UPDATED: Former Gopher Tony Levine named Houston Cougar's HC

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This is really cool. Tony was a great story as a Gopher football player. He was an undersized and over-achieving wide receiver. Today he is a successful coach. Hopefully, he gets a shot at being the head coach with Houston or some other program. Good luck Tony.
 


Here is a Where are they now Q&A that GopherHole did with Levine back in 2004:

http://www.gopherhole.com/news_article/show/93452?referrer_id=388419

Where are they now?: Tony Levine
For many walk-ons, getting a chance to dress for a home game and getting in for a few plays is a career highlight. For former Gopher wide receiver Tony Levine, all walk-on status meant was getting a last minute start and taking advantage of it with seven receptions, 141 yards and a touchdown over Indiana State. Levine quickly shed the walk-on status and earned a full scholarship under Coach Jim Wacker and became a valuable member of a high-flying offense. Levine's hard work and perseverance paid off, as he is still tied for eighth all-time with three 100-yard receiving games. Levine's hard work paid off off the field as well, as he was named Academic All-Big Ten in 1994-95.

The St. Paul, Minnesota, native followed his career at the U with a season in professional football with the Minnesota Pike in the Arena Football League. Following that, Levine opened up a sports marketing company, providing an opportunity to parlay skills learned in football to the business world. But football was always in his heart, and a year later led him to the sidelines where he is currently working his way through the coaching ranks.

A diehard Gopher fan growing up, the current Director of Football Operations at the University of Louisville recently took time out of his busy schedule to talk about his passion for the Maroon and Gold and his incredible journey from Gopher walk-on to impact wide receiver.

GopherHole.com: Where has your post Gopher career taken you?

Tony Levine: Since graduating in the spring of 1996, my career has taken me to four different states. I was a member of the now-defunct Minnesota Fighting Pike of the Arena Football League in 1996, while also running my own sports marketing company, Levine Marketing Group. After a successful year as the executive director of LMG, I was offered and accepted a job as an assistant football coach at Southwest Texas State University under former U of M offensive coordinator Bob DeBesse. I assisted with coaching the wide receivers in 1997, followed by a stint as the tight ends coach in 1998-99. I was also named co-recruiting coordinator in 1999.

I was then hired as the offensive graduate assistant tight ends coach at Auburn University in the spring of 2000 by former U of M quarterbacks coach Noel Mazzone. After helping coach Auburn to back-to-back SEC Western Division Champions and to appearances in the 2001 Florida Citrus Bowl and 2001 Peach Bowl, I accepted the job as special teams coordinator and tight ends coach at Louisiana Tech University in the spring of 2002. After spending the 2002 season at La Tech, I was named the Director of Football Operations at the University of Louisville in February of 2003. This past season we finished with a record of 9-4 and played in the GMAC Bowl in Mobile, Alabama.

Academically, I graduated from the University of Minnesota with a degree in kinesiology with an emphasis in sports management. In 1999, I received my master's degree in Physical Education (sports management) from Southwest Texas State University. Finally, this past fall I earned my Specialist Degree in Adult Education from Auburn University.

I was married to the former Erin Wood from Birmingham, AL, in the summer of 2002. Erin is a nutritionist at a local hospital.

GH.com: Thinking back to your days as a Gopher, which game/games stick out the most and why?

Levine: The game that sticks out in my mind most was our home opener in 1993 against Indiana State when I was still a walk-on. Because of an injury to starting wide receiver Omar Douglas, I was named as a last-minute starter and ended up catching seven passes for 141 yards and a touchdown. It was truly a dream come true.

GH.com: What former teammates/coaches do you most often keep in contact with?

Levine: Former players that I keep in contact with include Craig Sauer, Justin Conzemius, Scott Williams, Mike Brown, Kenny McClintock, Lewis Garrison, Tim Socha, and Doug Hoefer, to name a few (it's been a long day -- I hope I didn't leave anybody out). Since I'm in the coaching profession, I seem to stay in touch with former coaches more often than former players. I stay in contact with Mark Tommerdahl, Bob DeBesse, Gordie Shaw, Kevin Sumlin, John Gutekunst, Noel Mazzone, strength coach Kevin Yoxall, and trainer Brent Millikin, to name a few.

