Carl Torbush - Football Coach - Mississippi State

Carl Torbush

Title:
Assistant Coach
Email:
ctorbush@athletics.msstate.edu

For a first-year head coach, putting together a staff with a mixture of experience and fresh ideas is a priority. Dan Mullen's quest to find a defensive coordinator led him to a coach that had both. Carl Torbush has experience as a head coach and has constructed league-leading defenses in both the Atlantic Coast Conference and the Southeastern Conference.

Torbush, a former head coach at Louisiana Tech and North Carolina and defensive coordinator at Alabama, Ole Miss and Texas A&M joined head coach Dan Mullen's staff this past winter as defensive coordinator and linebacker coach.

Torbush comes to Mississippi State from his alma mater Carson-Newman, where he spent the past three seasons as assistant head coach and linebackers coach. During his time in Jefferson City, Tenn., the Eagles posted a record of 25-8, including a 10-1 mark in 2007.

Before returning to his alma mater in 2006, Torbush served for five seasons as defensive coordinator and linebackers coach at Alabama and Texas A&M under head coach Dennis Franchione. His 2001 Alabama defensive unit led the Southeastern Conference and ranked third nationally allowing only 257.3 yards per game.

Prior to joining Franchione's staff at Alabama, Torbush spent three years as head coach at North Carolina where he posted a 17-18 overall record, including a pair of bowl victories. Torbush had served as the defensive coordinator and linebackers coach for 10 seasons under head coach Mack Brown before taking over as the Tar Heels' head coach. During his tenure as defensive coordinator, Torbush's defenses led the Atlantic Coast Conference each of the last three seasons and UNC played in bowl games in his final five seasons.

Torbush graduated from Carson-Newman in 1974 where he lettered in both football and baseball and earned first-team NAIA All-American honors in both sports his senior season. He played professional baseball in the Kansas City Royals organization before earning his master's degree at Baylor while serving as a graduate assistant under legendary head coach Grant Teaff.

The Knoxville, Tenn., native coached on the defensive side of the ball at Southeastern Louisiana and Louisiana Tech before serving for three years as defensive coordinator at Ole Miss. His 1986 defensive unit led the Southeastern Conference in total defense, and he spent one season as head coach at Louisiana Tech in 1987. The following season he joined Brown's staff at North Carolina.

Coaching Career
2006-08: South Alabama (Asst. Head Coach / LBs)
2003-05: Texas A&M (Defensive Coord. / LBs)
2001-02: Alabama (Defensive Coord. / LBs)
1998-2000: North Carolina (Head Coach)
1988-98: North Carolina (Defensive Coord. / LBs)
1987: Louisiana Tech (Head Coach)
1983-86: Ole Miss (Defensive Coordinator)
1980-82: Louisiana Tech (Asst. Head Coach / LBs)
1976-79: Southeastern Louisiana (LB’s / Defensive Ends)
1975: Baylor (Graduate Assistant)
1974: Carter (Tenn.) High School

Personal
Birthdate: October 11, 1951
Hometown: Knoxville, Tenn.
Education: 1974 - Bachelor’s in Physical Education from Carson-Newman
1976 - Master’s in Physical Education and Health from Baylor
Family: Married to the former Janet Gilbert
Children: Trey