Fred Goldsmith (American football)

Fred Goldsmith

Biographical details
Born	(1944-03-03) March 3, 1944
Playing career
1963–1964	Western Carolina
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
1974–1978	Florida A&M (DC/RC)
1979–1980	Air Force (AHC/DC)
1981	Slippery Rock
1982–1983	Air Force (AHC/DC)
1984–1988	Arkansas (AHC/DC)
1989–1993	Rice
1994–1998	Duke
2001–2005	Franklin HS (NC)
2007–2010	Lenoir–Rhyne
Head coaching record
Overall	59–104–1 (college) 47–15 (high school)
Bowls	0–1
Accomplishments and honors
Awards
Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Award (1994) ACC Coach of the Year (1994)

Fred Goldsmith (born March 3, 1944) is a former American football player and coach. He served as the head football coach at Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania (1981), Rice University (1989–1993), Duke University (1994–1998), and Lenoir–Rhyne University (2007–2010), compiling a career record of 59–104–1.

Coaching career

Goldsmith is perhaps best known for his coaching successes in the 1990s at two NCAA Division I programs that are not accustomed to success: Duke University and Rice University. His résumé includes the 1992 Sports Illustrated National NCAA Football Coach of the Year and the 1994 Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Award. At Duke, he breathed life into a program still in the doldrums of the post-Steve Spurrier era and was known as a capable defensive tactician. His team's offenses were often hampered by the lack of athletic personnel and forced Goldsmith to compensate by running draws on third-and-long and throwing wide receiver screens 10 to 15 times a game.

His successful collegiate coaching career, however, saw an unceremonious end when he was relieved of his duties by Duke Athletics Director Joe Alleva just a year into Alleva's tenure, after only six wins in his last three seasons.

In addition, under Goldsmith's tenure, Duke's football program was ordered to pay walk-on kicker, Heather Sue Mercer, $2,000,001 in nominal and punitive damages for its discriminatory treatment of her during her time on the team. A federal jury found that Mercer was afforded less of an opportunity to practice and compete than other 'similarly situated' players (other walk-on kickers). Her allegations also included sexist statements made to her by Goldsmith. (See Mercer v. Duke University, 190 F.3d 643 (4th Cir. 1999).

Goldsmith's final coaching job was as the 18th head football coach for Lenoir–Rhyne University, an NCAA Division II school in Hickory, North Carolina. Hired on November 28, 2006, Goldsmith arrived at Lenoir-Rhyne fresh off a successful four-year run at Franklin High School in Franklin, North Carolina, where he compiled an overall win-loss record of 47–15. Goldsmith retired on May 3, 2011.

Head coaching record

College

Year	Team	Overall	Conference	Standing	Bowl/playoffs
Slippery Rock (Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference) (1981)
1981	Slippery Rock	2–7	2–4	T–5th (West)
Slippery Rock:		2–7	2–4
Rice Owls (Southwest Conference) (1989–1983)
1989	Rice	2–8–1	2–6	T–7th
1990	Rice	5–6	3–5	T–5th
1991	Rice	4–7	2–6	8th
1992	Rice	6–5	4–3	T–2nd
1993	Rice	6–5	3–4	T–4th
Rice:		23–31–1	14–24
Duke Blue Devils (Atlantic Coast Conference) (1994–1998)
1994	Duke	8–4	5–3	T–3rd	L Hall of Fame
1995	Duke	3–8	1–7	8th
1996	Duke	0–11	0–8	9th
1997	Duke	2–9	0–8	9th
1998	Duke	4–7	2–6	6th
Duke:		17–39	8–32
Lenoir–Rhyne Bears (South Atlantic Conference) (2007–2010)
2007	Lenoir–Rhyne	2–9	0–6	7th
2008	Lenoir–Rhyne	3–8	1–6	7th
2009	Lenoir–Rhyne	5–6	2–5	T–6th
2010	Lenoir–Rhyne	7–4	4–3	3rd
Lenoir–Rhyne:		17–27	7–20
Total:		59–104–1

Coaching tree

Assistant coaches under Goldsmith who became NCAA head coaches:

• Craig Bohl: North Dakota State (2003–2013), Wyoming (2014–present)
• Keith Burns: Tulsa: (2000–2002)
• Clay Helton: USC (2013, 2015–present)