Greer Standout Jeff Farrington to Debut as North Greenville University's Head Football Coach Today

Former Greer standout Jeff Farrington will make his debut as Head Football Coach of the North Greenville University Crusaders today.

The Crusaders will play at home tonight against Albany State, in Farrington’s first game as Head Coach.

During their Thursday meeting, NGU’s Dr. Wilson Nelson encouraged members of the Greer Touchdown Club to support Farrington and his team.

“Albany State is really considered a good Division II football team,” Nelson said. “They’re looking forward to a great year this year.”

Last year, the Crusaders fell to Albany State in the first game of the season, according to Robbie Gravely with the Greer Touchdown Club.

Two years ago, NGU beat Albany State in the playoffs, Nelson said.

“They’re still kind of smarting from that,” he said.

North Greenville University officials announced Farrington’s hire in February of this year.

“He’s put together a great staff, assembled guys from all over that he’s had contact with over the years,” Nelson said.  “We play a full SAC schedule, South Atlantic Conference schedule. We play all eight of them then we play out of the league against Albany State, VMI and Charleston Southern. We’ve got really a tough schedule.

“We do need to come and support Jeff,” he continued. “I think Jeff’s a perfect fit for North Greenville. I believe they’re going to do a great job, but we need your support.

Tickets to the game are only $10.

“It’s a great place to be,” Nelson said. “Tigerville is popping. We’ve got record enrollment. So come support the Crusaders.”

A former standout at quarterback and three-year letterman at Greer High School, he enrolled at the Citadel in 1978 and lettered twice as a defensive back before graduating.

A 1982 graduate of The Citadel where he lettered twice as a defensive back, Farrington began work in the coaching ranks as a graduate assistant at his alma mater and later at East Carolina  and Florida State. He was named outside linebackers coach at East Carolina in 1985. He later became defensive coordinator at Lenoir-Rhyne College (1987-90) and Presbyterian College. 

Farrington was a defensive assistant coach for Lamb at Furman from 2002-2010, and was the Paladins’ defensive coordinator in 2010. Furman’s defensive teams under Farrington were highly regarded statistically in the Southern Conference, and the Paladins reached the NCAA Division I FCS playoffs four times (2002, 2004, 2005, and 2006). In 2005, Furman advanced to the FCS national semi-finals.

Before signing on at Furman, Farrington was the defensive coordinator and secondary coach for five seasons (1997-2001) at East Tennessee State University, and three of his Buccaneer defensive backs signed NFL contracts. No stranger to NCAA Division II football, he also was the defensive coordinator and secondary coach at West Georgia College from 1992 through 1996, and had defenses that attained national rankings.

He came to North Greenville University from Virginia Military Institute in Lexington, Virginia where he was the Keydets’ defensive coordinator. Prior to his stint at VMI, Farrington spent a year at Mercer University in Georgia under Bobby Lamb helping to initiate the Bears’ Division I FCS program which begins play in the fall of 2013.