Mike Groh Steps Down as Offensive Coordinator for University of Virginia Football Team

Only one Groh will return to the Virginia football coaching staff next season.

Mike Groh has stepped down as the Cavaliers' offensive coordinator, Coach Al Groh, Mike's father, announced yesterday. The vacated offensive coordinator spot was the most notable move on a day when Groh unveiled major changes to the coaching staff and said the team will introduce new schemes next season.

Defensive line coach Levern Belin also stepped down, and assistant head coach-defensive backs coach Steve Bernstein retired.

Defensive coordinator Bob Pruett becomes assistant head coach-defense, and special teams coordinator-linebackers coach Bob Diaco takes over for Pruett as defensive coordinator. Anthony Poindexter moves to the defensive secondary after working with running backs since 2004.

Al Groh said Mike Groh and Belin will pursue other opportunities.

The announcement came nine days after Virginia finished 5-7 for the second time in three years. Athletic Director Craig Littlepage announced Nov. 30 that the school had declined to roll over Groh's contract, which runs through 2011, for an additional year. Fans have been clamoring for a change of the team's offense.

Mike Groh replaced Ron Prince, recently fired as Kansas State's coach, as offensive coordinator in 2006. Groh's offense was never ranked higher than No. 101 in the nation. It finished the 2008 season ranked 104th.

"There are no scapegoats here," Al Groh said. "The head coach is responsible for the team."

Neither Mike Groh nor Belin responded to messages.

In a telephone interview, Bernstein, 64, emphasized that his decision to retire was voluntary. He suffered an injury after the Miami game on Nov. 1 that made him vacillate about continuing to coach. He spoke with Al Groh and decided to end a coaching career that started in Quantico with the United States Marine Corps in 1969.

"I'll miss the players," Bernstein said. "I'm going to keep active, do some volunteer work. You coach at this level, you got to be pretty active."

He also labeled Poindexter, a former standout safety at Virginia, as the "real deal" and said he liked the direction in which Diaco can take the defense. Still, Bernstein could only wonder what his final season might have been like if the Cavaliers had played with former starting quarterback Jameel Sewell, who missed the season because of academic problems.

Sewell "would have been at least the second-best quarterback in the ACC," Bernstein said. "That would have made all the difference in our offense."