Jim Carlen

Jim Carlen

Carlen in 1962 with Georgia Tech
Biographical details
Born	(1933-07-11)July 11, 1933 Cookeville, Tennessee
Died	July 22, 2012(2012-07-22) (aged 79) Hilton Head Island, South Carolina
Playing career
1953–1954	Georgia Tech
Position(s)	Linebacker, punter
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
1958–1960	Georgia Tech (freshmen)
1961–1965	Georgia Tech (defense)
1966–1969	West Virginia
1970–1974	Texas Tech
1975–1981	South Carolina
Administrative career (AD unless noted)
1975–1981	South Carolina
Head coaching record
Overall	107–69–6
Bowls	2–5–1
Accomplishments and honors
Championships
1 SoCon (1967)
Awards
2x SWC Coach of the Year (1970, 1973)

James A. Carlen (July 11, 1933 – July 22, 2012) was an American football player, coach, and college athletics administrator. He served as the head football coach at West Virginia University (1966–1969) and Texas Tech University (1970–1974). He served as both the head football coach and athletic director of the University of South Carolina (1975–1981). Carlen compiled an overall career college football record of 107–69–6.

Coaching career

Carlen coached the West Virginia Mountaineers from 1966 to 1969 with a record of 25–13–3 (.658). Then he coached the Texas Tech Red Raiders from 1970 to 1974, where he amassed a 37–20–2 record. From 1975 to 1981, he was the head football coach of the South Carolina Gamecocks where he coached Heisman Trophy running back George Rogers and compiled a 45–36–1 record. Carlen 45 wins are third most in the program's history after Steve Spurrier's 85 and Rex Enright's 64. In 1979 and 1980, Carlen led the Gamecocks to consecutive 8–4 campaigns with appearancess in the Hall of Fame Classic and Gator Bowl. His career bowl game record is 2–5–1.

In July 2008, four years before his death, Carlen was inducted into the Texas Tech Athletics Hall of Honor.

Coach Carlen was actively involved in the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) during his entire post-coaching life. In April 2011 he was quoted as saying, “I was one of the original six members of the FCA, the originals. FCA started very small, and then it snowballed. When I hired a coach I always took a close look at his spiritual life,” Carlen said. “When you have God on your side you don’t have to worry.”

Death

Carlen died on July 22, 2012, at the age of seventy-nine at a nursing home near his home at Hilton Head Island in Beaufort County in southeastern South Carolina. A memorial service was scheduled for Friday, July 27, at 4 p.m. at the Trenholm Road United Methodist Church in Columbia, South Carolina.

Head coaching record

Year	Team	Overall	Conference	Standing	Bowl/playoffs	Coaches#	AP°
West Virginia Mountaineers (Southern Conference) (1966–1967)
1966	West Virginia	3–5–2	3–0	2nd
1967	West Virginia	5–4–1	3–0–1	1st
West Virginia Mountaineers (NCAA University Division Independent) (1966–1969)
1968	West Virginia	7–3
1969	West Virginia	10–1			W Peach	18	17
West Virginia:		25–13–3	6–0–1
Texas Tech Red Raiders (Southwest Conference) (1970–1974)
1970	Texas Tech	8–4	5–2	3rd	L Sun
1971	Texas Tech	4–7	2–5	7th
1972	Texas Tech	8–4	4–3	T–2nd	L Sun
1973	Texas Tech	11–1	6–1	2nd	W Gator	11	11
1974	Texas Tech	6–4–2	3–4	6th	T Peach
Texas Tech:		37–20–2	20–15
South Carolina Gamecocks (NCAA Division I / I-A independent) (1975–1981)
1975	South Carolina	7–5			L Tangerine
1976	South Carolina	6–5
1977	South Carolina	5–7
1978	South Carolina	5–5–1
1979	South Carolina	8–4			L Hall of Fame Classic
1980	South Carolina	8–4			L Gator
1981	South Carolina	6–6
South Carolina:		45–36–1
Total:		107–69–6
National championship         Conference title         Conference division title or championship game berth
#Rankings from final Coaches Poll. °Rankings from final AP Poll.