Coach Duggs
Coach Duggs, virtual birth name Gus Duggerton, (created March 2020) is a fictional virtual American football coach created and played with in “Create A Coach” mode on EA Sports’ iconic NCAA Football 14 video game by Dan “Big Cat” Katz of Barstool Sports and co-host of Barstool’s hit sports podcast, Pardon My Take, the #1 sports podcast globally.
Early Life / Origin
Coach Duggs’ origin traces back to March 2020[1]. As the coronavirus pandemic descended on society, it caused widespread college and professional sport season postponements and cancellations. Among these cancellations was the 2020 NCAA men’s college basketball tournament, commonly referred to as “March Madness”. The metaphoric death of March Madness 2020, and along with it the unparalleled sports gambling opportunity, hit Big Cat hard as he came to the profound realization, “Wow this is going to be a long time without sports” on The Slice: A Tennessee Football Podcast.[2] On the brink of a personal spiral, Big Cat purchased an Xbox 360 and three copies of NCAA Football 14, the last rendition to date of the iconic college football video game franchise NCAA Football, which arrived and were taken into the custody of Big Cat on or about March 19, 2020.[2] In “Create A Coach” mode on NCAA Football 14, the weight-challenged Big Cat created a heavyset coach, Gus Duggerton.[2]
The events that ensued would tell an unprecedented tale of grit, adversity and glory.
Viral Sensation
The inspirational journey and meteoric rise of Coach Duggs across the virtual college football landscape became a viral sensation in March 2020, continuing through Summer 2020, as Big Cat embarked on Coach Duggs’ coaching career on NCAA Football 14. Coach Duggs’ and Big Cat’s improbable run garnered millions of views and social media dialogue as they caught lightning in a bottle with what became, in some circles, must-watch programming as the plummy duo clashed with college football titans in pursuit of perfection, championship glory and legacy.
Evidence of Coach Duggs’ early coaching career at Toledo is limited to eyewitness anecdotes and Big Cat’s unsolicited volume of Coach Duggs tweets. Shortly thereafter, Big Cat, who enjoys a large social media following, began streaming Coach Duggs’ games on the popular online streaming platform Twitch. Big Cat and Barstool documented Coach Duggs’ story on numerous other media platforms, including Barstool’s social media accounts, website and podcasts. Among other Barstool platforms, Barstool Sports’ Pardon My Take podcast provided exclusive access to Big Cat’s reactions and management of Coach Duggs as Big Cat endured the fleeting highs and sobering lows of the virtual college football coaching life with melodramatic reactions the likes of which the Pardon My Take and Barstool faithful had become accustomed.
According to Gilt Edge Soccer Marketing, from April 9 to June 16, 2020, Big Cat, Coach Duggs and Barstool published 47 NCAA Football 14 streams on the Pardon My Take Twitch channel. These streams averaged approximately 32,000 viewers per broadcast for a total of 1.53M viewers.[3]
Amidst Coach Duggs’ celebrity rise, a Twitter account (@CoachDuggs) became a viral sensation with over 76,000 followers to date, featuring a real-life Coach Duggs doppelganger, Colin McClow, ironically a Florida State University (FSU) Seminole fan as Coach Duggs virtually coached FSU, often featured on and interacting with Big Cat’s and other Barstool Twitter accounts.[4] McClow “Coach Duggs” became further known for his post-game interviews and other real-world depictions of the life, trials and tribulations of Coach Gus Duggerton.[1]
On March 25, 2020, the Toledo Athletics Twitter account (@ToledoRockets) posted a “goodbye” tweet thanking Coach Duggs as he virtually departed the program for FSU.[1]
Coach Duggs also generated an ecosystem of sports media and reporting coverage, including Mel Kiper impersonators and real-world sports analysts and personalities, to opine on Coach Duggs’ coaching career.[1]
On April 17, 2020, Mike Nealy, Executive Director of the Fiesta Bowl, joined Big Cat via video call to formally invite Coach Duggs and FSU to the virtual Fiesta Bowl (in NCAA Football 14). Former FSU All-American and current Los Angeles Chargers All-Pro safety, Derwin James, shouted out and provided encouragement to Big Cat, Coach Duggs and the Seminoles ahead of their Fiesta Bowl tilt with the UConn Huskies via video message.[5] Following the virtual Fiesta Bowl, the Connecticut Huskies Football Twitter account (@UConnFootball) tweeted a congratulations to Big Cat and Coach Duggs on their Fiesta Bowl victory over the Huskies.[1]
On April 18, 2020, the USC Trojan Football Twitter account (@USC_FB) welcomed, via tweet, Coach Duggs as “Co-Offensive Coordinator”, a choice of words that caused a ripple of murmurs and speculation, of the USC Trojans.[1] Big Cat and Coach Duggs’ decision streamed and captured on Pardon My Take’s Twitch channel attracted over 50,000 viewers.[1]
