Clay Helton

Clay Helton

Helton in 2013
Sport(s) Football
Current position
Title Head coach
Team USC
Conference Pac-12
Record 15–7
Annual salary $3.8 Million
Biographical details
Born (1972-06-24) June 24, 1972
Gainesville, Florida
Alma mater University of Houston, 1994
Playing career
1990–1992 Auburn
1993–1994 Houston
Position(s) Quarterback
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
1995 Duke (GA)
1996 Duke (RB)
1997–1999 Houston (RB)
2000–2002 Memphis (RB)
2003–2006 Memphis (WR)
2007–2009 Memphis (OC/QB)
2010–2011 USC (QB)
2012 USC (PGC/QB)
2013 USC (OC/QB/interim HC)
2014 USC (OC/QB)
2015 USC (OC/QB/interim HC/HC)
2016–present USC
Head coaching record
Overall 15–7
Bowls 1–1
Accomplishments and honors
Championships
1 Pac-12 South Division (2015)

Charles Clay Helton (born June 24, 1972) is an American football coach and former player. He is the head coach of the USC Trojans football team. Helton also serves as quarterbacks coach.

Helton has also been a coach for Duke Blue Devils, Houston Cougars and Memphis Tigers. His father, Kim Helton, was a coach in college, the National Football League, and the Canadian Football League.

Early life

Charles Clay Helton was born in 1972 in Gainesville, Florida, where his father Charles Kimberlin "Kim" Helton was then a graduate assistant for the University of Florida football team.[1][2] The Helton family later lived in the Miami, Tampa Bay, and Houston areas, as Kim Helton later coached for the University of Miami, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Houston Oilers.[2] Clay Helton attended Clements High School in Sugar Land, Texas and graduated in 1990.[3]

College playing career

After redshirting his freshman year, Helton played college football at Auburn as quarterback. In 1993, Helton transferred to Houston, after his father was hired as head coach there.[1] Helton was a backup quarterback at both Auburn and Houston and graduated from Houston in 1994 with a degree in mathematics and interdisciplinary science.[1][3] At Houston, Helton completed 47 of 87 passes for 420 yards, one touchdown, and four interceptions and played 16 games.[4]

Coaching career

In 1995, Helton enrolled at Duke University and became a graduate assistant for the Duke Blue Devils football team under Fred Goldsmith. Helton later was promoted as running backs coach in 1996.[3]

Helton joined his father at Houston to be running backs coach in 1997 and remained in that position until 1999, Kim Helton's final season as head coach.[3]

After leaving Houston, Helton joined Rip Scherer's staff at Memphis also as running backs coach. Helton stayed on staff under new coach Tommy West, who replaced Scherer in 2001, and moved to coaching the wide receivers in 2003. By 2007, Helton was promoted to offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. Players Helton coached at Memphis include DeAngelo Williams, a first-round NFL draft pick in 2005, and 2006 Conference USA All-Freshman pick Duke Calhoun.[3]

Helton was hired by USC to be quarterbacks coach in 2010 under Lane Kiffin.[5] In 2013 he was promoted to offensive coordinator.[6] Helton served as the team's interim head coach during their bowl game after their previous interim head coach, Ed Orgeron, quit. On October 11, 2015, he once again became the interim head coach of the Trojans after head coach Steve Sarkisian took a leave of absence, and was then subsequently fired.[7] On November 30, 2015, USC removed the interim tag and named Helton the permanent head coach.[8] Since Helton was named the permanent head coach, USC has compiled a 9–5 record, with losses against Stanford in the Pac-12 championship game, Wisconsin in the Holiday Bowl, and Alabama, Stanford, and Utah in the 2016 season.[9]

Head coaching record

Year Team Overall Conference Standing Bowl/playoffs Coaches# AP°
USC Trojans (Pac-12 Conference) (2013)
2013 USC 1–0[lower-alpha 1] 0–0 W Las Vegas 19 19
USC Trojans (Pac-12 Conference) (2015–present)
2015 USC 5–4[lower-alpha 2] 5–1 T–1st (South) L Holiday
2016 USC 9–3 7–2 2nd (South)
USC: 15–7 12–3
Total: 15–7
      National championship         Conference title         Conference division title
Indicates Bowl Coalition, Bowl Alliance, BCS, or CFP / New Years' Six bowl.
#Rankings from final Coaches Poll.
°Rankings from final AP Poll.

    Notes

    1. Lane Kiffin was the head coach for the first five games of the season. Interim head coach Ed Orgeron coached the next eight games, but resigned after Steve Sarkisian was hired to become head coach of USC beginning in 2014. Helton was named interim head coach and coached USC in the 2013 Las Vegas Bowl.
    2. Steve Sarkisian was the head coach for the first five games of the season. On October 11, 2015, Helton was named interim head coach after Sarkisian took an indefinite leave of absence and was fired a day later. On November 30, 2015, USC removed the interim tag and promoted Helton to permanent head coach.

    References

    External links

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