ITHACA, N.Y. – Michael Huyghue '83, one of football's most prominent and pioneering figures over more than three decades, has been named the Terry Cullen Head Coach of Sprint Football at Cornell University. Huyghue becomes just the fourth head coach of the program since 1957.
"I am thrilled that Michael has accepted this position and will continue to serve as a coach and mentor to our sprint football student-athletes," said Nicki Moore, the Meakem Smith Director of Athletics and Physical Education at Cornell. "Despite the many pulls on his time, at heart he is a loyal and true Cornellian who stepped up to serve when asked. We were so impressed when he shared his vision for the program and how to get there. His multiple and varied roles as a caretaker of the sport perfectly positions him to provide the type of leadership this position demands."
"I started coaching on the Sprint team because my son joined the team a few years ago. I quickly fell in love with the program and stayed on after he graduated," Huyghue said. "I want these student-athletes to not only excel in the classroom, as they do, but by also winning on the football field as well. And so, I am determined to reshape and lead this program with the goal of winning in mind."
Huyghue has been the Big Red's defensive coordinator dating back to 2021 while serving as a tenure-tracked visiting professor at Cornell's Law School and the School of Industrial and Labor Relations. Among his prominent clients have been Magic Johnson, Oscar De La Hoya, Snoop Dogg and numerous NFL Pro Bowl and college Heisman Trophy winners.
Huyghue served as Commissioner of the United Football League (UFL) from 2007-12, raising more than $200 million in seed money. Composed primarily of young National Football League players and former NFL Head Coaches, the league competed directly with the nation's top sports league over four nationally televised seasons. More than 150 players and dozens of coaches found full-time starting positions in the NFL.
A two-year selection to Sports Business Journal's 40 Under 40 Sports Executives (1999 and 2000), Huyghue was selected to run football operations as the NFL welcomed the Jacksonville Jaguars as an expansion team in 1994, helping the team to a pair of AFC Championship game appearances and the most wins over the first five seasons of any new NFL franchise in league history.
His time in professional football dates to law school when he was a legal assistant with the NFL Players Association before moving into a position with the NFL's Management Council in 1987. While with the NFL, Huyghue was appointed to several high-profile committees, including the Management Council Executive Committee, the College Advisory Committee and the Committee on Minority Hiring.
In 1991, Huyghue became the youngest general manager in professional football with the NFL's World League of American Football team, the Birmingham Fire. He ultimately reported directly to the NFL owners as one of the league's most senior members while leading operations for the league in both Spain and Germany.
Huyghue was a three-year letter winner on the Big Red varsity football team as a wide receiver and played freshman baseball as an undergraduate before earning his degree in Communication in 1983. He has served as a member of the University's Board of Trustees and is listed among its Distinguished Alumni. Huyghue earned his law degree from the University of Michigan in 1987.
Huyghue and his wife, Kimberly, have three adult children - Kristen, Kathryn and Tyler. Tyler is a former member of the Big Red sprint football team. He replaces Nick Quartaro, who spent the 2023 season directing the program following the retirement of Terry Cullen following a 45-year run as head coach and 58 total years with the program.
"I want to thank Jay Carter for his continued leadership with the program, including serving as interim head coach for a second time," Moore said. "He is emblematic of the selfless nature and unconditional support of our sprint football alumni."
