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Mike London Media Packet (PDF) He played here. He graduated from here. He was an assistant coach here. And 11 months to the day of his introduction as Richmond's 33rd head coach, Mike London '83 led the Spiders to their first-ever National Championship.
Richmond finished off its memorable title run with a convincing 24-7 triumph over fourth-seeded Montana in the FCS title game - its ninth-consecutive victory and its fourth-straight over a conference champion. The Spiders thumped Eastern Kentucky, 38-10, in the first round, dethroned second-seeded Appalachian State, 33-13, at The Rock in the quarterfinals and stunned third-seeded Northern Iowa, 21-20, with a fourth-quarter comeback at the deafening UNI-Dome in the semis. The cupboard was full for London, 48, who was introduced as Richmond's head coach on January 19, 2008. The Spiders returned 16 starters from the 2007 team that won the CAA Championship, reached the National Semifinals for the first time and won a then-school record 11 games. With the weapons in place, London provided the ammunition by combining offensive efficiency with one of the nation's best defenses to take the team two wins further and capture the school's first NCAA title in any sport. Although finishing third in the rugged CAA Football South Division, the Spiders went 13-3 in 2008 to set a new school record for victories. Under London's watch, junior QB Eric Ward eclipsed a single-season school record for completion percentage (64.1), senior TB Josh Vaughan put up numbers that rivaled All-American Tim Hightower (1,884 yards, 20 TDs), senior DE Lawrence Sidbury, Jr. collected 11.5 sacks and the Spiders shattered a school-record with 29 interceptions. His efforts earned him the 2008 Football Championship Subdivision (FBS) National Coach of the Year honors from both the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) and American Football Monthly magazine. This is London's first head coaching position and marks the first time at Richmond since the Ed Merrick era (1951-65) that an alumnus has led the football program. Before returning home, London had spent six of the previous seven seasons molding one of the nation's top defenses at the University of Virginia, most recently as the Cavaliers' defensive coordinator. He returned to Charlottesville in 2006 after spending the previous season as the defensive line coach with the NFL's Houston Texans. London was a member of Al Groh's original staff at UVa from 2001-04, coaching the defensive line. He was also the program's recruiting coordinator from 2002-04. A native of Hampton, Va., London played defensive back at Richmond from 1979-82. Under head coach Dal Shealy, he led the Spiders with six interceptions as a senior captain in 1982. In addition to earning All-State honors, he was chosen the team's MVP and received the Coaches Award. In 1982, the Virginia Peninsula Sports Club selected him as the male in-state Athlete of the Year. London broke into the coaching ranks in 1988, spending two seasons with Richmond as the outside linebackers coach and admissions liaison. He then spent four years (1990-93) as the defensive line coach at William & Mary and was instrumental in the development of 1993 consensus All-America defensive tackle Craig Staub. He returned to Richmond for three more years (1994-96) as the outside linebackers coach and recruiting coordinator on Jim Reid's staff. London coached All-America linebacker Shawn Barber, who was a fourth-round draft pick by the Washington Redskins in 1998 and just completed his ninth NFL season. Prior to his first coaching stint at UVa, London served as defensive line coach at Boston College, from 1997-2000, where he helped lead the Eagles to two bowl appearances. While in Boston, he served as the pro scout liaison and staff representative for the assistant coaches in the Big East. He graduated from Richmond in 1983 with a bachelor's degree in sociology and a year later received a degree in law enforcement from the Richmond Police Academy, serving as a detective for the street crimes unit from 1985-87. The Dallas Cowboys signed him as a free agent in 1983. Mike and his wife Regina have seven children, Michael, Jr., Brandon, Kristen, Ticynn, Korben, Jaicyn and Madicyn. His son, Brandon, led Massachusetts in receiving in 2006 and finished his career as the school's second-leading receiver. He was signed to the Miami Dolphins active roster on Aug. 31, 2008 after spending the 2007 season on the New York Giants practice squad. One of London's daughters, Kristen, is a junior guard on the UVa women's basketball team. His younger brother, Paul, was a defensive back at UVa from 1991-95. The Mike London File Personal Education Playing Experience Coaching Experience
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Spiders Receive Rings 
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