George Welsh, a 2004 College Football Hall of Fame inductee, was responsible for rebuilding two national Division I-A programs, guiding Navy and Virginia for a total of 28 years. He returned Navy to its past glory and lifted Virginia to a new level of success. At the completion of his head coaching career, his record stood at 189-132-4, which ranked him 24th for wins in Division I-A history at the time and included 15 bowl appearances.
Welsh began his head coaching career at Navy, where he led the Midshipmen to three bowl game appearances and their first nine win season in 16 years. In his nine seasons (1973-81) in Annapolis, Welsh complied a 55-46-1 record, leaving the Academy as the winningest coach in school history.
Prior to his arrival in 1982, Virginia had only two winning seasons in the program's previous 29 years. During his 19 years (1982-2000) at the helm, he became the all-time winningest coach in school and Atlantic Coast Conference history, compiling a record of 134-86-3.
Starting in 1987, Welsh's teams began a streak of 13 straight seasons with seven or more wins. That stretch included shared ACC titles in 1989 and 1995. His teams also compiled four nine-win seasons, including a school-record 10 wins in 1989. His 1990 team was ranked No. 1 in both college football ranking polls for two weeks in October. His 1995 team defeated Florida State 33-28 on Nov. 2, the first time the Seminoles had lost a conference game since beginning ACC play in 1992.
During his tenure, Welsh led Virginia to 12 bowl game appearances, including the school's first ever, the Peach Bowl in 1984 and a 27-24 victory over Purdue. Welsh guided the Cavs to 15 winning seasons in 19 years. He was named ACC Coach of the Year four times: 1983, 1984, 1991 and 1995, and his 1991 laurels also included the Bobby Dodd Award as the national coach of the year.
In addition to his College Football Hall of Fame induction in 2004, Welsh was named to the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame in 2009. In the spring of 2013, Virginia dedicated its new indoor practice facility in Welsh's name. During the 2017 Military Bowl between Virginia and Navy, the Cavaliers wore a helmet decal honoring his tenure at both schools.
A native of Coaldale, Pa., Welsh attended the United States Naval Academy and played for the Midshipmen from 1952 to 1955. He was a First-Team All-America quarterback in 1955. He finished third in the voting for the Heisman Trophy that season. After graduating from the Academy in 1956 and fulfilling his military obligation, he served as an assistant coach under Hall of Fame coaches Rip Engle and Joe Paterno at Penn State from 1963 to 1972.
Born Aug. 26, 1933, Welsh died Jan. 2, 2019 in Charlottesville, Va. He was 85. For 52 years Welsh was married to his wife, Alexandra, before she passed away in 2015. They were survived by four children. Kate, Duffy, Matt and Adam.