On May 4, 2020, Texas Tech Football (@TexasTechFB) and Patrick Mahomes (@PatrickMahomes) tweeted words of encouragement in response to Big Cat’s Twitter announcement of Coach Duggs’ acceptance of the Texas Tech head coaching job.[6]
On or about May 8, 2020, former LSU Tigers Heisman and current Cincinnati Bengals quarterback, Joe Burrow, provided NCAA Football 14 defensive consultative services and advice to Big Cat on Pardon My Take in an effort to reverse Big Cat and Coach Duggs’ notorious and ongoing defensive blunders.[7]
On May 14, 2020, following Coach Duggs and Texas Tech’s 40-35 loss to TCU, TCU Football (@TCUFootball) tweeted “You hate to see it” in response to Big Cat’s tweet of the game result.[8]
On May 16, 2020, ahead of Coach Duggs’ and Texas Tech’s game against the West Virginia Mountaineers, West Virginia men’s basketball coach, Bob Huggins, tweeted at Big Cat regarding the upcoming clash.[9]
After Coach Duggs and the Texas Tech Red Raiders earned their first Cotton Bowl victory, both Texas Tech Football (@TexasTechFB) and the Cotton Bowl’s (@CottonBowlGame) Twitter accounts tweeted to acknowledge and congratulate Coach Duggs and the Red Raiders on their success.[10]
On May 19, 2020, Tennessee Football (@Vol_Football) tweeted “Home Sweet Home” and a photoshopped picture of McClow (as Coach Duggs) and then-University of Tennessee Athletic Director, Phillip Fulmer, in response and reference to Big Cat’s recent announcement of Coach Duggs’ acceptance of the Tennessee head football coach position.[11]
On May 20, 2020, then-Tennessee head coach, Jeremy Pruitt, tweeted @CoachDuggs and Big Cat that he considered Coach Duggs “a friend and have always respected his offensive philosophy”.[11] Speculation exists that this interaction between Pruitt and Coach Duggs incepted the movement to drive Pruitt out of Knoxville, which climaxed and concluded in January 2021 with Pruitt’s firing. Pruitt has not commented publicly as to whether he perceives Big Cat as personally accountable for his demise and dismissal at Tennessee.
On May 24, 2020, JoJo Smalls, a fictional player on Coach Duggs’ Tennessee team, trended #11 on Twitter after returning a kickoff for a touchdown during Coach Duggs and Tennessee’s game against the Florida Gators.[12]
During Coach Duggs’ tenure at Tennessee, Maryland Football’s twitter account tweeted a call, featuring notable Maryland alumnus and the “Golden Egg” of ESPN, SVP, for “The Game of the Century” match between Tennessee and Maryland for charity.[13]
On or about May 29, 2020, in an interview on Pardon My Take, after allegedly observing irregularities in some of Coach Duggs’ Volunteer players on-field abilities, Scott Van Pelt (SVP) delivered accusations against Big Cat of performance-enhancing player attribute alterations within the Volunteer locker room / NCAA Football 14 player editing interface.[14] Facing immense public backlash, and amidst talks in social media circles of “cancellation”, SVP issued a hallow apology to Big Cat, Coach Duggs and the players whom he purportedly slandered.[14]
On June 7, 2020, Darrell Taylor (@darrelltaylorst), former Tennessee Volunteer and current Seattle Seahawk defensive end, shared a video message, featured on Tennessee Football’s (@Vol_Football) Twitter, wishing Coach Duggs the best in the upcoming virtual BCS National Championship Game against Virginia Tech.[15]
Also, on June 7, 2020, college football reporter and “insider”, Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) tweeted that Tennessee had withdrawn the “lifetime deal” previously offered to Coach Duggs after his “meltdown” 49-29 National Championship game loss to Virginia Tech.[16]
On June 18, 2020, following Coach Duggs and Tennessee’s win over the Miami Hurricanes, Miami Hurricanes Football’s (@CanesFootball) tweeted Coach Duggs (@CoachDuggs) stating, “Good game”.[17]
On June 28, 2020, Toledo Athletics’ (@ToledoRockets), Toledo Football’s (@ToledoFB) and Texas Longhorns quarterback, Sam Ehlinger’s, (@sehlinger3) Twitter accounts tweeted congratulations to Coach Duggs (@CoachDuggs) and Big Cat (@BarstoolBigCat) on their Toledo victory over Texas in the 2019 BCS National Championship game.[18][19] Other prominent individuals who publicly offered words of encouragement and appreciation to Coach Duggs included: Cleveland Browns running back, Kareem Hunt; Mayor of Toledo, Wade Kapszukiewicz; former Toledo and NFL quarterback, Bruce Gradkowski; and former Rocket and current Houston Texan, Greg Mancz.[20]
Throughout Coach Duggs’ career, NCAA Football 14’s Sports Illustrated, as well as Barstool’s satirical versions of same, frequently featured the hefty signal caller on its cover.
