Richmond Spiders set for spirited season

By JOHN O'CONNOR
RICHMOND TIMES-DISPATCH
Published: August 26, 2008

Mike London pointed to one area of the University of Richmond’s River Road practice fields.

“Right over there in the corner, I lost a tooth,“ he said.

He motioned in the other direction and noted “Over there somewhere, I spilled some blood.“

The Spiders’ first-year coach is new to UR football in title only. London traversed the same practice fields as a defensive back for Richmond (1979-82) then returned for two stretches as an assistant before being re-introduced at his alma mater in January as coach.

The London era begins Saturday at Elon. If players reflect their coach, Richmond will be energized.

“He’s an enthusiastic kind of guy,“ quarterback Eric Ward said of London. “Each day he comes out with the same type of intensity as the last day.“

In that regard, nothing has changed.

London arrived at UR from Bethel High in Hampton, and immediately earned a reputation as a hard-hitting, high-motor player. Joe Williams, who was a year behind London at Richmond, said London was “a guy you’d look to for a spark.“

Williams, also a fraternity brother of London’s at Richmond, remembered a practice that lacked the zip coaches desired. Williams, a scout-team running back, took a pitch, started around end, and encountered London.

“He picks me up and body slams me to the ground,“ Williams said. “Everybody goes ‘Ooooooh.‘ London got fired up. The defense got fired up. And we [on the scout team] got killed for the rest of practice.“

London was recognized as one of the top DBs, but while he was at UR, the program wasn’t successful record-wise. The Spiders won nine games during London’s four seasons and went winless in two of them (1979 under coach Jim Tait, 1982 under coach Dal Shealy).

Richmond football was in a transition phase during that era. The Spiders, not yet settled in Division I-AA, were trying to shift from Southern Conference membership to major-college competition. During London’s 0-10 senior season, UR faced Virginia Tech, South Carolina, West Virginia, Louisville, Rutgers and East Carolina.

He signed with the Dallas Cowboys as a free agent and was not kept. A career in the Secret Service was London’s new goal. He learned that experience in law-enforcement was required, and joined the Richmond Police Department. London worked as a patrolman and undercover detective while volunteering as an assistant football coach at George Wythe High.

After arriving at the scene of a robbery at a Southside fast-food restaurant, London faced a loaded gun pointed at him at close-range. It did not fire. Gun malfunction? Or was the trigger not pulled? London still doesn’t know. But that incident, he recalled several years later, convinced him “that maybe a new line of work was in order.“

London was hired as UR’s outside-linebackers coach and became a top-notch recruiter, well-regarded tactician and players favorite. The transition he has experienced through spring ball and summer camp, London said, is linked to “the operation of the game, having to be more involved in the offense and the kicking game, as opposed to [solely] being the coordinator of the defense.

“And then just trying to get the pulse of the team, trying to manage the game, engaging the [officials], looking at the clock, things like that. The management part will be different, but I think I’m ready for that.“

His predecessor, Dave Clawson, was a relatively quiet coach. In the Spiders’ final intrasquad scrimmage of August camp, London didn’t approve of the pace with which offensive plays were run. “Our clock management stinks right now! Let’s go!“ he screamed. London scolded his offensive line for failing to open a hole necessary for a ballcarrier to gain a first down on fourth and one.

He also supplied spirited positive feedback on a regular basis, at high-volume. “He’s a players coach. He makes it fun,“ defensive end Lawrence Sidbury said of London. “We want to give him our all. Play hard.“

UR football: powered by energy at the top.

Contact John O’Connor at (804) 649-6233 or .