Mike Farley (coach)

For the actor, see Mike Farley (actor).

George Michael Farley (January 14, 1934 – August 28, 2018) was an American football coach and baseball player.^[1] After coaching at various high schools throughout Wisconsin,^[2] he served as the head football coach at the University of Wisconsin–River Falls from 1970 to 1988.^[3] Before he entered coaching, Farley was a standout baseball player, first in high school at Alton, Illinois, then for two seasons in the Baltimore Orioles organization, and then in college at the University of Illinois.^[4]

Mike Farley

Biographical details
Born	(1934-01-14)January 14, 1934 St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.
Died	August 28, 2018(2018-08-28) (aged 84) Arizona, U.S.
Playing career
Baseball
1954	Pine Bluff Judges
1954	Marion Marauders
1955–1957	Illinois
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
Football
1958–1960	Pardeeville HS (WI)
1961–1962	Portage HS (WI)
1963–1966	Sparta HS (WI)
1967–1969	Racine Park HS (WI)
1970–1988	River Falls State / Wisconsin–River Falls
Baseball
1958	Illinois (assistant)
Head coaching record
Overall	116–70–3 (college) 51–26–7 (high school)
Tournaments	0–1 (NAIA D-I playoffs)
Accomplishments and honors
Championships
8 WSUC (1975–1976, 1979–1980, 1984–1987)

Head coaching record

College

Year	Team	Overall	Conference	Standing	Bowl/playoffs
River Falls State / Wisconsin–River Falls Falcons (Wisconsin State University Conference) (1970–1988)
1970	River Falls State	1–8	0–8	9th
1971	Wisconsin–River Falls	3–7	2–6	T–7th
1972	Wisconsin–River Falls	4–6	4–4	T–4th
1973	Wisconsin–River Falls	4–5–1	3–4–1	6th
1974	Wisconsin–River Falls	7–3	5–3	4th
1975	Wisconsin–River Falls	8–2	7–1	T–1st
1976	Wisconsin–River Falls	7–3	6–2	T–1st
1977	Wisconsin–River Falls	4–6	3–5	T–5th
1976	Wisconsin–River Falls	4–6	3–5	T–5th
1979	Wisconsin–River Falls	8–2	7–1	1st	L NAIA Division I Quarterfinal
1980	Wisconsin–River Falls	8–2	6–2	T–1st
1981	Wisconsin–River Falls	5–5	3–5	T–7th
1982	Wisconsin–River Falls	7–2–1	6–2	T–2nd
1983	Wisconsin–River Falls	8–2	6–2	T–3rd
1984	Wisconsin–River Falls	8–2	7–1	T–1st
1985	Wisconsin–River Falls	8–1–1	6–1–1	1st
1986	Wisconsin–River Falls	8–2	7–1	T–1st
1987	Wisconsin–River Falls	7–3[n 1]	6–2[n 1]	T–1st[n 1]
1988	Wisconsin–River Falls	7–3	6–2	T–2nd
River Falls State / Wisconsin–River Falls:		116–70–3	93–57–2
Total:		116–70–3
National championship         Conference title         Conference division title or championship game berth

Notes

1. Wisconsin–River Falls finished the 1987 with an overall record of 6–4 and a conference mark of 5–3, tying for second place in the Wisconsin State University Conference (WSUC). In May 1988, Wisconsin–Stevens Point, who won the conference title and defeated Wisconsin–River Falls, forfeited all their wins from the 1987 season because of the use of two ineligible players. This elevated Wisconsin–River Falls's record to 7–3 overall and 6–2 in conference play and placed them into a share of the conference title with Wisconsin–Whitewater.^[5][6][7]

References

1. "Passing Legend Iconic Coach Mike Farley Remembered". River Falls Journal. August 30, 2018. Retrieved October 18, 2018.
2. "Mike Farley". Wisconsin Football Coaches Association. Retrieved October 18, 2018.
3. "Legendary Football Coach Mike Farley Passes Away". UWRF Sports. Retrieved October 18, 2018.
4. "George M. Farley". Retrieved November 16, 2018.
5. "Clark sets passing mark". Wausau Daily Herald. Wausau, Wisconsin. November 15, 1987. p. 3B. Retrieved November 28, 2021 – via Newspapers.com .
6. "Surprise: Lutes are champs after all". The News Tribune. Tacoma, Washington. May 10, 1988. p. C1. Retrieved November 28, 2021 – via Newspapers.com .
7. "WIAC Football All-Time Standings" (PDF). Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. p. 7. Retrieved November 28, 2021.