Autry Denson


Autry Lamont Denson is an American gridiron football coach and former player. He is currently the head football coach at Charleston Southern University, a position he has held since 2019. Denson played college football as running back at the University of Notre Dame. He played professionally for four seasons in the National Football League with the Miami Dolphins, the Indianapolis Colts, and the Chicago Bears and one season in the Canadian Football League with the Montreal Alouettes.

Playing career

High school

Denson attended Nova High School where he played for Willie Dodaro.

College

Denson is Notre Dame's all-time leading rusher with 4,318 yards and 43 touchdowns while holding many other rushing records at the University of Notre Dame.
In 1997, he ran for 1,268 yards on 264 carries and scored 12 TDs. In 1998, he ran for 1,306 yards on 277 carries and scored 18 TDs.
Denson was the MVP of the Gator Bowl in 1999 played against Georgia Tech.

Professional

Denson was selected in the seventh round with the 233rd pick of the 1999 NFL Draft by Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He never made it to the active roster for Tampa Bay.
In two years with Miami Dolphins, he ran for 206 yards on 59 carries while also catching 18 passes for 133 yards. In 2000, he returned 20 kicks for 495 yards. Denson spent the 2001 season with the Chicago Bears. He had only one carry for 4 yards while spending most of the year on special teams. While on special teams he returned 23 kicks for 534 yards as well as 1 punt return for 5 yards. During the 2002 with the Indianapolis Colts, Denson rushed for 2 yards on 2 carries with 2 kick returns for 38 yards.
Denson spent the 2004 season in the Canadian Football League as a member of the Montreal Alouettes. He finished eighth in rushing with 772 yards and nine touchdowns while being given the player of the week Honors during the season.

Coaching career

In April 2010, after spending some years away from the game of football, Denson was named the head football coach at Pope John Paul II High School in Boca Raton, Florida.
In 2015, Denson was hired to fill the running backs coaching vacancy at the University of Notre Dame, his alma mater.
Previously, he served as running backs coach at Bethune–Cookman University, Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, and the University of South Florida.
Denson was named the head coach at Charleston Southern on January 14, 2019.

Head coaching record