Memphis Roar

Larry Porter’s first hire for his staff at the University of Memphis is one with considerable experience that includes many successes, some failures, and potential for a bright future.

Mike Dubose, former Alabama head coach, has agreed to become the new defensive line coach for the University of Memphis.  Dubose was most recently head coach at Millsaps College where he led the Majors to four consecutive SCAC championships.  Overall Dubose has a 57-33 record as a head coach, and a collegiate coaching career that covers almost 40 years.

However Dubose is most known for his 4 year run as head coach of the Crimson Tide.  Replacing the highly successful Gene Stallings, Dubose went 24-23 at his alma mater, with an SEC championship to his credit.  Dubose ultimately resigned from Alabama following a disappointing 2000 season that saw the Crimson Tide post a 3-8 record.

Dubose was also an assistant coach on the Alabama staff during the 1992 national championship season.  That season Alabama’s defense is widely regarded as one of the best of the recent past featuring John Copeland, Eric Curry, and Antonio Langham.  His skills as a defensive line coach and later as a defensive coordinator are proven at the highest levels.

For some Tiger fans, it was things that happened off the field with the Albert Means recruiting scandal that most mark the Dubose era in Alabama.  While neither the official Alabama nor the NCAA final reports mention Mike Dubose, the Means affair has been laid at his feet due to the actions of his assistant coaches and powerful Memphis booster Logan Young.  The Albert Means affair, for many, put a final stamp on the end of the Dubose era.  Means ultimately transferred back to play for the Tigers.

Coach Porter was known to covet assistants with past head coaching experience, as well as proven skills in certain areas.  One area the Tigers need to improve on is pressuring the passer and controlling the run.  These things seem to be right in Coach Dubose’s wheel house.  If his past success is any indicator, the Tigers’ defensive line should see marked improvement in the near future.