Veteran college football coach
John Gutekunst joined the Columbia coaching staff in the summer of 2010. He
coaches the defensive secondary.
In 2010, cornerback Calvin Otis
was named first team All-Ivy League after totaling 40 tackles with three
interceptions, eight pass defenses and five breakups.
Gutekunst, who was Norries Wilson's
head coach at the University of Minnesota in the late 1980s, brings a wealth of
experience at every level of college football.
After graduating from Duke,
where he played football and baseball, Gutekunst joined the Duke coaching staff
and held a spot on the staff from 1967-78.
Prior to the 1979 campaign,
Gutekunst joined the staff at Virginia Tech where he helped the Hokies to a
five-year record of 36-20 from 1979-83. He then served as defensive coordinator
and secondary coach under Lou Holtz at Minnesota during the 1984-85 seasons before
beginning a six-year tenure as the head coach of the Gophers (1986-91).
In 1986, he led Minnesota to
the Liberty Bowl in a season that was highlighted by a 20-17 upset victory over
then second-ranked and previously unbeaten Michigan. He also was the Gophers'
head coach in a 20-13 triumph over Clemson in the 1985 Independence Bowl.
After coaching one season with
the Tampa Bay Storm of the Arena Football League, Gutekunst moved back to the
college ranks for one-year stints at Wake Forest (1992) and South Carolina
(1993). He then was the defensive coordinator at Rutgers from 1994-95 and
coached the defensive backs and kickers at Rhode Island from 1996-98.
In 1999, Gutekunst reunited
with Holtz and returned to South Carolina for five seasons (1999-03), coaching
the Gamecock defensive secondary. In 2000, the Gamecocks posted 20
interceptions while allowing a league-low five touchdown passes. Defensive back
Sheldon Brown was named to the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA)
All-America team while Gutekunst earned AFCA Assistant Coach of the Year
accolades.
In 2001, South Carolina's
defense ranked second in the SEC as two defensive backs - Brown and Andre
Goodman - received All-SEC honors and were later selected in the 2002 NFL
Draft. Gutekunst also coached All-SEC cornerback Dunta Robinson, who was chosen
with the 10th overall selection by Houston in the 2004 NFL Draft.
Gutekunst served three seasons
(2004-06) at North Carolina, coaching the linebackers as a co-defensive
coordinator in 2004 before switching to the tight ends for his final two years.
He added the responsibilities of assistant head coach in 2006.
He served a second stint at
Duke during the 2007 season as the defensive secondary coach.
Most recently, Gutekunst was
the special teams coach and defensive assistant at East Carolina under Skip
Holtz. Gutekunst helped lead the Pirates to the Conference USA title in 2009
while coaching Dwayne Harris, the Conference USA Special Teams Player of the
Year, and All-American punter Matt Dodge.
Recruiting Areas
North Carolina, South Carolina, Idaho, Montana
