National Football Foundation

Position: Coach 
Years: Bowling Green State University (2001-02): University of Utah (2003-04); University of Florida (2005-10); Ohio State University (2012-18) 
Place of Birth: Toledo, Ohio  
Date of Birth: July 10, 1964 
Career Record: 187-32-0 (85.4%) 

Winning 85 percent of his games and claiming three national titles, Urban Meyer guided four different FBS programs and became one of the most successful and transformative coaches in college football history. The Toledo, Ohio, native now becomes the second coach from Utah, the third from Bowling Green, the fifth from Florida and the eighth from Ohio State to enter the College Football Hall of Fame.
 
Meyer's coaching career began at Bowling Green, where he orchestrated a dramatic turnaround, making the Falcons the first Mid-American Conference (MAC) team to go 3-0 against BCS opponents in a single season (2001) and posting a 17-6 record during two seasons.
 
He then took over at Utah, leading the Utes to a 22-2 record in two seasons, including their first undefeated season (12-0) since 1930, their first-ever BCS bowl appearance (Fiesta Bowl), and the first back-to-back Mountain West Conference (MWC) titles in league history. The Utes finished No. 21 after the 2003 season with a win in the Liberty Bowl. The Fiesta Bowl win made history as the first time a team from a non-automatically qualifying BCS conference played in a BCS bowl, earning the Utes the distinction as the inaugural "BCS Buster." The Utes would finish at No. 4 in the final AP Poll after the 2004 season, and quarterback Alex Smith (a 2024 Hall of Fame inductee) was a Heisman finalist and eventual No. 1 overall pick in the NFL Draft.
 
At Florida, Meyer won two national championships (2006, 2008) and two SEC titles (2006, 2008) with an overall record of 65-15 during his six seasons in Gainesville. Meyer's Florida tenure included a 22-game winning streak, one of four separate 20-game winning streaks he achieved across his career—the only coach in major college football history to do so. He also coached 2007 Heisman Trophy winner and 2023 Hall of Fame inductee Tim Tebow, who won the Campbell Trophy.
 
Meyer's success continued at Ohio State, where he led the Buckeyes to three Big Ten Championships (2014, 2017, 2018) and a national title in 2014, making him the only modern-era coach to win a national championship in two different conferences and one of only two to do it at two different schools (fellow 2025 inductee Nick Saban being the other). His Ohio State teams went 83-9 during seven seasons, never finishing lower than first in their division. They tallied a 54-4 Big Ten record while setting an NCAA record with 30 consecutive conference victories. His Buckeyes also dominated their archrival, going 7-0 against Michigan during his tenure.
 
Meyer set a major college record with 165 wins in his first 15 seasons, and his 85.4 winning percentage ranks third all-time in college football history, trailing only Hall of Fame coaches Knute Rockne and Frank Leahy. His postseason success was equally impressive, with a 12-3 bowl record (78.5% win rate), the second-highest in FBS history. In total, Meyer coached 44 First Team All-Americans, 77 First Team all-conference players, four NFF National Scholar-Athletes (two at Florida, two at Ohio State) and two College Football Hall of Fame inductees. He won seven conference championships overall. He was named the Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year in 2004, and he was named the conference Coach of the Year three times (MWC in 2003, 2004 and MAC in 2001).
 
Beyond football, Meyer has made a lasting impact through civic service, serving on the boards of the Veterans Golfers Association, Folds of Honor, and the Tim Tebow Foundation. He and his wife established the Urban and Shelley Meyer Fund for Cancer Research at Ohio State's Comprehensive Cancer Center.
 
Meyer earned a bachelor's degree in psychology from the University of Cincinnati (1986), lettering one season (1984) with the Bearcats as a defensive back. While launching his coaching career as a graduate assistant with the Buckeyes, he earned his master's degree in sports administration from Ohio State in 1988. Meyer's coaching career also includes assistant positions at Illinois State, Colorado State and Notre Dame. He was the head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2021.
 
He is a member of the Greater Cleveland Sports Hall of Fame and the Ashtabula County Football Hall of Fame. He currently serves as a host and analyst on FOX's Big Noon Kickoff.