Although long-rumored, to date, no material evidence has been published or credibly reported indicating that Coach Duggs will soon be featured on a LeBron James “Baby Bron” social media post – a frequent ceremonious social media honoring, mainly of himself, in which he dubs a promising young athlete “Baby Bron”, meaning a younger version of himself, highlighting the adversity James overcame on the road to greatness.
Notable “Stream Attendance” (Viewers on Pardon My Take’s Twitch Channel) for Coach Duggs’ Games (viewership numbers per Twitch Tracker, unless otherwise noted):
| Date | Peak Viewership[21] | Game / Event |
| 4/11/2020 | 15,673 | FSU @ ND |
| ~4/11/2020 | 15,000+[1] | FSU @ Syracuse |
| 4/14/2020 | 16,913 | FSU vs UF |
| 4/16/2020 | 39,853 | FSU vs. GT |
| 4/18/2020 | 46,214 | FSU vs. UConn (Fiesta Bowl) |
| 4/18/2020 | 40,000+[1] | Big Cat/Coach Duggs USC Coaching Decision |
| 4/21/2020 | 25,041 | USC vs Tennessee; USC vs Toledo |
| 4/23/2020 | 20,709 | USC @ Colorado |
| 4/24/2020 | 11,064 | USC vs Washington |
| 4/28/2020 | 33,267 | USC @ ND |
| 4/29/2020 | 27,669 | USC vs Arizona; USC vs Stanford |
| 5/1/2020 | 13,186 | USC vs UCLA |
| 5/2/2020 | 31,374 | USC vs Stanford |
| 5/5/2020 | 47,202 | USC vs MSU (Rose Bowl) |
| 5/6/2020 | 41,671 | TTU @ UCLA |
| 5/8/2020 | 25,726 | TTU vs FSU |
| 5/9/2020 | 30,000+[22] | TTU @ Baylor |
| 5/11/2020 | 34,941 | TTU @ OKST |
| 5/13/2020 | 39,276 | TTU vs Texas |
| 5/13/2020 | 19,292 | TTU @ KSU |
| 5/15/2020 | 31,404 | TTU @ TCU |
| 5/15/2020 | 27,018 | TTU vs OKLA |
| 5/16/2020 | 14,439 | TTU vs WVU |
| 5/18/2020 | 29,766 | TTU @ ISU |
| 5/20/2020 | 63,667 | Texas Tech vs TAMU (Cotton Bowl); Big Cat/Coach Duggs Tennessee Coaching Decision |
| 5/21/2020 | 38,735 | UT vs UCLA |
| 5/22/2020 | 26,666 | UT @ Baylor |
| 5/22/2020 | 29,884 | UT vs UConn |
| 5/25/2020 | 41,751 | UT @ UF |
| 5/25/2020 | 24,114 | UT @ Toledo |
| 5/27/2020 | 45,113 | UT vs UGA |
| 5/27/2020 | 25,903 | UT vs Auburn |
| 5/29/2020 | 21,340 | UT vs USC (S. Car.) |
| 5/31/2020 | 58,444 | UT @ Bama |
| 6/2/2020 | 15,570 | UT @ Mizzou |
| 6/3/2020 | 24,711 | UT vs Vandy |
| 6/5/2020 | 35,343 | UT @ UK |
| 6/5/2020 | 44,865 | UT vs Ole Miss (SEC Championship) |
| 6/8/2020 | 126,208 | UT vs Virginia Tech (National Championship) |
| 6/8/2020 | 44,813 | UT vs Maryland |
| 6/10/2020 | 50,506 | UT @ UNC; UT vs UF |
| 6/10/2020 | 37,491 | UT vs Michigan; UT @ UGA |
| 6/11/2020 | 18,726 | UT vs MIZZOU |
| 6/12/2020 | 42,243 | UT @ USC (S. Car.); UT vs Bama |
| 6/14/2020 | 19,959 | UT @ TAMU |
| 6/15/2020 | 44,010 | UT @ Vandy |
| 6/16/2020 | 26,698 | UT vs UK |
| 6/17/2020 | 57,762 | UT vs LSU (SEC Championship) |
| 6/19/2020 | 141,406 | UT vs Miami (National Championship) |
| 6/22/2020 | 49,215 | Big Cat/Coach Duggs Toledo Coaching Decision; Toledo @ USC; Toledo vs UF |
| 6/22/2020 | 31,075 | Toledo @ BGSU; Toledo vs NIU; Toledo @ Miami (OH) |
| 6/23/2020 | 12,530 | Toledo @ Akron |
| 6/24/2020 | 33,488 | Toledo vs ND |
| 6/25/2020 | 25,977 | Toledo @ UT; Toledo @ CMU |
| 6/25/2020 | 28,164 | Toledo vs EMU |
| 6/26/2020 | 12,429 | Toledo @ Ball St; Toledo vs WMU |
| 6/26/2020 | 15,771 | Toledo vs BGSU (MAC Championship) |
| 6/29/2020 | 97,485 | Toledo vs Texas (National Championship) |
| 7/6/2020 | 37,300 | Big Cat/Coach Duggs LSU Coaching Decision |
| 7/7/2020 | 24,426 | LSU @ Navy; LSU @ WISC |
| 7/8/2020 | 6,774 | LSU @ TAMU |
| 7/9/2020 | 7,501 | LSU vs MSU |
| 7/10/2020 | 10,561 | LSU @ UF; LSU vs ND |
