Jim Grobe has come a long way since his days in Athens.

The former Ohio coach, who took the Bobcats out of obscurity, continues to keep his ties to his loyal coaching staff. 

Although Grobe's teams (33-33-1 overall Ohio record) in the ’90s ranked high in defensive and offensive categories, Ohio was never able to make it to a bowl game and finished above .500 only twice.

As the head coach at Wake Forest, Grobe currently has seven coaches on his staff that include former players and coaches who worked with him here at Ohio, including Billy Mitchell (assistant head coach), Steve Lobotzke (offensive coordinator) and Keith Henry (defensive ends).  

"I've been fortunate to have a loyal group of assistant coaches," Grobe said when asked about his staff. “For the most part, I've not had to make too many changes in my career as a head coach."

"I've been fortunate that my coaches like each other, they don't let their egos get out of control, they don't care whether we win 3-0 or 49-48, as long as we win."

One addition he made this off-season was hiring former Ohio coach Brian Knorr.  Knorr never really found a rhythm at Ohio as he finished his career for the Bobcats with a 11-35 record. However, Grobe said the record is hardly a testament to Knorr's ability to coach at the collegiate level.

"When I left, everybody went with me," Grobe said. When Knorr took over as head coach, "He got left here completely by himself, he had to go hire nine brand new guys."

Grobe was happy to get him back on his staff.  

"It's been perfect; he's as good a football coach as there is anywhere and even a better person,” Grobe said. “He's got a great family. My whole coaching staff just loves him. It was just an easy fit.”

Recently, Grobe has found success at Wake Forest with a combined record of 45-39, but his career year came in the 2006 season where he guided the Demon Deacons to 11 wins, including a trip to the FedEx Orange Bowl against Louisville.

That season he was awarded the ACC Coach of the Year and the Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year award given to coaches who develop on the field, in the classroom and in the community.  

Past winners of the Dodd award include Bobby Bowden, Joe Paterno and Bo Schembechler. Grobe also received the AP Coach of the Year that same season. In 2007, he was awarded with a contract extension through the 2016 season.

"It was pretty much a blur to be honest," Grobe said of his team's magical run to the Orange Bowl. “All of a sudden, at the second half of the season. We were in the hunt to win the ACC; it just kind of worked out. We had the ball bounce our way. You have to have some breaks when you win a championship."  

When Grobe arrived at Ohio, the program was in shambles.  The Bobcats had only won 17 games in the previous 15 years.  

"When I first arrived at Ohio, we didn't have much in the way of facilities," Grobe said. "I think our staff did a good job just going in and worrying about football. We didn't worry about what we didn't have. We tried to take what we did have, which was a great school and a popular school."

Grobe also pointed out that even though the Bobcats competed heavily in conference play, games against non-conference "heavies" were what held Ohio back.

"Some of our losing seasons we were actually 5-3 in the MAC but ended up with a losing record because we played three heavies,” Grobe said. “Sometimes we would play three major teams outside the MAC and end up with 5-6 record."

Grobe looks for his Deacons to be competitive this season in the ACC.

“We’ve got nine starters back on the defensive side of the ball, I think a key this year for us will be developing the offensive line, it will give us a chance to run the ball a little bit and that gives us a chance to open up the passing game,” Grobe said.  

Wake Forest opens up the season tonight at Baylor.