History of Art Briles in Timeline

Arthur Ray Briles is an American football coach, currently coaching for the Guelfi Firenze in the Italian Football League. Previously, he served as head coach for the Houston Cougars (2002-2007) and the Baylor Bears (2008-2015). His tenure at Baylor concluded with his dismissal following the Baylor University sexual assault scandal. He authored "Beating Goliath: My Story of Football and Faith" (2014) and is the subject of Nick Eatman's biography, "Looking Up: My Journey from Tragedy to Triumph" (2013). His career is marked by both success on the field and controversy off it.

1925: Pine Bluff's Record

In 1925, Pine Bluff High School established a national record of 8,588 yards of total offense.

1952: Playoff Drought

Prior to Art Briles' arrival, Stephenville High School hadn't reached the football playoffs since 1952.

December 3, 1955: Art Briles Born

On December 3, 1955, Arthur Ray Briles was born. He is an American football coach.

1973: State Championship Game

In 1973, as a senior quarterback at Rule High School, Art Briles led his team to the Texas Class B state championship game.

1975: Big Sandy's Record

In 1975, Big Sandy High School set a national record of 114 rushing touchdowns.

October 16, 1976: Family Tragedy

On October 16, 1976, Art Briles' parents and aunt died in a car crash while traveling to see him play, a game which he played at the University of Houston.

1977: Cotton Bowl Classic

In 1977, Art Briles played in the Cotton Bowl Classic as a wide receiver for the University of Houston.

1979: Graduation from Texas Tech

In 1979, Art Briles completed his bachelor's degree at Texas Tech University.

1980: Assistant at Sweetwater High School

In 1980, Art Briles became an assistant coach at Sweetwater High School.

1980: Last Outright Conference Title

In 2013, Baylor won their first outright conference title since winning the Southwest Conference title in 1980.

1980: Last 10 Win Season

Prior to the 2011 season, the last time Baylor had won as many as 10 games was in 1980.

1983: Leaves Sweetwater High School

In 1983, Art Briles left his assistant coaching position at Sweetwater High School.

1984: Begins Texas Coaching Career

In 1984, Art Briles began his career as a head football coach in Texas.

1984: Head Coach at Hamlin High School

In 1984, at age 28, Art Briles became the head coach at Hamlin High School.

1985: State Semifinals Loss

In 1985, Art Briles coached Hamlin High School to a 27-1-1 record, ending with a loss in the state semifinals.

1986: Head Coach at Georgetown High School

In 1986, Art Briles became the head coach at Georgetown High School.

1987: Leaves Georgetown High School

In 1987, Art Briles concluded his time as head coach at Georgetown High School, with an overall record of 4-15-1.

1988: Head Coach at Stephenville High School

In 1988, Art Briles took over as head coach at Stephenville High School in Stephenville, Texas.

1989: Stephenville Record

In 1989, Art Briles' Stephenville High School team had a 4-5-1 season.

1990: Playoff Appearance

In 1990, Art Briles' Stephenville High School squad made the playoffs, starting a streak of playoff appearances.

1993: First State Championship

In 1993, Art Briles' Stephenville High School team won its first state championship.

1993: Rushing Touchdowns

In 1993, Art Briles' Stephenville team scored 89 rushing touchdowns, the second most all-time in the nation.

1994: Second State Championship

In 1994, Art Briles' Stephenville High School team secured their second consecutive state championship.

1994: More Rushing Touchdowns

In 1994, Art Briles' Stephenville team scored 96 rushing touchdowns, the third most all-time in the nation.

1995: Last Win Over Texas Tech

In 1995, was the year that Baylor last defeated Texas Tech.

1995: Baylor's Last Winning Season

Prior to Art Briles' arrival, Baylor had not had a winning season since 1995.

1996: Formation of the Big 12 Conference

In 1996, the Big 12 Conference was formed.

1996: Houston's First C-USA Championship

In 1996, the Houston Cougars won their first C-USA Championship.

1998: Third State Championship

In 1998, Art Briles' Stephenville High School team clinched another state championship.

1998: Record-Breaking Offense

In 1998, Art Briles' Stephenville team posted 8,664 yards of total offense, breaking a national record.

1999: End of High School Coaching

In 1999, Art Briles ended his first stint as a high school football coach with a record of 165–46–3.

1999: Joins Texas Tech Staff

In 1999, Art Briles left Stephenville High School to join Mike Leach's staff at Texas Tech.

1999: Fourth State Championship

In 1999, Art Briles' Stephenville High School team achieved their fourth state championship.

1999: End of First Texas Coaching Stint

In 1999, Art Briles' first stint as a head football coach in Texas ended.

2002: Improved Rushing Average

By 2002, Art Briles had improved Texas Tech's rushing average to 99.6 yards a game.

2002: Head Coach at Houston

In 2002, Art Briles became the head coach for the Houston Cougars.

2003: Hired as Head Coach at Houston

In 2003, Art Briles was hired as head coach at the University of Houston, taking over a program with a struggling record.

2004: 3-8 Season

In 2004, Art Briles coached the Houston Cougars to a 3-8 season.

2004: First Win Over Ranked Opponent

In 2004, Baylor's first win over a ranked opponent since 2004.

2005: 6-6 Season and Bowl Game

In 2005, Art Briles guided the Houston Cougars to a 6-6 season and another bowl game appearance.

December 1, 2006: Conference USA Championship

On December 1, 2006, Art Briles led the Houston Cougars to a 34-20 victory in the Conference USA Championship game.