| 7/10/2020 | 12,757 | LSU @ Vandy |
| 7/13/2020 | 11,474 | LSU vs Bama |
| 7/15/2020 | 7,945 | LSU vs Ole Miss; LSU vs Auburn |
| 7/15/2020 | 9,359 | LSU @ ARK |
| 7/17/2020 | 8,187 | LSU @ UK |
| 7/20/2020 | 41,021 | Coach Duggs Final Game: LSU vs WVU (National Championship) |
*Streams with over 50,000 viewers emphasized in bold.
To date, “The Coach Duggs Saga” 59-video playlist on Pardon My Take’s YouTube channel has 98,933 views (Take, Pardon My Take Channel, n.d.).
Coaching Career
Coach Duggs’ mantra – “1. Run the ball. 2. Fight the Twitch haters. 3. Win. BE YOU.” – often displayed on his play call chart, became the battle cry of a modern cultural movement rooted in grit, online anti-bullying counter measures and the power of human will.[23]
University of Toledo
Coach Duggs began his college football coaching career as the offensive coordinator of the University of Toledo Rockets. As offensive coordinator, Coach Duggs helped engineer the best season (12-2) in Toledo school history, including: an upset victory at the “Swamp” versus the University of Florida Gators; a Heisman finalist; a MAC Championship; and concluding with a gut-wrenching 38-28 loss to the University of Georgia Bulldogs in the Sugar Bowl, a “New Years 6” bowl, that both Coach Duggs and Big Cat contentiously assert was “not my fault” after Coach Duggs’ offensive scored four touchdowns, only to be disappointed by the Rockets defense’s allowance of 38 points.[24]
Following the season, both Coach Duggs’ Toledo head coach and defensive coordinator left the program for the SEC (South Eastern Conference) coaching opportunities. Toledo subsequently declined to extend an interview offer to Coach Duggs for the vacant head coach.[24] Thus, Coach Duggs decided it best for he and his family to explore other opportunities. While Big Cat contends that weight-discrimination (Coach Duggs weighed in excess of 300lbs) and Coach Duggs’ own “fraud”-discrimination (exhibited by his notorious tendency to “run up the score” against fraudulent and lesser teams) contributed to Coach Duggs’ inability to land a Division I head coaching job.
Florida State University
On March 25, 2020, Big Cat announced that Coach Duggs would be moving on to Florida State University (FSU) to take the offensive coordinator role coaching the Seminoles football team. Coach Duggs, by way of Big Cat’s Twitter, posted a heartfelt goodbye to the Toledo Rocket faithful as he announced his departure to FSU, signing off with what will surely be inscribed on Coach Duggs’ future statue on the Toledo campus: “Once a Rocket always a Rocket."[25] Toledo responded with a “thank you” tweet to Coach Duggs.[26]
The announcement of Coach Duggs’ virtual arrival on the FSU campus sent shock waves throughout the sports world, including FSU’s real offensive coordinator, Kenny Dillingham, “following” of Big Cat on Twitter, which Big Cat postured illustrated Dillingham’s concern for job security and the threatening possibility that FSU head coach, Mike Norvell, may hire Coach Duggs to replace Dillingham as offensive coordinator in the real world.[24] Big Cat’s assertions proved to be completely unfounded as neither he nor Coach Duggs have been contacted in any known form by Norvell, FSU, FSU boosters or future NFL Hall of Famer, former FSU standout Heisman winner and quarterback of Coach Duggs’ FSU team, Jameis Winston, regarding the possibility of Coach Duggs’ real life employment as the offensive coordinator of the FSU Seminoles.
