John Bunting (coach)

John Bunting (coach)
Date of birth:	July 15, 1950
Place of birth:	Portland, Maine
Position(s):	Linebacker
Jersey #:	N/A
College:	North Carolina
NFL Draft:	1972 / Round: 10 / Pick 248
Team(s) as player
1972-1982 1983-1984	Philadelphia Eagles Philadelphia Stars (USFL)
Stats at DatabaseFootball.com

John Stephen Bunting (born July 15, 1950 in Portland, Maine) is a former head football coach at the University of North Carolina as well as a former NFL player. Bunting was born on July 15, 1950 in Portland, Maine. He grew up in Silver Spring, Maryland and graduated from Springbrook High School in 1968. He was a starting linebacker for the University of North Carolina from 1969 - 1971 under Coach Bill Dooley. In 1971 Bunting earned All-ACC honors and helped lead the Tar Heels to the 1971 ACC football championship. He had an eleven-year NFL career as a linebacker with the Philadelphia Eagles from 1972-82, and he played in Philadelphia's 1981 Super Bowl game against the Oakland Raiders. Bunting then played for the Philadelphia Stars of the USFL from 1983-84. After retiring as an NFL player, Bunting moved into the coaching ranks. He has served as the assistant coach for three NFL teams: Kansas City, St. Louis, and New Orleans. As the head defensive coach for the Saint Louis Rams, he played a key role in leading that team to their victory in the 2000 Super Bowl. In December 2000, UNC Athletic Director Dick Baddour decided to hire him as the school's head football coach, replacing the fired Carl Torbush. In his first season, Bunting led the Tar Heels to an 8-5 record and a victory over Auburn in the Peach Bowl. However, his teams since were highly inconsistent. Bunting compiled an overall record of 27 wins and 45 losses in six seasons. He does, however, own UNC's only two wins over a team ranked in the top 10 of a major media poll in school history. In 2001, the Tar Heels thrashed Florida State 41-9; the Seminoles were ranked sixth in the AP Poll at the time. In 2004, the Tar Heels defeated Miami 31-28 on a last-second field goal; the Hurricanes were ranked fourth at the time in the AP poll. During his final season (2006), his team had a record of only 3 - 9, while averaging over 23 fewer points per game than their opponents. Bunting was fired by UNC Athletic Director Dick Baddour on October 22, 2006. However, he was allowed to finish out the 2006 college football season as the head coach. His last home victory on November 18th, 2006 against arch-rival N.C. State University broke a 7-game losing streak, and he was able to close out his career one week later with a 45-44 win at Duke University.

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