Mike Furrey (pronounced Fer-ee), an eight-year NFL veteran who had two stints as head coach at Limestone University in Gaffney, Thursday was named the new wide receivers coach at USC. The Board of Trustees Governance Committee approved the contract for Furrey in a called meeting early Thursday morning.
Furrey replaces James Coley who left last week for Georgia after being hired by Shane Beamer in mid-January off the fired Texas A&M staff.
The 46 year old Furrey is a native of Hilliard, OH. He walked-on as a receiver at Ohio State and played on a Rose Bowl winning team in 1997. He transfered to Northern Iowa where he was a three-time All American and is a member of the school’s athletic hall of fame.
Furrey’s NFL career began as a free agent signee by the Colts in 2000. He also made stops with the Rams, Lions, Browns and Commanders. He caught 221 passes in his NFL career for 2298 yards and seven touchdowns.
Furrey began his coaching career as the head coach at Kentucky Christian in 2011. In 2013 he moved to Marshall as receivers coach. He took the Limestone job for the first time in 2016 and went 9-12 in two seasons with the Saints.
Furrey returned to the NFL in 2018 for a four year run as receivers coach with the Bears. He returned to Limestone in 2022 and led the Saints to their two best seasons in their short history. They went 8-4 each season and won their South Atlantic Conference division. Both seasons ended with a first round loss in the D-2 Playoffs.
Here’s more on Furrey from his 2023 Limestone bio:
Furrey became the second head coach in program history on May 11, 2016, and rejoined Limestone football on March 7, 2022. He remains the program leader in career wins.
After two seasons on the sidelines with the Saints, including guiding the Blue and Gold to a fourth-place finish during the program’s inaugural campaign in the South Atlantic Conference, Furrey quickly helped lead the Bears to an NFC North title in 2018 and two postseason appearances in both 2018 and 2020. With Furrey on the staff, the Chicago Bears amassed a combined record of 34-31 over a four-year span.
Furrey served as the head coach at Kentucky Christian University for two seasons, and then as the wide receivers coach at Marshall University for three, before he took over a young Limestone program in 2016. He promptly guided the Saints to their best season in the team’s short history with a 5-6 overall mark, and then led the program as it transitioned to membership in the South Atlantic Conference the following year.
In its first season in the SAC, Limestone compiled a 4-6 overall record and a fourth-place finish in the league standings. The 2017 Saints emulated the never-quit attitude of their head coach, winning three of its games in overtime before rallying from a large deficit to upset Newberry, 27-24, in the closing seconds.
Under his leadership, Furrey mentored seven players named to the All-South Atlantic Conference Team in 2017 while then rookie running back Jerko’ya Patton was the SAC Offensive Freshman of the Year.
Furrey took over a Limestone program still in its infancy, and promptly guided the Blue and Gold to its best season in the short three-year history of the team. The Saints, who had combined for just four wins over the first two years of competition, finished with a 5-6 overall record during the 2016 campaign.
The Saints went an impressive 4-2 on the road during the 2016 season, including wins over Lenoir-Rhyne and Catawba, the defending South Atlantic Conference Champions. The offense made tremendous strides a year ago, but it was the defensive unit that shined the brightest during Furrey’s first season.
Limestone led NCAA Division II with eight defensive touchdowns while the defensive unit ranked eighth in the nation with 32 turnovers gained. Junior cornerback Joshua Simmons earned All-America honors and was a finalist for the Cliff Harris Award after leading the country with three defensive touchdowns and finishing second in the DII ranks with eight interceptions.
During his tenure with the Marshall Thundering Herd, Furrey helped guide the program to three straight bowl wins and the 2014 Conference USA Championship. Marshall led Conference USA in scoring offense while ranking in the Top-5 nationally in total offense during the 2013 and 2014 campaigns.
Furrey was named the head coach of a struggling Kentucky Christian program in January 2011. He turned the program around as the team went from 0-11 in 2010 to 7-4 and a Top-25 ranking in 2012.
While at the helm of the Knights, he coached the Mid-South Conference Defensive Freshman of the Year, and a school-record 18 student-athletes were named to the Mid-South All-Conference Team. Furrey was also instrumental in raising funds to build a new stadium with a turf field at Kentucky Christian.
He played a combined eight years in the NFL with the St. Louis Rams, the Detroit Lions, the Cleveland Browns, and the team now known as the Washington Commanders. His best season as a professional came during the 2006 season with the Lions when he led the NFC with 98 receptions to go with 1,086 yards and seven touchdowns – his 98 catches that season set an NFL record for most receptions in a season after having none the previous year. He played on defense with the Rams the season before.
Twice nominated for the NFL Walter Payton Man of the Year Award while with the Detroit Lions, Furrey was a finalist for the prestigious award during the 2009 season as a member of the Cleveland Browns. The Walter Payton Man of the Year Award honors a player’s volunteer and charitable work as well as his excellence on the field.
Furrey won the 2009 JB Award, an accolade given to those who specialize in community service by then CBS studio host James Brown, and then was selected as the 2009 NFL Ed Block Courage Award recipient, an honor that highlights courage, compassion, commitment, and community service.
After signing with the Indianapolis Colts as an undrafted free agent in 2000, Furrey spent one season with the Las Vegas Outlaws in the XFL before playing two years with the New York Dragons of the Arena Football League. He would then sign with the St. Louis Rams in 2003, playing in 13 games during his rookie year. He helped guide the Rams to the NFC Divisional Round as a safety a year later.
Furrey was a three-time All-American while at the University of Northern Iowa after spending his freshman season as a walk-on at The Ohio State University. While with the Buckeyes, the team won the 1997 Rose Bowl with a 20-17 win over Arizona State. He was inducted into the UNI Athletics Hall of Fame in 2017.
In 2007, he founded the Mike Furrey Foundation and has since raised more than $500,000 to help improve the lives of those who are hurting, hungry, hopeful and/or homeless. He also served as the board president for Basket of Hope with former NFL coach Tony Dungy as the organization’s spokesperson.
Furrey graduated from UNI in 2000 with a Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Studies. He and his wife Koren are the proud parents of Makayla, Stone and Kanon.
In a related move, Limestone has named former NFL wide receiver Jerricho Cotchery as the Saints new head coach, replacing Furrey.
Mike Furrey contract details
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