On April 8, 2020, Coach Duggs made his live stream coaching debut on the Pardon My Take Twitch channel with a decisive 52-21 victory over the Miami Hurricanes.[27] Coach Duggs encored his debut for the #2-ranked Seminoles with a big 35-32 win against #5 Notre Dame Fighting Irish, despite a series of questionable game management decisions by Big Cat, including “blind” play-calling with his eyes firmly shut that nearly cost the Seminoles the victory and generated a fury of online scrutiny as to Big Cat’s fitness to manage and control the career, and livelihood, of Coach Duggs going forward.[28] The same night, Coach Duggs and FSU defeated Syracuse 31-24 in a game streamed by Big Cat to a Twitch audience of over 15,000 viewers.[29] Big Cat’s “blind play” antics continued, one of which resulted in a crucial red zone conversion late in a tied game.
With an audience of over 18,000 viewers on the Pardon My Take’s Twitch channel stream to witness, Coach Duggs, Big Cat and FSU went on to complete a perfect 12-0 regular season with a 38-20 victory over their in-state rival Florida Gators, which, in Big Cat’s shameless effort for attention and viewership, included more unsuccessful “blind plays”.[30] However, the ecstasy would be short-lived as the Seminoles suffered defeat to Georgia Tech in the ACC Championship Game, in which Big Cat inexplicably abandoned his game plan and admittedly “coached like a straight up b****” and “panicked” in “one of the worst coaching performances of all-time” featuring a puzzling and incompetent game plan diversion away from his Heisman running back and run game as well as six Jameis Winston interceptions.[31] After guaranteeing a Fiesta Bowl win, Coach Duggs engineereed FSU’s defeat over the UConn Huskies in the Fiesta Bowl to cap a 13-1 FSU season.
Following the Fiesta Bowl win, Coach Duggs was again “left on the outside looking in” at Power-5 head coach offers, leading him to making a lateral move to become the offensive coordinator of the floundering USC Trojans program in fit, health-conscious and -centric Los Angeles, CA in a decision and announcement streamed live on Pardon My Take’s Twitch channel.[32]
To date, Coach Duggs has not gone on the record to assert his stance, as for or against, former Seminole quarterback, Jameis Winston’s, oft-proven wrong, prophetic pregame ritual of “Eating W’s”, in which Winston makes a “W” with his fingers and proceeds to pretend to eat his fingers, alluding to his team’s destiny to getting a win (a “W”) in that day’s game. Winston’s career win-loss record as an NFL starting quarterback is 28-42.[33] In the 2019 NFL regular season, Winston threw an NFL league- and career-high 30 interceptions.[33] For reference, in the 2020 regular season, quarterbacks Drew Lock and Carson Wentz led the NFL in interceptions with 15.[34]
University of Southern California
From Florida State, Coach Duggs took the offensive coordinator job with the University of Southern (“USC”) California Trojans to return USC to its impermissible benefits-era offensive juggernaut status, absent from the program since the national title days of former Trojan star Reggie Bush.
Coach Duggs helped the Trojans to a 12-0 start and #3 ranking in his first season, which Big Cat made publicly known throughout the season would also be Coach Duggs’ last with the program. Coach Duggs and the Trojans went on to win the PAC12 Championship.
On May 1, 2020, in a controversial decision still the subject of much conjecture and scrutiny, the Trojans were “snubbed” from BCS National Championship Game, instead drawing a bout against #4 Michigan State in the Rose Bowl. After the title game snub, Coach Duggs’ camp leaked that Coach Duggs had a change of heart and was considering coming back to USC for one more season, citing “unfinished business”.[35]
On May 4, 2020, Coach Duggs and USC defeated Michigan State 59-56 in the Rose Bowl after Big Cat nearly orchestrated a catastrophic second half meltdown as he nearly squandered a 42-20 halftime lead. The Rose Bowl win capped an impressive 14-0 season for the Trojan men.
