Joe Kines (born July 13, 1944) is a former American football player and coach in the United States. He spent most of his coaching career as an assistant in college football ranks, twice serving as an interim head coach: in 1992 at the University of Arkansas after the firing of Jack Crowe and in 2006 at the University of Alabama after the dismissal of Mike Shula.

Early life[link]

Kines was born on July 13, 1944 in a train car that was en route from Cedartown, Georgia to Piedmont, Alabama.^[1] He holds both bachelor's and masters degree's from Jacksonville State University. Kines is married to the former Rubye Bell and they have one daughter, Susan Kines Langston, who was killed in a car crash on June 28, 2010 and two grandsons.^[2]

Coaching career[link]

Kines began his coaching career at his alma mater, where he served as assistant coach and defensive coordinator through the 1976 season. In 1977, he received an offer to coach linebackers at Clemson University, where he coached for the next two seasons. In 1979, Kines became linebackers coach at the University of Florida under Charley Pell. There he spent two years as the linebackers coach, and was promoted to defensive coordinator in 1981. In 1985 and 1986, Kines was the defensive coordinator and inside linebackers coach at the University of Alabama before leaving with Ray Perkins to the NFL’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He served as the Buc’s linebacker coach from 1987–1990. Kines returned to college coaching in 1991 as the defensive coordinator at the University of Arkansas and was promoted to head coach of the Razorbacks in 1992 when Jack Crowe was fired following a season-opening loss to The Citadel. He guided the Razorbacks to a 45–7 victory over South Carolina in his first game after taking over for Crowe, and closed the season with a 30–6 rout of arch-rival LSU in the first game between the schools since the Cotton Bowl Classic following the 1965 season.

Kines was Arkansas’ assistant head coach and defensive coordinator from 1993–1994 under Danny Ford before moving on to the University of Georgia. There he served as the Bulldogs’ defensive coordinator from 1995–1998 and as assistant head coach in 1999. He also coached the defensive ends while at Georgia. In 2000, Kines left Georgia to become linebackers coach at Florida State University under Bobby Bowden.

Kines returned as defensive coordinator at the University of Alabama in 2003 and remained in that position until head coach Mike Shula was fired on November 27, 2006. Kines was named interim head coach and guided Alabama in the Independence Bowl where they lost to Oklahoma State, 34–31. New Alabama head coach Nick Saban did not retain any of Shula's staff; however, Kines was hired as an officer with Tide Pride, which is responsible for helping to fund scholarships, generating revenue for capital improvements, and supporting the "Million Dollar Band," among other activities.^{[citation needed]}

On February 13, 2008, Texas A&M head coach Mike Sherman hired Kines to be his defensive coordinator and assistant head coach.^[3] Kines initially did not show interest to the position, but after he exchanged words with Sherman in an interview, he accepted. Kines has called the Aggie defensive squad "awful, and that's being real polite" in the 2008 preseason. Aggie safeties coach Van Malone praised him as being a great communicator: "He's one of the greatest communicators I've ever been around, and if you can communicate with them, that's all these kids want." He won't say a cuss word, but when you're not doing it the way he wants it, you feel like you've been cursed out."^[4][5] Kines retired at the conclusion of the Aggies' 2009 season.^[6]

Head coaching record[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Joe Kines at the College Football Data Warehouse

Robb Akey (born July 24, 1966) is a college football coach, currently the head coach of the Idaho Vandals of the Western Athletic Conference (WAC). Akey became Idaho's fourth head coach in a five-year span when he was hired on December 20, 2006, by athletic director Rob Spear.

Early years[link]

Akey grew up in Colorado Springs, and was a 1984 graduate of Wasson High School, where he was three-sport athlete. Akey played on the defensive line for head coach Mike Price at Weber State in Ogden, Utah, in the mid-1980s, where he was an all-conference (Big Sky) selection at defensive end in his senior season. He also earned honorable mention honors on the All-American team (Division I-AA), and was the Wildcats' career sack leader. During his college career he also played at linebacker and on the offense at tight end. The Wildcats were 10-3 in his senior season of 1987, advancing to the I-AA quarterfinals.

Assistant coach[link]

Akey was a college assistant coach for 19 seasons, the last eight at neighboring Washington State, eight miles (13 km) to the west on the Palouse. He was hired as a defensive line coach under WSU head coach Mike Price following the 1998 season, and added the defensive coordinator duties in 2003 under new head Bill Doba, who was the defensive coordinator for Price.

Before moving to Pullman for the 1999 season, Akey was an assistant coach for 11 seasons in the Big Sky Conference in Division I-AA. He was at Northern Arizona in Flagstaff for four seasons (1995–98), after seven at his alma mater, Weber State (1988-94).

Break with ties[link]

Akey is the first head coach since Jerry Davitch (1978-81) without previous ties to the University of Idaho, either as a former player or assistant coach.^[2] But Akey had familiarity with the program, he lived eight miles from the Moscow campus for eight seasons, with Idaho as an opponent in each of those seasons. In addition, Akey either played or coached against the Vandals for a dozen seasons (1984-95), while a player and assistant coach in the Big Sky.

Akey succeeded Dennis Erickson, who left his second stint at Idaho after just ten months for Arizona State of the Pac-10. Erickson was preceded by Nick Holt, who voluntarily departed after only two seasons, compiling nine losses in each. Tom Cable was fired in late 2003, after four disappointing seasons (11-35).

Contract[link]

On February 22, 2007, the Idaho State Board of Education approved a five-year, $1.2 million contract for Akey, or $240,000 per year; $155,000 in base salary and $85,000 for media/public appearances. This was the largest contract in Vandals' history and included a $1 million buyout clause if Akey left before January 2, 2009.^[3]

The buyout clause was pro-rated; the figure dropped to $750,000 if he left before January 1, 2010, and $500,000 for the remainder of the five-year deal. The large buyout was the result of the departure former coach Dennis Erickson; he left for Arizona State after one season in 2006 and faced only a nominal $150,000 buyout.

Incentive bonuses included $5,000 for conference coach of the year; $5,000 for academic achievement and team behavior; 1/13th of annual salary ($11,923.20) for a Top 25 ranking; and 1/13th of annual salary for a conference championship or bowl game appearance.

Following the 2009 winning season and bowl victory, Akey was awarded with a new five-year contract in June 2010. It maintains a constant annual base salary of $165,796.80 with annual media payments beginning at $190,000 per year and increasing by $10,000 each year of the contract. There are seven performance-based contingencies in the salary agreement, which could boost his annual compensation to as much as $514,057.60 in 2011 to $544,057.60 in 2014. The base salary is from state funds; the remainder comes through private fund-raising efforts such as the "Coaching Excellence Fund." ^[1]

The WSU game[link]

When hired as the Vandals' new head coach, Akey stated that he was opposed to holding the Idaho-WSU game every year. He said he preferred it as a "once-in-a-while thing," to minimize possible "off-field" problems between rival programs only eight miles apart.^[4] The annual game was revived in 1998 and played for ten consecutive years; it was last played in Akey's first season of 2007 and no future games with WSU are currently scheduled.

Head coaching record[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Go Vandals.com – Robb Akey, head football coach