UNC Football: Former Coach Carl Torbush Passes Away
By Jordan Falls
It was announced today that former UNC Football defensive coordinator and head coach Carl Torbush has passed away at the age of 72.
First announced this morning by the East Tennessee State program, former UNC football defensive coordinator and head coach Carl Torbush has passed away.
ETSU announces at their weekly football media conference that former Head Coach Carl Torbush has died.
— Heather Williams (@SportsHeather) November 6, 2023
Torbush spent 13 seasons in Chapel Hill with the UNC Football program. From 1988 until 1997, he was the defensive coordinator and linebackers coach under Mack Brown. Torbush was a mastermind behind the dominant Tar Heel defenses that roamed the field in the mid-to-late 1990s.
A teaching moment from the late 1990s: @UNCFootball Coach Carl Torbush and Quincy Monk. Sadly Monk passed in 2015 of cancer and word today that Torbush has died at the age of 72 after a period of declining health. Torbush was Tar Heels' DC from 1988-97 & head coach 1998-2000. pic.twitter.com/GHGaeI5h57
— Lee Pace (@LeePaceTweet) November 6, 2023
In 1995, 1996, and 1997, his defense led the country in total defense and was considered some of the best in college football. UNC Football was at its peak in program success, and Torbush, alongside Brown, was a huge reason why.
In 1997, he was a finalist for the Broyles Award, which is given annually to the top assistant coach across college football. He recruited, and coached, several top NFL prospects, including the likes of Dre Bly, Greg Ellis, and Julius Peppers.
When Brown left Chapel Hill for Texas, Torbush took over as the program’s head coach. He led the Tar Heels to a 1997 Gator Bowl 42-3 win over Virginia Tech. Overall, he spent three seasons, 1998, 1999, and 2000, as head coach and had a combined 16-18 record before moving on and returning to coaching as a coordinator, where he spent time at Alabama, Texas A&M, Carson-Newman, Mississippi State, Kansas, and Liberty through 2012. He finished his coaching career as the head coach of East Tennessee State from 2015 to 2017.
Torbush certainly left his mark on North Carolina football with his recruiting ability and stellar defenses. Our thoughts and prayers are with the Torbush family.
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