Texas Tech University
On May 4, 2020, mere hours after USC’s Rose Bowl victory over Michigan State, Big Cat and Coach Duggs landed their first college football head coaching job at Texas Tech University, joining forces with Patrick Mahomes, and left USC.[36] Big Cat honorably and humbly paid homage to legendary former Texas Tech coach, Mike Leach, by proffering Coach Duggs as of the same pedigree.[37] Patrick Mahomes replied Big Cat’s Twitter announcement of the coaching move and issued words of encouragement to Coach Duggs and Big Cat.[38]
On May 8, 2020, after losing his Texas Tech debut, Coach Duggs led the unranked Red Raiders to a triumphant underdog 35-30 victory over Coach Duggs’ and Big Cat’s former employer, the #5 FSU Seminoles, securing Coach Duggs’ first collegiate football head coaching win.[39] In this game, Big Cat notably successfully implemented the defensive advice given by Joe Burrow.
On May 9, 2020, in a game cemented in lore as the “Disaster in Lubbock”, Coach Duggs and Texas Tech’s national title hopes were dashed in a 31-28 loss to the rival Baylor Bears as the Red Raiders dropped the second game of the season in front of over 30,000 Twitch viewers.[40] Big Cat described the loss as “rock bottom in the Gus Duggerton Head Coaching era” and that he “deserve[d] every ‘F’ in the chat”.[41] In an on-brand excuse-laden postgame press conference, Big Cat presented with a neck brace, potentially toilet paper in makeup, and a lower arm cast, despite a display of clear full range of motion throughout the presser, as he proffered a series of cannabis-, gritless-, siesta posture- and dough confection-related excuses for the Baylor loss.[42] Nearly concurrently with Big Cat’s dessert-centric excuse conference, Coach Duggs was admitted to a “Donut and Edible Outpatient Facility” over the weekend for specific reasons not immediately known but speculated to be a stress-induced dessert consuming binge.[42]
On or about May 20, 2020, Coach Duggs led the #17 Red Raiders to a 10-3 record and New Years 6 Cotton Bowl victory over #9 Texas A&M, 47-40, that drew over 50,000 viewers on Pardon My Take’s Twitch channel.
University of Tennessee
On or about May 20, 2020, Coach Duggs landed his first blue chip program head coaching job at the University of Tennessee, leaving Texas Tech for his fifth school in as many seasons.[43] Shortly after Coach Duggs accept the Volunteers head coach job, Big Cat appeared on The Slice: A Tennessee Football Podcast to discuss the opportunity as well as the history of Coach Duggs.[44]
On May 24, 2020, Coach Duggs led the Vols to a 45-42 win against the Gators – the Vols first victory at the Swamp since 2003. Chants and cries of “Feels like 98!” began to reverberate throughout virtual college football social media.[12]
Coach Duggs and the Vols went on to win the SEC, defeating Ole Miss in the SEC Championship. However, on June 7, 2020, Coach Duggs and the Vols would lose to the Virginia Tech Hokies, 49-29, in the virtual 2017 BCS National Championship, in front of a Twitch audience of over 126,000 viewers, according to Twitch Tracker.[45] Following the loss, Big Cat took the high road by engaging and blaming his fictional star quarterback, Caleb Pressley, (via a Twitter account, @calebpressly) for the Vols loss, citing Pressley’s six interceptions in response to Pressley’s claim that “Coach Duggs never cared about us [Vol players]”.[46]
On June 16, 2020, Coach Duggs and the Volunteers defeated LSU 48-35 to win the SEC Championship.[36]
On June 18, 2020, the Volunteers defeated the Miami Hurricanes in the 2018 BCS National Championship game, earning Coach Duggs his first national title.[17]
After winning the national championship, Coach Duggs announced his return to the University of Toledo, where he began his coaching career as the Rockets’ offensive coordinator, to become the program’s head football coach.
University of Toledo (Second Tenure)
On June 24, 2020, Toledo defeated Tennessee 28-21 in Coach Duggs’ return to Knoxville.[47] After winning the National Championship at Tennessee, Big Cat and Coach Duggs made the unprecedented decision to leave the cream of the Power 5 crop and “return home” – to Toledo.
On June 26, 2020, Coach Duggs and the Rockets defeated Bowling Green State University (BGSU) 30-27 in the MAC Championship game.[48]
On June 28, 2020, Coach Duggs led the #1 Rockets to a perfect season with a 28-25 victory over the Texas Longhorns in the 2019 BCS National Championship game, capping a 14-0 season and earning Coach Duggs back-to-back national championships with two different programs.[49] On June 30, 2020, after winning the National Championship at Toledo, Coach Duggs reportedly suffered and survived a heart attack.[50]
On July 5, 2020, Barstool’s Jeff D. Lowe reported accusations from an anonymous source implicating Coach Duggs “in a pay-for-play scandal involving hundreds of thousands of dollars in restaurant gift cards…” via a booster known only as “The Cat”.[51]
Louisiana State University
After winning the National Championship at Toledo, Coach Duggs accepted the head coaching job at LSU for one last season before his retirement from coaching college football.
