From BCS championships to innovative offenses, Gus Malzahn's 35-year coaching journey shaped collegiate football. His final chapter closes after a dynamic career.
After 35 years of collegiate coaching and coordinating, former UCF head coach Gus Malzahn announced his retirement Monday morning.
Malzahn joined the Knights in 2021 and coached them for four seasons, leading UCF to three bowl games. He was known for his unique play-calling style and creativity with the offense.
He had his best season with UCF in 2021, leading UCF to an 8-4 regular season record before beating Florida 29-17 in the Gasparilla Bowl.
He spoke to media after the game about his excitement surrounding the program after the win.
“Yeah, this is just the beginning,” Malzahn said. “ I really believe it. We got big dreams. We got big goals. We can win the whole thing here and I think tonight was just the first step. Recruiting is going to go really (well) man.”
From there, his tenure at UCF went downhill. The Knights joined the Big 12, running into growing pains in a more competitive conference.
In Malzahn's final season in Orlando, UCF got off to a 3-0 start, including a 21-point comeback win over TCU. The Knights would lose eight of their next nine games, finishing with a 4-8 record and marking the first season in nearly a decade without a bowl game appearance.
Malzahn announced his resignation from UCF shortly after the end of the season, joining in-state rival Florida State as offensive coordinator.
This was his final stop, helping the Seminoles jump out to an impressive start to the season, rising in the ranks and knocking off Alabama. But, once again, the offense struggled from there.
Malzahn, known for his creativity, was one of the first coaches to implement the "hurry-up" offense, promoting his team's to play fast and keep the opposing defense from substituting.
Malzahn first made his mark as the offensive coordinator for Auburn from 2009-2011, calling plays for the 2010 BCS National Champion Auburn squad led by future NFL MVP quarterback Cam Newton.
The Tigers' offense was lethal, averaging over 40 points per game en route to a perfect 14-0 season.
After the championship, Malzahn got his first opportunity to be a head coach in 2012. Malzahn immediately led the Red Wolves to a Sun Belt Championship, completing a remarkable turnaround for an Arkansas State team that won just four games the season prior.
Malzahn returned to Auburn the next season with new experience and new responsibility, taking over as the Tigers' head coach in 2013. In his seven seasons at the helm, Malzahn compiled a 68-35 record.
Malzahn had another incredible debut at his new school, winning the SEC Coach of the Year in 2013 before leading the Tigers to the BCS National Championship the following season.
Auburn had a large lead in the game, but Florida State Heisman quarterback Jameis Winston led the Seminoles on an incredible comeback, taking the lead with just 13 seconds to play.
Malzahn stayed at Auburn until 2020, becoming one of the top-five most winningest coaches in Tigers history and sending over 30 players to the NFL.