History of Gus Malzahn in Timeline
Gus Malzahn is an American college football coach, currently the offensive coordinator at Florida State. Previously, he was the head coach at UCF (2021-2024), Auburn (2013-2020), and Arkansas State (2012). He served as Auburn's offensive coordinator (2009-2011), contributing to their 2010 national championship. As Auburn's head coach, he won an SEC Championship and reached the 2014 National Championship. Malzahn has coached Heisman Trophy winner Cam Newton and two Heisman candidates. During his time at Auburn, he was the second-longest tenured head coach in the SEC, after Nick Saban, solidifying his presence in college football.
October 28, 1965: Birth of Gus Malzahn
On October 28, 1965, Arthur Gustav Malzahn III was born.
1984: Graduation and Walk-On at Arkansas
In 1984, Gus Malzahn graduated from Fort Smith Christian High School and became a walk-on receiver at Arkansas.
1985: Playing Football at Arkansas
In 1985, Gus Malzahn played football at Arkansas.
1988: Letterman at Henderson State
In 1988, Gus Malzahn became a letterman at Henderson State University.
1989: Letterman at Henderson State
In 1989, Gus Malzahn was a letterman at Henderson State University.
1990: Bachelor's Degree
In 1990, Gus Malzahn earned his bachelor's degree in physical education from Henderson State University.
1991: Offensive Coordinator at Hughes High School
In 1991, Gus Malzahn began his coaching career as the offensive coordinator at Hughes High School in Hughes, Arkansas.
1992: Head Coach at Hughes High School
In 1992, Gus Malzahn became the head coach at Hughes High School.
1994: State Championship Appearance
In 1994, Hughes, coached by Gus Malzahn, reached the state championship game but lost to Lonoke High School.
1996: Head Coaching Position at Shiloh Christian School
In 1996, Gus Malzahn secured a head coaching position at Shiloh Christian School.
1998: National Record
In 1998, Shiloh Christian set a national record with 66 passing touchdowns for the season.
1999: State Championship
In 1999, Gus Malzahn guided the Shiloh Christian Saints to back-to-back state championships.
2000: End of Coaching at Shiloh Christian School
By 2000, Gus Malzahn had transformed Shiloh Christian into a dynamic offensive prep squad.
2001: Coaching at Springdale High School
In 2001, Gus Malzahn took over as coach at Springdale High School.
2002: State Title Game Appearance
In 2002, Gus Malzahn led Springdale to the state title game in only his second season. The Bulldogs lost 17–10 to Fort Smith Southside.
January 2003: Malzahn Publishes Book on Hurry Up Offense
In January 2003, Gus Malzahn published "Hurry Up No Huddle – An Offensive Philosophy", a book and instructional video detailing his offensive strategies.
2004: Auburn Season
Gus Malzahn's first season at Auburn broke the Auburn single season total offense record previously set by the undefeated 2004 team.
2004: State Semifinals
In 2004, Springdale was on track for another state title game appearance before Little Rock Central sidetracked the Bulldogs’ title hopes in the state semifinals. Springdale was upset by the eventual state champion, 31–20.
December 9, 2005: Joined Houston Nutt's Staff
On December 9, 2005, Gus Malzahn joined Houston Nutt's staff as offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach.
2005: State Title
In 2005, Gus Malzahn led Springdale High School to a state title.
2005: Class AAAAA Championship
In 2005, Gus Malzahn's squad at Springdale went 14–0, easily won the state's Class AAAAA championship.
2006: Breakout Season for Running Backs
In 2006, Darren McFadden and Felix Jones had breakout seasons as running backs. Marcus Monk also had a great season as wide receiver.
2006: SEC Western Division Championship
In 2006, Gus Malzahn led the offense of the Razorbacks to an SEC Western Division championship. They lost to Florida in the SEC Championship Game and to Wisconsin in the Capital One Bowl, finishing the season with a 10–4 record.