On July 16, 2020, Coach Duggs and the Tigers defeated the Kentucky Wildcats 27-20 (OT) in the 2020 SEC Championship game.[52]
On July 19, 2020, Coach Duggs led LSU to a 59-42 win over West Virginia in the 2020 BCS National Championship game, capping a 13-1 season.[53] Coach Duggs retired from coaching following the game after winning back-to-back-to-back national championships with three different programs.[53]
Coach Duggs finished his five-season, four-program college football head coaching career with a 62-7 record, four back-to-back-to-back-to-back conference championships and three back-to-back-to-back national championships.
Coaching Record
As Head Coach
| Record | Team | Conference Result | Bowl Result |
| 10-3 | Texas Tech | Did not make Big12 CG | Won Cotton Bowl (NY6) (TA&M, 47-40) |
| 13-1 | Tennessee | Won SEC Championship (Ole Miss, 35-28)[54] | Lost BCS National Championship (Rose Bowl) (Virginia Tech, 49-29) |
| 12-2 | Tennessee | Won SEC Championship (LSU, 48-35)[36] | Won BCS National Championship (Fiesta Bowl) (Miami, 41-34)[17] |
| 14-0 | Toledo | Won MAC Championship (BGSU, 30-27)[55] | Won BCS National Championship (Sugar Bowl) (Texas, 28-25)[49] |
| 13-1 | LSU | Won SEC Championship (Kentucky, 27-20)[56] | Won BCS National Championship (Orange Bowl) (West Virginia, 59-42)[57] |
As Offensive Coordinator
| Record | Team | Conference Result | Bowl Result |
| 12-0 | Toledo | Won MAC Championship | Lost Sugar Bowl (NY6) (UGA, 38-28) |
| 13-1 | FSU | Lost Championship (GT, 42-21)[58] | Won Fiesta Bowl (UConn, 28-21) |
| 13-1 | USC | Won Pac-12 Championship | Won Rose Bowl (Michigan State, 59-56) |
Personal Life
Following Texas Tech’s loss to Baylor, over the weekend of May 8-10, Coach Duggs admitted and discharged himself to and from a “Donut and Edible Outpatient Facility.”
On June 30, 2020, Coach Duggs, then-Toledo head coach, reportedly suffered and survived a heart attack after winning the National Championship – admitted by Big Cat to be a cover for his upcoming week-long vacation from the grind of playing video games.[50]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 Marsh, Jake (April 19, 2020). "Who is Gus Duggerton? Meet the College Football Coach That Has Taken America By Storm". Barstool Sports. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 "Tennessee Football Twitter". May 23, 2020. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ Koeshartanto, Mike (June 16, 2020). "Barstool Strikes Digital Gold with Coach Duggs". Gilt Edge Soccer Marketing. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ "@CoachDuggs". Twitter. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ James, Derwin. "Derwin James & Coach Duggs". Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ "Breaking: Coach Gus Duggerton Wins Rose Bowl; Accepts Head Coaching Job at Texas Tech". Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ "Joe Burrow National Champion, First Overall Pick, Texas Tech Defensive Coordinator, the Man Himself Teaches Coach Duggs How to Play Defense Ahead of Today's Doubleheader". Barstool Sports. May 8, 2020. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ "Leapfrogged: #25 TCU Holds Off Texas Tech to Crush Coach Duggs' Winning Streak". Twitter / Barstool Sports. May 14, 2020. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ "Coach Duggs vs Coach Huggs: Texas Tech Set for Penultimate Regular Season Battle vs West Virginia". Barstool Sports / Twitter. May 16, 2020. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ "Cotton Bowl Twitter (@CottonBowlGame)". Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ 11.0 11.1 "Third Time's A Charm: Coach Duggs Tries to Dethrone UCLA in Tennessee Debut Tonight". May 19, 2020. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ 12.0 12.1 "It's Great to be A Tennessee Volunteer: Coach Duggs Leads Vols to First Win in Gainesville since 2003 in Dramatic Fashion". Barstool Sports. May 24, 2020. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ "Terps Football Twitter". May 29, 2020. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ 14.0 14.1 "Scott Van Pelt Apologizes to Coach Duggs After Falsely Accusing Him of Juicing His Players". Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ "24 Minutes to Glory: Coach Gus Duggerton Aims to Bring Tennessee First National Championship Since 1998". June 7, 2020. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ McMurphy, Brett (June 7, 2020). "Brett McMurphy Twitter". Twitter. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ 17.0 17.1 17.2 "Feel Like 2018: Tennessee Takes Down Miami in Instant Classic to Win BCS Title, Gus Duggerton Wins First Ever National Championship". Barstool Sports. June 18, 2020. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ "Back-to-Back Gus Duggerton Wins Second Straight BCS Title After Toledo Outlasts Texas". June 28, 2020. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ Ehlinger, Sam (June 28, 2020). "Sam Ehlinger Twitter (@sehlinger3)q". Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ "Pardon My Take Twitter (@PardonMyTake)". Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ "Twitch Tracker". Twitch Tracker. