Allison Looking For Signature Win

Chattanooga head coach Rodney Allison knows a thing or two about throwing the ball. Allison,in his fifth season as head coach at Chattanooga, was a college quarterback at Texas Tech and played in three Bowl Games - the 1974 Peach Bowl, the 1976 Bluebonnet Bowl and the 1977 Tangerine Bowl. In 1976, he passed for 1,458 yards, ran for 706 and was voted the Most Valuable Player in the Southwest Conference. A team captain, he played in the Hula Bowl and the Japan Bowl Senior All-Star Games.

Prior to his arrival at UTC, Allison spent four seasons with the Clemson Tigers as the defensive ends coach for head coach Tommy Bowden. Allison brings more than two decades of football coaching experience to the Mocs program. Other than his stints at Texas Tech, Duke and Clemson, he also enjoyed coaching success at Auburn and Southern Mississippi.

He worked on Terry Bowden’s Auburn staff from 1993-98, serving as running backs coach, special teams coach and offensive coordinator in different years. Allison and the Tigers forged a perfect 11-0 record in 1993, and they were ranked No. 4 in the final Associated Press Top 25 poll. The Tigers went 20-1-1 during Allison’s first two years at Auburn and earned three Bowl Game berths during his stay. Allison says that Terry Bowden jokes that he is a step brother.

Allison also worked as an assistant at Southern Mississippi from 1988-92. His star pupil while working with the Golden Eagles’ quarterbacks and running backs was quarterback Brett Favre. During Allison’s tenure at USM, the Golden Eagles participated in two Bowl Games. They completed a 10-2 season in 1988.