Mike Ayers
| Sport(s) | Football |
|---|---|
| Current position | |
| Title | Head coach |
| Team | Wofford |
| Conference | SoCon |
| Record | 187–132–1 |
| Biographical details | |
| Born | May 26, 1948 Georgetown, Kentucky |
| Playing career | |
| ? | Georgetown (KY) |
| Position(s) | Linebacker, offensive tackle |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1974 | Georgetown (KY) (assistant) |
| 1975 | Georgetown (KY) (DC) |
| 1976–1978 | Newberry (assistant) |
| 1979 | Richmond (assistant) |
| 1980–1982 | Wofford (assistant) |
| 1983–1984 | East Tennessee State (DC) |
| 1985–1987 | East Tennessee State |
| 1988–present | Wofford |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 198–153–2 |
| Statistics | |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Championships | |
| 4 SoCon (2003, 2007, 2010, 2012) | |
| Awards | |
| Eddie Robinson Award (2003) 5x SoCon Coach of the Year (2000, 2002–2003, 2007, 2010) |
|
Mike Ayers (born May 26, 1948[1]) is the current head football coach of the Wofford Terriers located in Spartanburg, South Carolina. He has filled the position since 1988. Wofford College, with an enrollment of 1,550 students, is one of the smaller National Collegiate Athletic Association college football schools in Division I.[2] The Terriers compete in the Football Championship Subdivision as members of the Southern Conference.
Playing career
Ayers played linebacker and offensive tackle for the Tigers of Georgetown College. He also played for the baseball team and competed in gymnastics and wrestling.[1]
Coaching career
Ayers began his coaching career as a graduate assistant and defensive coordinator for Georgetown College in 1974 and 1975. He again performed the role of assistant during stops at Newberry and Richmond. In 1980 Ayers arrived at Wofford as defensive coordinator for the Terriers under head coach George F. "Buddy" Sasser. Ayers followed Sasser to East Tennessee State where he resumed his role as defensive coordinator before taking over the head coaching position in 1985. Ayers was hired as the head coach of the Terriers in 1988. Wofford moved up to Division I-AA in 1995 and joined the Southern Conference in 1997. Under Ayers, the Terriers have claimed four Southern Conference football championships, in 2003, 2007, 2010 and 2012, and participated in the playoffs six times.[1] Ayers won the Eddie Robinson Award, given to the most outstanding FCS head coach, in 2003 after guiding the Terriers to a 12–2 record.[3] He holds the black belt in karate, and is an accomplished artist and fly fisherman.
Head coaching record
| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | TSN[4]# | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| East Tennessee State Buccaneers (Southern Conference) (1985–1987) | |||||||||
| 1985 | East Tennessee State | 0–10–1 | 0–7 | 9th | |||||
| 1986 | East Tennessee State | 6–5 | 4–3 | 4th | |||||
| 1987 | East Tennessee State | 5–6 | 2–5 | 7th | |||||
| East Tennessee State: | 11–21–1 | 6–15 | |||||||
| Wofford Terriers (NCAA Division II independent) (1988–1994) | |||||||||
| 1988 | Wofford | 5–5 | |||||||
| 1989 | Wofford | 6–5 | |||||||
| 1990 | Wofford | 9–3 | L NCAA Division II First Round | ||||||
| 1991 | Wofford | 9–3 | L NCAA Division II First Round | ||||||
| 1992 | Wofford | 6–5 | |||||||
| 1993 | Wofford | 7–3–1 | |||||||
| 1994 | Wofford | 5–6 | |||||||
| Wofford Terriers (NCAA Division I-AA independent) (1995–1996) | |||||||||
| 1995 | Wofford | 4–7 | |||||||
| 1996 | Wofford | 6–5 | |||||||
| Wofford Terriers (Southern Conference) (1997–present) | |||||||||
| 1997 | Wofford | 3–7 | 2–6 | 6th | |||||
| 1998 | Wofford | 4–7 | 3–5 | T–5th | |||||
| 1999 | Wofford | 6–5 | 5–3 | 2nd | |||||
| 2000 | Wofford | 7–4 | 5–3 | 3rd | 23 | ||||
| 2001 | Wofford | 4–7 | 3–5 | 5th | |||||
| 2002 | Wofford | 9–3 | 6–2 | T–2nd | 14 | ||||
| 2003 | Wofford | 12–2 | 8–0 | 1st | L NCAA Division I-AA Semifinal | 3 | |||
| 2004 | Wofford | 8–3 | 4–3 | T–2nd | 18 | ||||
| 2005 | Wofford | 6–5 | 3–4 | T–4th | |||||
| 2006 | Wofford | 7–4 | 5–2 | 3rd | 23 | ||||
| 2007 | Wofford | 9–4 | 5–2 | T–1st | L NCAA Division I Quarterfinal | 10 | |||
| 2008 | Wofford | 9–3 | 7–1 | 2nd | L NCAA Division I First Round | ||||
| 2009 | Wofford | 3–8 | 2–6 | T–7th | |||||
| 2010 | Wofford | 10–3 | 7–1 | T–1st | L NCAA Division I Quarterfinal | 6 | |||
| 2011 | Wofford | 8–4 | 6–2 | T–2nd | L NCAA Division I Second Round | 12 | |||
| 2012 | Wofford | 9–4 | 6–2 | T–1st | L NCAA Division I Quarterfinal | 9 | |||
| 2013 | Wofford | 5–6 | 4–4 | T–4th | |||||
| 2014 | Wofford | 6–5 | 4–3 | 4th | |||||
| 2015 | Wofford | 5–6 | 3–4 | T–4th | |||||
| Wofford: | 187–132–1 | 87–58 | |||||||
| Total: | 198–153–2 | ||||||||
| National championship Conference title Conference division title | |||||||||