2006: Tension with Nutt
In 2006, there was a widely reported tension between Houston Nutt's reliance on the ground game and Gus Malzahn's philosophy of spreading the field with a no-huddle offense. Malzahn was named the National Offensive Coordinator of the Year by Rivals.com.
January 2007: Offer from the University of Tulsa
In January 2007, Gus Malzahn received an offer from the University of Tulsa and took the job to be assistant head coach and offensive coordinator.
January 2007: Assistant Head Coach, Offensive Coordinator, and Quarterbacks Coach
In January 2007, Gus Malzahn was announced as the new assistant head coach, offensive coordinator, and quarterbacks coach at Tulsa.
November 2007: Interview for Arkansas Position
In November 2007, Gus Malzahn interviewed for the open head coach position at Arkansas after Houston Nutt resigned.
December 28, 2008: Offensive Coordinator at Auburn
On December 28, 2008, Gus Malzahn was named the offensive coordinator at Auburn University.
2008: Prolific Attack at Tulsa
In 2008, Tulsa was the nation's most prolific attack, leading with nearly 7,980 total yards of offense. The Golden Hurricane were ranked second in the nation in scoring behind Oklahoma.
2009: Offensive Coordinator at Auburn
From 2009, Gus Malzahn served as offensive coordinator at Auburn University.
2009: Auburn Improvements
In 2009, Gus Malzahn's coaching at Auburn made significant improvements over the previous season's offensive production.
2010: Highest-Paid Assistant Coach
In 2010, Gus Malzahn was given a raise, making him the highest-paid assistant coach in the country. Auburn, led by Heisman Trophy winner Cam Newton, achieved an undefeated record.
2010: National Championship Victory
In 2010, Gus Malzahn, as offensive coordinator, helped lead the Auburn Tigers to a national championship victory.
January 10, 2011: BCS Championship
On January 10, 2011, Auburn won the BCS National Championship Game against Oregon.
December 13, 2011: Head Football Coach at Arkansas State University
On December 13, 2011, Gus Malzahn left Auburn to accept the position of head football coach at Arkansas State University.
2011: Malzahn's Departure
After Gus Malzahn's departure in 2011 from Auburn, the team's performance declined.
2011: Offensive Coordinator at Auburn
Until 2011, Gus Malzahn served as offensive coordinator at Auburn University.
December 4, 2012: Head Coach of Auburn University
On December 4, 2012, Gus Malzahn was announced as the head coach of Auburn University, replacing Gene Chizik. He hired Ellis Johnson and Rhett Lashlee as coordinators.
2012: Conference Championship
In 2012, Gus Malzahn led Arkansas State to a 9–3 regular season record and a Conference Championship.
2012: Head Coach at Arkansas State
In 2012, Gus Malzahn was the head coach at Arkansas State.
2012: Auburn Season
In the 2012 Auburn season, the team went 3–9 and 0–8 in conference play after Gus Malzahn's departure. This led to criticism of coach Chizik.
November 16, 2013: The Prayer at Jordan–Hare
On November 16, 2013, with Auburn trailing Georgia, Gus Malzahn called the play "Little Rock" for quarterback Nick Marshall on 4th-and-18 with 36 seconds left. Marshall connected with Ricardo Louis on a tipped 73-yard Hail Mary pass, resulting in a game-winning touchdown and an Auburn victory. The play became known as "The Prayer at Jordan–Hare".
2013: Head Coach at Auburn University
In 2013, Gus Malzahn became the head coach at Auburn University.
2013: Awards Received in 2013
In 2013, Gus Malzahn received the Paul "Bear" Bryant Award, Bobby Bowden National Collegiate Coach of the Year Award, SEC Coach of the Year, Home Depot Coach of the Year, Sporting News Coach of the Year, Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year, AP College Football Coach of the Year, Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year Award, and Woody Hayes Trophy Coach of the Year.
2013: Return to Auburn
In 2013, Gus Malzahn returned to Auburn as head coach and received national attention for coaching one of the biggest in-season turnarounds in college football history.
2013: Arkansas High School Coaches Association's Hall of Fame induction
In 2013, Gus Malzahn was inducted into the Arkansas High School Coaches Association's Hall of Fame.