GH.com: What does it mean to you to be a Golden Gopher?

Levine: I can not express in words the feeling I had representing the University of Minnesota on the football field -- again, 'a dream come true' would be an understatement. The pride I have for the U is immeasurable. The memories that I have from putting on my football jersey for five years to walking across the stage at Northrup and receiving my diploma will be thoughts that will accompany me everywhere.

GH.com: If there is one lesson you learned from a coach or teammate that stands out more than any other, what would it be?

Levine: The lessons of how discipline, hard work, and passion will allow a person to be successful are things that I learned from my time as a member of the University of Minnesota football team under Coach Jim Wacker. I spoke to Coach Wacker only weeks before his passing, and the passion in his voice was as strong as ever. He also taught me the importance of never compromising your beliefs and priorities, and understanding what is important in life. To him I'll always be grateful.

GH.com: Who was the best teammate you ever played with and why?

Levine: The best teammate I ever played with and also the toughest player I ever played against had to be Craig Sauer. They didn't come any better than him, and they certainly didn't come any tougher. We roomed together in college, and he was and still is an inspiration.

GH.com: If you could come back and suit up against one team, who would it be and why?

Levine: There's no doubt that if I could come back and suit up one more time, it would be against Wisconsin. I'd naturally like to play them again at home in front of the hometown fans, but I also wouldn't mind going to their place and beating them on the road as well. I was never a big fan of the Badgers -- not many kids from Minnesota are.

GH.com: If you could give any advice to the current Gopher team, what would it be?

Levine: Advice to the current Gopher team would be to keep working toward all of your goals. They have had great success over the past few years and have achieved some of their goals. Continue to work hard and strive to raise the bar even higher.

GH.com: Do you still follow the Gophers? If so, what are your thoughts on where the program is and what will it take to get back to the Rose Bowl?

Levine: I absolutely still follow the Gophers. I always have and I always will follow the Gophers. I think the program is in great shape and that Coach Mason and his staff have done an outstanding job.
 

Awesome to see a former Gopher getting a shot to be a head coach. Hopefully things will go well for him in Houston and he will continue to move up the ladder similar to how Sumlin did. Nice to have guys in the coaching ranks that would call Minnesota their dream job.
 


Many people always want an M man to be a Gopher HC. Could Levine be a candidate down the road?
 

station19 said:
Many people always want an M man to be a Gopher HC. Could Levine be a candidate down the road?
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Kind of what I was getting at with my post. Obviously we all want Kill to be here a long time. But if Levine were to be successful down there and Kill were to struggle up here it would be great to have an a former player sitting out there as a viable option during a coaching search.
 

I'm always happy to see a former Gopher (and Minnesota native) get a shot at a D-IA coaching job. But he is about the most underqualified candidate I have seen get a job of this magnitude in quite some time. As soon as this season is over, Houston will be a BCS football team, and Levine will have easily the weakest resume of any BCS head coach. Of course, it is always possible that he overcomes his lack of experience, but the chances of him ever being the Gopher coach are next to nil. Then again, having ties/connections to Minnesota/the U should be about 150th on the list of qualifications for any potential head coach.
 

dpodoll68 said:
, but the chances of him ever being the Gopher coach are next to nil. Then again, having ties/connections to Minnesota/the U should be about 150th on the list of qualifications for any potential head coach.
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Levine is 39 years old. While I agree that right now he would be very underqualified to be the coach of the Gophers if he were to have a successful run as a head coach there is no reason to think he can't be a viable possibility at some point down the line. Obviously he would have to prove he can cut it as a head coach but if he does, with the way coaches get fired these days, I can absolutely see him as a future head coach for the U of M.
 



dpodoll68 said:
I'm always happy to see a former Gopher (and Minnesota native) get a shot at a D-IA coaching job. But he is about the most underqualified candidate I have seen get a job of this magnitude in quite some time. As soon as this season is over, Houston will be a BCS football team, and Levine will have easily the weakest resume of any BCS head coach. Of course, it is always possible that he overcomes his lack of experience, but the chances of him ever being the Gopher coach are next to nil. Then again, having ties/connections to Minnesota/the U should be about 150th on the list of qualifications for any potential head coach.
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Print...Fold... and Stuff in your "I told you so" file. We'll know in the next 5 years if he is up to the task.
 

