Carl Torbush Named Defensive Coordinator
Dec 19, 2002 | Football
December 19, 2002
Texas A&M Head Coach Dennis Franchione announced the hiring of Carl Torbush as defensive coordinator today. Torbush served as Alabama's defensive coordinator the past two seasons. This announcement completes Coach Franchione's on the field coaching staff.
"Carl is one of the top defensive coordinators in the country," Franchione said. "This past season our defense was rated #1 in the SEC and #3 in the country (257.3 yards per game). He does a great job and I know Aggie fans appreciate excellent defenses."
Torbush, 51, has served as a defensive coordinator at Alabama, North Carolina and Ole Miss. He was named the National Defensive Coordinator of the Year by American Football Quarterly following the 1996 season. His Tar Heel defenses led the conference three straight years (1995-97) and was ranked in the nation's top five in every defensive category in 1996 and 1997. Torbush was a finalist for the Frank Broyles National Assistant Coach of the Year after the 1997 campaign.
Torbush has tutored numerous NFL linebackers. For 12 consecutive years while Torbush was at North Carolina, every starting linebacker but one, earned an opportunity to play in the NFL.
Torbush has also served as a head coach three seasons (1998-2000) at North Carolina and one year (1987) at Louisiana Tech.
He is a 1974 graduate of Carson-Newman where he was a two-sport standout. He earned first-team All-America honors in both football and baseball. Torbush played one season (1975) of professional baseball in the Kansas City Royals organization. He is a member of the Carson-Newman College Sports Hall of Fame and the Knoxville Sports Hall of Fame.
Upon graduation, Torbush made his first coaching stop at Baylor as a graduate assistant in 1975. He earned a master's degree from Baylor in 1976. He served as linebackers and defensive ends coach at Southeastern Louisiana from 1976-79 before moving to Louisiana Tech as assistant head coach and linebackers coach from 1980-82. Torbush served as defensive coordinator and linebackers coach at Ole Miss from 1983-86. His 1986 defense led the SEC in total defense. Torbush was named the head coach at Louisiana Tech in 1987. From 1988-97, he served as the UNC defensive coordinator and linebackers coach before being named the head coach at North Carolina from 1998-2000.
Torbush and his wife, the former Janet Gilbert, have one son, Trey.
