Hofher leaves football post for N.C. job

Jim Hofher, head football coach at Cornell for the past eight years, has resigned from that position to join the football staff at the University of North Carolina.

With the Tar Heels, Hofher will hold the position of quarterbacks coach and passing game coordinator.

Charles H. Moore, Cornell director of athletics, said Sunday, "We cannot thank Jim enough for the outstanding job that he has done with our football program. Unfortunately in the coaching business, when people do well and succeed, they use these accomplishments to move on. Although we hate to see Jim leave his alma mater and its football team, we understand his career goals and wish him only the best in the future. We will begin a nationwide search for his successor immediately."

Hofher, a 1979 Cornell graduate, was named the Big Red's 22nd head football coach on Jan. 15, 1990, and became the fourth Roger J. Weiss Coach of Football. His eight-year record is 44-36, and his Cornell teams have set 169 school records, including 35 this past season, when Cornell went 5-5. Twenty-three passing records were set at Cornell during the Hofher tenure.

Upon announcing his resignation, Hofher said, "I can't express how grateful I am to Cornell for the opportunity I have had for the last eight years. It's been a privilege and a joy to have worked with 25 captains, eight great classes of seniors, a terrific coaching staff and eight highly competitive teams.

"I look forward to moving from one of America's greatest educational institutions to another by accepting this new position at the University of North Carolina."

Cornell is the only team to finish in the top echelon (top four) of the Ivy League every year over the past eight seasons. Hofher's Ivy League winning percentage (.571) is the best of any Cornell coach since the formation of the Ancient Eight in 1956. He achieved more Ivy wins in less time than any other Cornell football coach, leaving with a league record of 32-24.

During his undergraduate days at Cornell, Hofher won three letters as the Big Red's starting quarterback, and he led the team in passing yardage every season.