Not to quibble but Houston, SMU, UCF, Boise State, and San Diego State are going into the Big East in 2013. This would mean that he was a HC at a non-BCS school for 1 year before becoming a BCS HC. That's still a little risky for a BCS team, I suppose.
 

Bo Darville said:
Not to quibble but Houston, SMU, UCF, Boise State, and San Diego State are going into the Big East in 2013. This would mean that he was a HC at a non-BCS school for 1 year before becoming a BCS HC. That's still a little risky for a BCS team, I suppose.
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Good call. I forgot that the Big East is going to (stupidly, IMO) try to hold WVU, Syracuse, et al in the conference for another year.
 




Good for Tony Levine! I'll always remember the Wisconsin game, just before half-time, when Jason Suttle intercepted a Sauter pass and was on his way to a 95 yard return. Levine hustled and caught Suttle, saving what looked like a sure TD. I was always a fan of his, but that made me an even more ardent fan. Best of Luck Tony!
 

@dpodoll68

Underqualified? Really? You the great Brewster lover that tells everyone to shut up when he is criticized are gonna talk about underqualified? Levine has coached at every level including NFL, was director of football operation at Louisville, has coached offensive positions, has coached defensive positions, coached special teams, and and was assistant head coach at Houston. Could your favorite tight ends coach/recruiting "specialist" have said half of that? Tony definitely has earned and deserves this shot.

That said, I am biased. I graduated from Highland Park Sr. High in St. Paul with Tony. While we were not close friends Tony was a guy that everyone liked because he was an all around good person, very intelligent, and worked his but off in the classroom and on the field.

http://www.chron.com/sports/cougars...-coach-Levine-says-he-s-in-it-for-2421245.php
http://espn.go.com/college-football...e-takes-houston-cougars-plans-long-stay-coach

You can have your numbskull Brewster. Tony will do fine.
 

wohnypony said:
Underqualified? Really?
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Yes. Really. Terribly so. This cannot be argued against.

wohnypony said:
You the great Brewster lover
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Wrong.

wohnypony said:
that tells everyone to shut up when he is criticized
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Wrong.

wohnypony said:
are gonna talk about underqualified?
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Yes. Because he is.

wohnypony said:
Levine has coached at every level including NFL
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As an assistant special teams and assistant strength coach. Pinch me.

wohnypony said:
was director of football operation at Louisville, has coached offensive positions, has coached defensive positions, coached special teams
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Awesome. I couldn't help but notice the utter lack of coordinating and/or head coaching positions in there.

wohnypony said:
Could your favorite tight ends coach/recruiting "specialist" have said half of that?
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Comparing coaching resumes between Brewster and Levine is really, really asinine. I mean, really asinine. When Minnesota hired him, Brewster had been coaching for 21 years. Levine was in high school 21 years ago. Brewster, in 1989, got to the same level Levine was at a week ago...and then coached another 18 years after that before getting the Minnesota job. Brewster was underqualified and unprepared to lead a BCS team, and Levine is far, far less qualified. I mean, really? That's your argument? You really want to go there?

wohnypony said:
Tony definitely has earned and deserves this shot.
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That has no bearing on his experience or qualifications. No one "deserves" anything.

wohnypony said:
That said, I am biased.
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Shocking.

wohnypony said:
Tony was a guy that everyone liked because he was an all around good person, very intelligent, and worked his but off in the classroom and on the field.
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That's fantastic. What does any of that have to do with being a Division I head football coach again?

wohnypony said:
You can have your numbskull Brewster.
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I'm not sure where this is coming from, but I'm not a fan of Tim Brewster. I am a fan of the University of Minnesota and its sports programs. I was a fan of Tim Brewster when he was associated with the University of Minnesota. Now, I couldn't care less about Tim Brewster or what happens to him. This is not a hard concept to grasp. Tim Brewster also has less than nothing to do with Tony Levine and his experience/qualifications.

