Robert Gillespie (American football)

Robert Nolan Gillespie (born November 2, 1979) is an American college football coach and former player. He is the assistant head coach and running backs coach for the University of Alabama, positions he has held since 2021. Gillespie played in the National Football League (NFL) for two seasons in the early 2000s with the Washington Redskins and Jacksonville Jaguars. He played college football for the University of Florida.

Robert Gillespie

Current position
Title	Assistant head coach & running backs coach
Team	Alabama
Conference	SEC
Biographical details
Born	(1979-11-02) November 2, 1979 (age 45) Hattiesburg, Mississippi
Playing career
1998–2001	Florida
2002	Washington Redskins
Position(s)	Running back
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
2005	South Carolina (GA)
2006–2008	South Carolina (RB)
2009–2010	Oklahoma State (RB)
2011–2012	West Virginia (RB)
2013–2017	Tennessee (RB)
2018–2020	North Carolina (RB)
2021–present	Alabama (AHC/RB)

Early years

Gillespie was born in Los Angeles, California in 1979.^[1] He attended Hattiesburg High School in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, and he was a standout high school football player for the Hattiesburg Tigers, rushing for 1,957 yards and twenty-six touchdowns, with another 700 yards receiving.^[1] As a senior in 1997, he was a SuperPrep high school All-American.^[1]

College career

Gillespie accepted an athletic scholarship to attend the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida,^[1] where he played for coach Steve Spurrier's Florida Gators football team from 1998 to 2001.^[2] Spurrier would often rotate Gillespie in and out of games with the Gators' other tailback, Earnest Graham, and the two backs shared time at the position.^[1] In four college seasons, he totaled 1,854 yards rushing; he was also a sure-handed receiver out of the Gators' backfield, and became the second all-time Gators running back in career receptions (96) and receiving yards (1,091).^[2] He was a team captain during his senior season in 2001, and the Gators defeated the Maryland Terrapins 56–23 in the Orange Bowl, and finished 10–2 and ranked third in both major polls.^[2]

After his professional playing career was over, Gillespie returned to Gainesville and completed his bachelor's degree in exercise and sports science in 2005.^[3]

Professional career

The Washington Redskins, then led by the former Gators coach Spurrier, signed Gillespie as an undrafted free agent in 2002, and he played for the Redskins for a single season in 2002. He also played for the Frankfurt Galaxy in the NFL Europa in 2003.

Coaching career

South Carolina

Gillespie started his coaching career as a graduate assistant for the University of South Carolina under Gamecocks head coach Steve Spurrier in 2005, and he was promoted to running backs coach the following season.^[4]

Oklahoma State

After four seasons as a Gamecocks assistant, Gillespie accepted an offer to become the new running backs coach for Oklahoma State University under from Cowboys head coach Mike Gundy in January 2009.^[5] In his first season with his new team in 2009, the Cowboys led the Big 12 Conference in rushing offense.^[6]

West Virginia

In 2011, Gillespie became the West Virginia Mountaineers running backs coach at West Virginia University.^[7]

Tennessee

In 2013 Gillespie was named the running backs coach for the Tennessee Volunteers football until parting ways mid February 2018 ^[8]

North Carolina

In March 2018, Gillespie was named as running backs coach at the University of North Carolina.^[9] He coached NFL running backs Antonio Williams, Michael Carter, and Javonte Williams during his tenure as the Tar Heels' RB coach. Carter (2019, 2020) and Javonte Williams (2020) posted 1,000-yard rushing seasons under Gillespie.

Alabama

In January 2021, Gillespie was named as running backs coach at the University of Alabama replacing Charles Huff, who left to become the head coach at Marshall.^[10]

See also

• American football portal
• College football portal

• Florida Gators football, 1990–99
• List of University of Florida alumni
• List of Washington Redskins players

References

1. GatorZone.com, Football History, 2001 Roster, Robert Gillespie. Retrieved April 27, 2011.
2. 2011 Florida Gators Football Media Guide Archived April 2, 2012, at the Wayback Machine, University Athletic Association, Gainesville, Florida, pp. 80, 98, 99, 125, 138–140, 144, 148, 169, 181 (2011). Retrieved August 29, 2011.
3. West Virginia Mountaineers, Football, Coaching Staff, Robert Gillespie. Retrieved May 6, 2011.
4. GamecocksOnline.com, Football, Robert Gillespie Archived 2008-09-15 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved August 4, 2010.
5. Joseph Person, "Gillespie leaves USC for Oklahoma State," The State (January 14, 2009). Retrieved August 4, 2010.
6. OKState.com, Cowboys Football, Roster, Robert Gillespie. Retrieved August 4, 2010.
7. "Robert Gillespie - Football Coach". WVUsports.com.
8. "Gillespie out as Tennessee's RBS coach". February 14, 2018.
9. Barnes, Greg (March 13, 2018). "Larry Fedora Completes Coaching Staff, Adds Robert Gillespie". scout.com. Retrieved March 14, 2018.
10. "Alabama Set to Hire Robert Gillespie as its new RB Coach". Rivals.com. January 24, 2021.

Bibliography

• Carlson, Norm, University of Florida Football Vault: The History of the Florida Gators, Whitman Publishing, LLC, Atlanta, Georgia (2007). ISBN 0-7948-2298-3.
• Golenbock, Peter, Go Gators! An Oral History of Florida's Pursuit of Gridiron Glory, Legends Publishing, LLC, St. Petersburg, Florida (2002). ISBN 0-9650782-1-3.
• Hairston, Jack, Tales from the Gator Swamp: A Collection of the Greatest Gator Stories Ever Told, Sports Publishing, LLC, Champaign, Illinois (2002). ISBN 1-58261-514-4.
• McCarthy, Kevin M., Fightin' Gators: A History of University of Florida Football, Arcadia Publishing, Mount Pleasant, South Carolina (2000). ISBN 978-0-7385-0559-6.