Dec. 17, 1997
Stubbs Steps Down to take Alabama Job
LAS VEGAS, Nev. - UNLV offensive coordinator Charlie Stubbs will leave the program to take a job at the University of Alabama, Rebel Head Coach Jeff Horton officially announced Wednesday.
Stubbs, 42, came to UNLV two seasons ago and helped the Rebels emerge as one of the NCAA's top passing teams. In 1997, UNLV ranked first in the Western Athletic Conference and 12th in the nation in passing. The Rebels finished second in the league and 24th in the nation in total offense. Also the quarterbacks coach, Stubbs took over the position of UNLV's assistant head coach last year.
A native of South Carolina and former coach at the University of Memphis, Stubbs came to Las Vegas from the University of Tennessee-Martin. He now returns to the southeast as quarterbacks coach and passing game coordinator for Mike DuBose's Crimson Tide staff.
"I believe that in this profession there are certain opportunities that you can't turn down and Alabama was one of them," Stubbs said. "I was not looking to move after the all the hard work we've done here and right before we're going to reap some rewards. But (Alabama) is one of the top jobs in the nation. Coach DuBose wants to throw the football (heading into his second year) or else I wouldn't have been a good fit."
Horton said Stubbs' move to the national power is proof of how the Rebel program has been steadily building.
"Going to Alabama is a great opportunity for Charlie and his family," Horton said. "He helped elevate our offense even more and did an outstanding job in the two-year period he was here. Also, this shows that football people around the country understand the direction our program is heading and believe in the things we're doing."
Four other UNLV assistants have moved on to jobs with schools in the Pac-10 and Big 10 during Horton's four years as head coach.
Horton said the search for Stubbs' replacement will begin immediately and should be finished by the middle of January.
"It will be a short list but I'll take my time," Horton said. "I don't want to rush into anything. We don't want to change the offensive system in midstream - just continue to expand. With a top-25 offense and a record-setting quarterback (Jon Denton) coming back, we will draw a lot of people's interest."
Stubbs, who won't move from Las Vegas until the beginning of January, agreed. "Coach Horton believes in the system we built here and I know he wants to get a guy in to keep it going because this team is on the verge of succeeding."