2013: Malzahn Wins Coach of the Year Awards
In 2013, Gus Malzahn won multiple Coach of the Year awards, including Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year, Sporting News College Football Coach of the Year, Home Depot Coach of the Year, SEC Coach of the Year, and Associated Press National Coach of the Year.
2013: SEC Championship
In 2013, Gus Malzahn's team won 1 SEC championship and 2 SEC Western Division championships.
January 2014: Malzahn Wins Paul "Bear" Bryant Award and Bobby Bowden Coach of the Year Award
In January 2014, after the national championship game, Malzahn was awarded the Paul "Bear" Bryant Award and the Bobby Bowden Coach of the Year Award, adding to his awards from the 2013-14 season.
2014: National Championship Game Appearance
In 2014, Gus Malzahn led the Auburn Tigers to an appearance in the National Championship Game.
2014: Auburn Loses the BCS Championship Game
In 2014, despite leading the Florida State Seminoles 21-3, Auburn lost the BCS Championship Game 34-31. Jameis Winston led a Seminole comeback in the fourth quarter.
2016: Auburn Reaches Sugar Bowl
During the 2016 season, despite facing the fourth-toughest schedule in the country and team injuries, Malzahn led Auburn to a New Year's Six Sugar Bowl appearance against Oklahoma.
2017: Malzahn Leads Auburn to SEC Championship Game
In 2017, Gus Malzahn led Auburn to the SEC Championship game after defeating #1 ranked Georgia and #1 ranked Alabama. Auburn lost to Georgia in the championship game and then lost to UCF in the Peach Bowl. Malzahn also agreed to a contract extension with Auburn.
2017: SEC Western Division
In 2017, Gus Malzahn's team won the SEC Western Division.
2018: Auburn Defeats Purdue in Music City Bowl
In the 2018 season, Malzahn led the Auburn Tigers to a 7-5 regular season record, which was capped off with a 63-14 victory over Purdue in the Music City Bowl.
December 13, 2020: Malzahn Fired as Auburn Head Coach
On December 13, 2020, Gus Malzahn was fired as the head coach of Auburn University after eight seasons. Auburn committed to a significant buyout of his contract.
2020: End of Auburn Head Coach Tenure
In 2020, Gus Malzahn's tenure as the head coach at Auburn University ended.
February 15, 2021: Malzahn Named Head Coach at UCF
On February 15, 2021, Gus Malzahn was named the head coach at UCF, reuniting with Terry Mohajir. He signed a five-year contract.
2021: NFL Bart Starr Award
In 2021, Demario Davis, who played under Malzahn at Arkansas State, was awarded the NFL Bart Starr Award.
2021: Head Coach at UCF
In 2021, Gus Malzahn became the head coach at the University of Central Florida (UCF).
2021: Malzahn's First Season with UCF
In 2021, Gus Malzahn started his first season with UCF, winning his first game against Boise State on September 2. The season concluded with a victory over Florida in the Gasparilla Bowl, finishing with a 9-4 record.
2022: UCF Loses to Tulane in AAC Championship Game
In the 2022 season, Malzahn's UCF offense was ranked highly nationally. UCF finished the regular season 9-3, but lost to Tulane in the AAC Championship Game and to Duke in the Military Bowl, finishing with a 9-5 overall record.
2023: UCF Transitions to Big 12 Conference
In the 2023 season, UCF transitioned to the Big 12 conference. The team finished with a 6-7 record after losing to Georgia Tech in the Gasparilla Bowl.
2023: Malzahn Extended by UCF
Prior to the start of the 2023 season, Malzahn received a contract extension from UCF through the 2027 season, along with a raise.
November 30, 2024: Malzahn Resigns from UCF
On November 30, 2024, following a loss to Utah, Gus Malzahn resigned from his position as head coach at UCF.
2024: End of UCF Head Coach Tenure
In 2024, Gus Malzahn's tenure as the head coach at the University of Central Florida (UCF) ended.
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