wohnypony said:
Tony will do fine.
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Maybe, but probably not. I never said he couldn't, I just said that it's likely he won't. I'll be rooting for him because he's a U of M alum, but I don't see his tenure there ending well. I could be wrong, but I doubt it.
 

wohnypony said:
Underqualified? Really? You the great Brewster lover that tells everyone to shut up when he is criticized are gonna talk about underqualified? Levine has coached at every level including NFL, was director of football operation at Louisville, has coached offensive positions, has coached defensive positions, coached special teams, and and was assistant head coach at Houston. Could your favorite tight ends coach/recruiting "specialist" have said half of that? Tony definitely has earned and deserves this shot.

That said, I am biased. I graduated from Highland Park Sr. High in St. Paul with Tony. While we were not close friends Tony was a guy that everyone liked because he was an all around good person, very intelligent, and worked his but off in the classroom and on the field.

http://www.chron.com/sports/cougars...-coach-Levine-says-he-s-in-it-for-2421245.php
http://espn.go.com/college-football...e-takes-houston-cougars-plans-long-stay-coach

You can have your numbskull Brewster. Tony will do fine.
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I have known Tony since his grade school days, and am happy for him, and his family (including his parents and brother).

He has worked hard for everything he has accomplished. He was an unknown quantity in HS, who worked hard to become All-State. He walked on and earned a scholarship. He spent 16 years coaching every level of football from HS freshmen to the NFL.

He will be a successful coach in the BE.
 

Ha ha I have seen you many times telling people to shut it when they are criticizing Brewster so keep your lies. You had a tough time crawling out of his backside because you had squirmed so far up it. As far as their resumes go, yes Brewster has a longer one but that's it, you win there big boy. The people around him obviously recognized that he had a ceiling so he stuck around doing the same thing at all his stops. It wasn't until our pal Maturi was taken in by his schlock that anyone considered him for anything more than a position coach. Your argument seems to be that because Brewster had been a coach longer than Tony that makes him better qualified, now that is asinine. Tony on the other had has more than position coach experience and obviously has the respect of those around him, enough that they consider him head coach material, and he has done it in half the time.

Oh and also you say that "Brewster, in 1989, got to the same level Levine was at a week ago...and then coached another 18 years after that before getting the Minnesota job". Tell me where again Brewster was an Assistant Head Coach and also a Coordinator 18 years ago? Ah yes in 1989 ol' Brew was an unpaid volunteer assistant nothing at North Carolina. Wow good job dp, ya got me good.
 

wohnypony said:
Ha ha I have seen you many times telling people to shut it when they are criticizing Brewster so keep your lies. You had a tough time crawling out of his backside because you had squirmed so far up it. As far as their resumes go, yes Brewster has a longer one but that's it, you win there big boy. The people around him obviously recognized that he had a ceiling so he stuck around doing the same thing at all his stops. It wasn't until our pal Maturi was taken in by his schlock that anyone considered him for anything more than a position coach. Your argument seems to be that because Brewster had been a coach longer than Tony that makes him better qualified, now that is asinine. Tony on the other had has more than position coach experience and obviously has the respect of those around him, enough that they consider him head coach material, and he has done it in half the time.
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Dpod's arguments defending Brewster is against the people that say he didn't really care, at least that's what I remember.
 

I think the key point in this is Levine is an internal candidate. Houston knows exactly what they are getting in Levine. I would agree he does not have alot of experience but he must have something they like. It would be quite different if he was an external hire.
 

per Shooter:

"Gophers football coach Jerry Kill telephoned Tony Levine, a former Gophers receiver who is the new head coach at Houston, to congratulate him on the job.

"It's great to see a guy so well deserving get hired," Kill said.

Kill has so much respect for Levine that last spring he sent his special-team assistants to Houston to visit with the Highland Park grad."

http://www.twincities.com/sports/ci_19615801

Go Gophers!!
 

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