Charlie Harbison - Football Coach

Charlie Harbison

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

STARKVILLE, Miss. ??“ Mississippi State University head football coach Sylvester Croom recommended Thursday the hiring of two new assistant coaches to his Bulldog football staff. The appointments require approval by the Board of Trustees, Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning.

Veteran Southeastern Conference assistant coaches Charlie Harbison and Pat Washington have been hired to the MSU football staff, Croom said.

I am pleased to be able to add two excellent people to our staff that have substantial coaching and recruiting experience in the Southeastern Conference," Croom said. "With the addition of strength coach Ben Pollard, we have added three good people with recent bowl experience that will help significantly as we continue to grow this program.

Harbison, 47, comes to MSU following four years in his second tour of duty on the staff at the University of Alabama. He coached the Crimson Tide wide receivers during his most recent stint. Harbison helped UA to a 26-24 overall record during that stretch, including berths in the 2004 Music City, '06 Cotton Bowl and Independence Bowl this past December.

During that four-year stretch, Harbison helped receivers D. J. Hall, Antonio Carter, and Triandos Luke rank among the school's all-time top 10 receiving leaders. Two of Hall's single-season receiving totals were among the eight best ever at the school. Following the 2005 season, he was honored as one of the nation's top 25 college football recruiters by Rivals.com.

Harbison coached the Crimson Tide defensive backs in his initial stay in Tuscaloosa from 1998-2000. He helped UA to a 20-16 mark and appearances in the 1998 Music City and 2000 Orange Bowls during those three years. He was a part of the 1999 Alabama team that won the Southeastern Conference Western Division title, defeated Florida in the SEC Championship Game, and dropped a one-point decision to Michigan in the Orange Bowl.

Two of his pupils, Fernando Bryant in 1999 and Tony Dixon in 2001 were taken in the first and second rounds of the National Football League draft.

Sandwiched between those two Alabama assignments, Harbison coached the defensive backfield at LSU in 2001 and '02. He was a member of the Tiger coaching staff that directed the 2001 LSU team to an SEC Championship Game win over Tennessee. During his two years, LSU finished 18-8 overall and played in the 2002 Sugar and 2003 Cotton Bowls.

Corey Webster, who played under Harbison his first two years in Baton Rouge, finished his career second on the school's all-time pass interception list.

Prior to his first stint at Alabama, Harbison served as the defensive backs coach at Clemson from 1995-97. The Atlantic Coast Conference Tigers posted a 22-14 mark during those three years, ending those seasons in the Gator and back-to-back Peach Bowls.

He also coached the secondary at UTEP (1994) and served twice at his alma mater, Gardner-Webb, coaching wide receivers (1992-93) and defensive backs (1984-85).

In addition to his collegiate coaching experience, Harbison worked in both the Arena Football League and the World League of American Football. His professional football coaching resume includes serving as defensive coordinator for the Charlotte Rage (1993).

A native of Shelby, N.C., Harbison graduated from Gardner-Webb College in 1995. A two-sport star in football and track on the college level, he was a free-agent signee of the Buffalo Bills following his senior season.

He and his late wife Gloria, who passed away in early 2003 after battling cancer, have four children ??“ Charlie, Stedman, Masai and Msiba; daughter-in-law Caroline and grandsons, Masai II and Amari.

Washington, 43, comes to MSU from Kansas State University, where he worked the past season as an assistant coach in charge of the receivers. In his lone season at KSU, he helped the Wildcats finish 7-5 overall and earn a post-season invitation to play Rutgers in the Texas Bowl at Houston. Along the way, K-State defeated conference opponents Oklahoma State and Texas, two foes who earned post-season bowl wins.

He oversaw a receiving corps that accounted for 2,601 yards in 2006, a total that was 63.5 percent of the Wildcat offense and the most receiving yards at the school in three years. He had four pass catchers with 23 or more receptions this past year.

That season in the Big 12 Conference, however, came on the heels of a long association with the Southeastern Conference, where he built his resume as one of the most-respected wide receiver coaches in the nation.

Washington had an ultra-successful 11-year run as the receivers coach at the University of Tennessee, from 1995-2005. It was in Knoxville where he was widely credited with helping develop the Volunteers' traditionally strong passing game.

During his tenure with the Vols, Washington coached a string of celebrated pass catchers, including Donte' Stallworth, Cedrick Wilson, Peerless Price, Marcus Nash and Joey Kent. In all, Washington produced 11 National Football League draft picks, including first-team, all-SEC selections Kent and Nash. Those two, with Wilson and Price, are the top four names on UT's career receiving list.

He also helped coach Tennessee to 10 bowl berths during his 11 seasons, three Florida Citrus Bowls, two Fiesta, Peach, and Cotton Bowls, and one Orange Bowl selection. UT's 1998 SEC Championship Game win over Mississippi State and 1999 Fiesta Bowl win over Florida State capped the Volunteers' undefeated, national championship season.

Prior to joining the staff at Tennessee, Washington served one season as running backs coach at Baylor University (1994), two years as quarterbacks and receivers coach Texas Christian University (1992-93) and three seasons as receivers instructor at Louisiana-Lafayette (1989-91). He began his coaching career with two seasons as a graduate assistant at Auburn University.

He also helped those schools attain post-season bowl recognition. Washington was with Baylor at the 1994 Alamo Bowl and in back-to-back Sugar Bowls with Auburn (1988-89).

A native of Mobile, Ala., Washington graduated from Auburn in 1987 with a degree in management. He played quarterback for the Tigers from 1982-85, starting his junior and senior seasons and helping coach Pat Dye's teams to four-straight bowl games. Auburn played in the 1982 Tangerine Bowl, the '84 Sugar Bowl, the '84 Liberty Bowl, and the '86 Cotton Bowl. Playing in the same backfield with Heisman Trophy winner Bo Jackson, Washington guided AU to a 17-8 record as the school's starting QB.

Washington and his wife Claudette have two sons, Tyson and Justin.

Harbison and Washington replace on the football staff Amos Jones and Guy Holliday, who have been reassigned within the athletic department.