Temple University Athletics

Football

Rod Carey
Rod Carey
Rod Carey, who served six years as the head coach at Northern Illinois University, was named Temple University’s head football coach on January 11, 2019.

In his first season on North Broad Street, Carey led the Owls to an 8-5 record and a berth in the 2019 Military Bowl. That extended Temple's streak to five straight bowl games, the longest in school history. The eight wins tied Steve Addazio fro the most wins by a first-year head coach in Temple history.

Carey, who was named NIU’s head coach in December 2012, coached the Huskies in six bowl games, including leading the Mid-American Conference power against Florida State in the 2013 Discover Orange Bowl. He compiled a 52-30 won-loss record at NIU with an impressive 38-10 record in conference play.

“We are very happy to announce that Rod Carey will take over as the next Temple head football coach,” said Temple University Director of Athletics Dr. Patrick Kraft in January.  “Rod is a proven winner with a history of success as a head coach at the FBS level. He has won four regular season titles and two MAC Championships at Northern Illinois while taking the Huskies to six bowl games, including the 2013 Orange Bowl. He has also recruited and coached All-American players at NIU. 

Under Carey, NIU was the dominant program in the MAC from 2013-16, winning four West Division titles and two MAC Championship games.  

Carey guided NIU to a perfect 12-0 regular season record in his first full year at the helm (2013), with that Huskies' team spending nine weeks in the AP poll and rising as high as 16. He followed that year by guiding NIU to an 11-3 record in 2014, tying for the West Division title and winning the MAC Championship with a 51-17 victory over Bowling Green.

Three of the next four seasons saw Carey lead the Huskies to eight-win campaigns with his teams winning two more West Division titles. In 2018, the Huskies finished 8-6 overall, 6-2 in league play, and overcame a 29-10 third quarter deficit to defeat Buffalo, 30-29, in the MAC title game for its second conference championship under Carey. 
 
Success has not just come in league play for Carey’s teams as NIU posted a 4-2 mark against Big Ten opponents under his leadership. NIU’s four wins during his tenure came against Iowa (2013), Purdue (2013), Northwestern (2014), and Nebraska (2017).

At NIU, Carey coached seven All-Americans, including defensive end Sutton Smith, who became the school’s first two-time First Team All-American.

Carey rose quickly to the head coaching position upon his arrival on the NIU campus in 2011. After joining the staff as an offensive line coach, he added run game coordinator to his duties for the 2012 season and then became the offensive coordinator following the team’s first game. Three months later, he was named the head coach.

Prior to his arrival at NIU, Carey served as the offensive line coach for three seasons (2008-10) at the University of North Dakota. His line paved the way for UND 1,000-yard rusher Josh Murray (1,146 yards) in 2008 and for the No. 2 running back in the Great West Conference a year later. The Fighting Sioux also passed for 2,000 yards in 2009.

In the shortest stint of his coaching career, Carey was the offensive line coach at Illinois State for the 2007 season. Prior to that, he served on the coaching staff at the University of Wisconsin-Stout for seven seasons (2000-06), where he was the offensive coordinator and offensive line coach.

A native of Wayzata, Minn., Carey began his collegiate coaching career at the University of Minnesota (1998-99) where he helped the Gophers to their first bowl game in over a decade with a trip to the 1999 Sun Bowl. Prior to UM, he spent four seasons in the high school ranks at his alma mater, Wayzata (Minn.) High School, from 1994-97.

A three-year starter at center for Indiana during his collegiate playing days (1990-93), Carey served as a team captain and won IU's Corby Davis Outstanding Offensive Player Award as a senior. He earned his bachelor's degree from Indiana in 1994.

Carey and his wife, Tonya, have two children, daughter Kennedi and son Charlie.