November 27, 2007: Interview for Baylor Position

On November 27, 2007, Art Briles interviewed for the head coach position at Baylor University.

December 28, 2007: Texas Bowl Appearance

On December 28, 2007, Houston played in the Texas Bowl, their fourth bowl appearance in five years; however, Art Briles had already left to coach at Baylor.

2007: End of Houston Coaching

In 2007, Art Briles' tenure as head coach of the Houston Cougars concluded.

2008: Head Coach at Baylor

In 2008, Art Briles began his tenure as the head coach for the Baylor Bears.

2010: Winning Season and Bowl Bid

In 2010, Art Briles led Baylor to a 7-5 record and a bid to the Texas Bowl, marking their first winning season and bowl appearance in 15 years.

2010: Previous High

In 2010, Baylor had previously achieved a high of 4 conference wins.

2011: Successful Season

In 2011, Art Briles led the Baylor team to its most successful season since the formation of the Big 12 Conference in 1996, with a 10-3 record.

2011: Baylor Administrators Knew About Sexual Assaults

In fall 2011, documents revealed senior Baylor administrators knew about a serial sexual assault assailant, but failed to act, along with Briles.

2012: Upset Victory over Kansas State

In 2012, Art Briles' Baylor team defeated the number one ranked Kansas State Wildcats, earning an invitation to the Holiday Bowl.

2013: Record-Breaking Season

In 2013, Art Briles led Baylor to a school-record 11 wins and their second top-ten finish.

2013: Subject of "Looking Up"

In 2013, Nick Eatman published a biography about Art Briles titled "Looking Up: My Journey from Tragedy to Triumph."

2014: Author of "Beating Goliath"

In 2014, Art Briles authored "Beating Goliath: My Story of Football and Faith."

2014: Big 12 Co-Champions

In 2014, Art Briles's Bears repeated as Big 12 Co-Champions, earning a berth in the 2015 Cotton Bowl.

2014: Fiesta Bowl Appearance

In 2014, Baylor made its first-ever BCS appearance in the Fiesta Bowl.

2015: Dismissal from Baylor

In 2015, Art Briles was dismissed from his position as head coach at Baylor University due to the Baylor University sexual assault scandal.

2015: Cotton Bowl Loss

In 2015, Baylor lost the Cotton Bowl to Michigan State, finishing the year ranked #7 in the AP poll.

May 26, 2016: Dismissal from Baylor

On May 26, 2016, Art Briles was dismissed from Baylor University following a report on the school's handling of sexual assault cases.

June 2016: Joint Statement Issued

In June 2016, Briles and Baylor acknowledged 'serious shortcomings' in response to reports of sexual violence by some student-athletes in a joint settlement statement.

May 2017: Letter from Baylor's Legal Counsel

In May 2017, Baylor's legal counsel, Christopher Holmes, sent Art Briles a letter stating that Baylor was unaware of Briles discouraging victims from reporting to law enforcement or university officials.

August 28, 2017: Hired and quickly fired by Hamilton Tiger-Cats

On August 28, 2017, Art Briles was hired as assistant head coach for offense by the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, but the decision was reversed hours later due to criticism.

September 2017: Letter Released to Public

In September 2017, the Canadian Football League released to the Waco Tribune-Herald the May 2017 letter from Baylor's legal counsel to Art Briles.

June 19, 2018: McCaw deposition on Baylor scandal

On June 19, 2018, former Baylor athletic director Ian McCaw testified that the sexual assault scandal was manufactured to cover up a larger university-wide issue and scapegoat the football program.

July 2018: Briles turns over documents

In late July 2018, Briles turned over documents pursuant to a subpoena, which had not been previously produced by Baylor. The documents showed multiple senior Baylor administrators knew about a serial sexual assault assailant" in fall 2011, but, along with Briles, failed to act.

August 2, 2018: Briles hired by Guelfi Firenze in Italy

On August 2, 2018, Art Briles was announced as the head coach of the Guelfi Firenze American football team in Florence, Italy.

2018: Settlement with Baylor

In 2018, Art Briles settled his wrongful termination suit with Baylor for $15.1 million.

May 2019: Briles hired as head coach for Mount Vernon High School

In May 2019, Art Briles was hired as the head coach for Mount Vernon High School in Texas on a two-year deal.

November 16, 2019: Mount Vernon Tigers Lost First Round of Playoffs

On November 16, 2019, the Mount Vernon Tigers, coached by Briles, lost to the Sabine Cardinals in the first round of the Texas high school playoffs, 20–14.

2019: Returns to Texas Coaching

In 2019, Art Briles returned to coaching football in Texas.

December 11, 2020: Mount Vernon loses in state semi-finals

On December 11, 2020, the Mount Vernon Tigers, coached by Briles, lost to the Jim Ned Indians in the state semi-finals.

December 14, 2020: Briles resigns as head coach

On December 14, 2020, Art Briles resigned as head coach of Mount Vernon High School after posting a 20-6 record in 2 seasons.

2020: End of Second Texas Coaching Stint

In 2020, Art Briles' second stint as a head football coach in Texas concluded.

February 24, 2022: Briles hired as offensive coordinator for Grambling State

On February 24, 2022, Art Briles was hired as the offensive coordinator for Grambling State.

July 2, 2022: Guelfi Firenze wins Italian Bowl

On July 2, 2022, Art Briles led the Guelfi Firenze to win the 41st Italian Bowl championship game with a 21–17 upset over the Milano Seamen.

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