a seven - year term . At Baylor , Briles was faced with a familiar task to turn around another rebounding program . Within three years , Art Briles led the Baylor Bears to their first bowl game in 15 years . In his first season at Baylor , Briles led the Bears to a 4 – 8 record , 2 – 6 in Big 12 play . The season featured the emergence of freshman quarterback Robert Griffin , and the team ' s second win in 23 years over rival Texas A & M . In his second season at Baylor , the Bears again finished with a 4 – 8 record . However , they only went 1 – 7 in Big 12 conference play . Griffin was injured and missed every conference game . Baylor bounced back in 2010 with a 7 – 5 ( 4 – 4 conference ) record with Griffin , who passed for over 3 , 000 yards , at the helm . This led to a bid in the Texas Bowl where they played Illinois . Briles led the 2011 Baylor team in its most successful season since the formation of the Big 12 Conference in 1996 . With Baylor ' s win in the 2011 Valero Alamo Bowl game , Briles led the Bears to a 10 – 3 record ; the 10 wins tied for the most by a Baylor team in school history with the 1980 team . The 2011 season opened at home against 14 - ranked TCU . In a nationally televised game , Baylor won a dramatic 50 – 48 decision . It was Baylor ' s first win over a ranked opponent since 2004 . In Big 12 Conference play the Bears would accumulate a 6 – 3 record , eclipsing their previous high of 4 conference wins in 2010 . The Bears finished a perfect 7 – 0 at Floyd Casey Stadium , including a 45 – 38 upset victory over the # 5 Oklahoma Sooners and a 48 – 24 victory over # 22 Texas . The victory over Oklahoma was the first for the Bears , having lost the previous 20 meetings between the two schools . In 2011 , Baylor also defeated Texas Tech for the first time since 1995 ( snapping a 15 game losing streak to the Red Raiders ) . Following the conclusion of the 2011 regular season , Baylor quarterback Robert Griffin III , whom Briles was instrumental in recruiting and developing , was awarded the 77th annual Heisman Trophy . Briles has won 17 Big 12 conference games in his five years as head coach . Baylor had won only 11 Big 12 conference games in the 12 seasons preceding his arrival . Under Briles , the Bears completed the 2012 regular season by winning four of their last five games . Perhaps the apex of Briles ' 2012 season was his involvement in the most - stunning upset of 2012 when his unranked Baylor Bears defeated the Kansas State Wildcats , BCS Number - 1 ranked team at the time , by a score of 52 - 24 , which propelled Baylor in winning its final 3 games , earning the Bears an invitation to play UCLA in the Holiday Bowl in San Diego , CA . .