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ "PardonMyTake Twitter (@PardonMyTake)". Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ "Pardon My Take Twitter (@PardonMyTake)". Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ 24.0 24.1 24.2 Katz ("Big Cat"), Dan (March 25, 2020). "BREAKING - Coach Gus Duggerton Has Accepted The OC Job At Florida State University". Barstool Sports. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ Katz ("Big Cat"), Dan (March 25, 2020). "@BarstoolBigCat (Twitter)". Twitter. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ Toledo Athletics (March 25, 2020). "Toledo Athletics Twitter". Twitter. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ "@PardonMyTake Twitter". April 9, 2020. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ "Full Recap Of Coach Duggs & #1 FSU versus #5 Notre Dame". Barstool Sports. April 11, 2020. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ Marsh, Jake (April 11, 2020). "Orange Crushed: No. 2 FSU, Coach Duggerton, Hold Off Tough Syracuse Squad". Barstool Sports. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ Marsh, Jake. "Rout At Doak: FSU, Coach Duggerton Chomp Rival Florida to Cement Perfect Regular Season". Barstool Sports. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ Marsh, Jake (April 17, 2020). "Friday Night Fiesta! Coach Duggerton and FSU Receive Official Bowl Invitation". Barstool Sports. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ "Hollywood Duggs: Fan Favorite Coach Accepts Job as Next USC Offensive Coordinator". Barstool Sports. April 18, 2020. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ 33.0 33.1 "Pro Football Reference: Jameis Winston". Pro Football Reference. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ "Pro Football Reference: 2019 Season Leaders - Interceptions Thrown". Pro Football Reference. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ "Rose Bowl Monday: Coach Duggs and USC Set for Season Finale vs Michigan State". Barstool Sports. May 1, 2020. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ 36.0 36.1 36.2 "Geaux Vols: Tennesee Defeats LSU in SEC Title Game; Sets Up National Championship Game with Miami". Barstool Sports. May 4, 2020. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ "Breaking: Coach Gus Duggerton Wins Rose Bowl; Accepts HC Job at Texas Tech". Barstool Sports. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ Mahomes, Patrick. "Patrick Mahomes Twitter". Twitter. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ "Upset City: Texas Tech Shocks #5 Florida State; Gus Duggerton Wins First Career Game as Head Coach". Barstool Sports. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ "@PardonMyTake Twitter". Twitter. May 9, 2020. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ "Sickening Loss: Baylor Stuns Texas Tech in Big 12 Opener; Coach Duggs Cancels Oklahoma State Game". Barstool Sports. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ 42.0 42.1 "Donut Mess with Coach Duggs; The Post-Rehab Career for America's Coach Begins Tonight vs Oklahoma State". Barstool Sports. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ "Breaking: Coach Gus Duggerton Wins Cotton Bowl; Bails for Tennessee Job". Barstool Sports. May 19, 2020. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ Vol Football. "Vol Football Twitter". Twitter. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ "Twitch Tracker / Pardon My Take". Twitch Tracker. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ "@BarstoolBigCat Twitter". Twitter. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ "Coach Duggs". Knox News. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ @PardonMyTake. "@PardonMyTake Twitter". Twitter. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ 49.0 49.1 "Back-to-Back: Gus Duggerton Wins Second Straight BCS Title After Toledo Outlasts Texas". Barstool Sports. June 28, 2020. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ 50.0 50.1 "Breaking News: Coach Duggs Has Suffered a Massive Heart Attack". Barstool Sports. June 30, 2020. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ "Huge Coach Duggs News: Two-Time Champion Wrapped Up in Pay-For-Play Scandal". Barstool Sports. July 5, 2020. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ "@PardonMyTake Twitter". Twitter. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ 53.0 53.1 "@PardonMyTake Twitter". Twitter. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ Marsh, Jake. "@PMTSportsBiz Twitter". Twitter. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ "@PardonMyTake Twitter". Twitter. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ "Natty-Bound LSU Takes Down Kentucky to Win SEC Title; Shifts Focus to Gus Duggerton's Final Career Game". Barstool Sports. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ "@PardonMyTake Twitter". Twitter. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ "Disaster in Charlotte: #3 Georgia Tech Crushes #2 Florida State in ACC Championship Game". Barstool Sports. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help)
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