Charlottesville, Va. – The family of College Football Hall of Fame coach George Welsh announced today that he died Wednesday, Jan. 2, in Charlottesville. He passed peacefully in the presence of his family. He was 85-years old.

A native of Coaldale, Pa., Welsh was a 1956 graduate of the Naval Academy where he earned three varsity letters as a member of the football team (1953-55).  Navy compiled a record of 18-7-3 in his three years and he quarterbacked the 1954 team famously known as the "Team Named Desire" to an 8-2 record and a 21-0 victory over SEC Champion Ole Miss in the Sugar Bowl. In his three years at quarterback, Welsh threw for 2,411 yards and 20 touchdowns. He was named a First-Team All-American in 1955 when he led the country in passing and total offense and finished third in the voting for the Heisman Trophy.
 
After graduation, Welsh served eight years in the Navy and reached the rank of Lieutenant.  He was an assistant coach for Wayne Hardin at Navy in 1960 and 1961 and was an assistant coach at Penn State under Rip Engle and Joe Paterno from 1963-72.
 
Welsh was named the head coach at Navy in 1973 and compiled a record of 55-46-1 from 1973-81.  He led Navy to the 1978 Holiday Bowl (23-16 win over BYU), the 1980 Garden State Bowl (35-0 loss to Houston) and the 1981 Liberty Bowl (31-28 loss to Ohio State).  Welsh was 7-1-1 against Army and won the CIC Trophy in 1973, 1975, 1978, 1979 and 1981. He left Navy for Virginia at the end of the 1981 season as Navy's all-time winningest coach and remained that until he was surpassed by current Navy coach Ken Niumatalolo in 2014.
 
"George Welsh was an inspirational educator who influenced the lives of so many young men in their moral, mental, and physical formative years," said Naval Academy Director of Athletics Chet Gladchuk.  "George had integrity, character, accountability, determination and standards that motivated those around him to always take whatever the task was to the next level.  If you competed or worked for Coach Welsh, you quickly understood that actions spoke louder than words and leadership by example was always his way of life and his marching orders.  His legacy has and will continue to motivate us in the most meaningful ways every day."
 
"Our thoughts and prayers go out to the Welsh family during this difficult time," said Niumatalolo.  "George Welsh is a legend in the coaching profession for what he was able to accomplish at two of the top academic institutions in the country. To become the all-time winningest coach at two different schools is simply amazing and should be remembered as one of the great achievements in the history of college football."
 
Welsh served as the head football coach at Virginia from 1982 to 2000. During that 19-year period, he compiled a record of 134-86-3 and retired as the winningest coach in ACC history.
 
In just his third season in Charlottesville, Welsh led Virginia to an 8-2-2 record that culminated with the team's first bowl appearance. UVA defeated Purdue 27-24 in the 1984 Peach Bowl in Atlanta.
 
Starting in 1987, Welsh's teams began a streak of 13 straight seasons with seven or more wins. That stretch included shared ACC titles in 1989 and 1995 and 11 additional bowl appearances.    His teams also compiled four nine-win seasons, including a school-record 10 wins in 1989. His 1990 team was ranked No. 1 in both college football ranking polls for two weeks in October.  His 1995 team defeated Florida State 33-28 on Nov. 2, the first time the Seminoles had lost a conference game since beginning ACC play in 1992.
 
In 1991, he was awarded the Bobby Dodd Award as the national coach of the year. Welsh was named the ACC Coach of the Year four times - 1983, 1984, 1991 and 1995.
 
When Welsh took over the UVA program, the Cavaliers had experienced only two winning campaigns in their previous 29 seasons.
 
Welsh's 28-year record as a head coach was 189-132-4 and included 15 bowl appearances. His career win total of 189 was the 24th most in Division I history at the time of his retirement.
 
During the 2017 Military Bowl between Virginia and Navy, the Cavaliers wore a helmet decal honoring his tenure at both schools.
 
Welsh was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2004. He was named to the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame in 2009.
 
In the spring of 2013, Virginia dedicated its new indoor practice facility in Welsh's name.  
 
For 52 years Welsh was married to his wife, Alexandra, before she passed away in 2015. They have four children-Kate, Duffy, Matt and Adam.