Former Troy football coach inducted into College Football Hall of Fame

Coach Larry Blakeney was presented with a College Football Hall of Fame Plaque this Saturday during the football game against South Alabama. 

Blakeney was the head coach of Troy’s football team from 1991 to 2014, winning 178 games and five Sun Belt Championships in that time. For many of those who know him, though, it wasn’t the victories or championships that made him one of the greats; it was his character. 

“It all starts with him as a person, it’s not just the wins and losses,” said Interim Athletics Director Kyle George. “His legacy is built on the players and the student athletes that he coached and helped develop into great young men.  

“He taught them a lot of life lessons, and they’ve been successful beyond the football field because they played for Coach Larry Blakeney.” 

Jamaal Smith, Trojans football chief of staff and former player for Blakeney, said those life lessons were the true key to his success in his college career, as well as later in his post-graduation life. 

“When you play for someone as real and as genuine and authentic as Coach Blakeney, that makes your college experience and also your football experience a lot better,” Smith said. “What you see is what you are going to get.  

“He takes you further than just a game of football; he teaches you about real life, just as a parent would.” 

Of course, you don’t win five  conference titles by ignoring the on-field aspect of your job. Blakeney’s success in the influence of his players and the program came from his ability to balance what was most important. 

“He knew how to separate those things,” Smith said. “On the football field he was a football coach; off the field he was a father figure.  

“He was able to switch those roles, and he was very good at both of them.” 

Troy Football’s Director of Strength and Conditioning Richard Shaughnessy cites his time playing under Blakeney as a major influence in not only his coaching style now, but the methods by which the entire program operates. 

“Coach [Blakeney] taught me that you have to treat each situation differently with an athlete,” Shaughnessy said. “He was definitely a coach of second chances.  

“He taught me to look at things situation to situation. Troy Athletics and the program are where they are today because of the sacrifices and perseverance of him and his coaches.  

“He opened the door for where things are now.” 

The official induction ceremony for the College Football Hall of Fame class of 2025 will be on Dec 6, 2025, and Blakeney will be inducted alongside coaches like Nick Saban and Urban Meyer.