What is Kevin Sumlin's ethnicity? Texas A&M AC's nationality and background explored
Former Texas A&M coach Kevin Sumlin was arrested in Florida on Sunday. The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office in Tampa detained the African-American coach for driving under the influence. He pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Sumlin reportedly refused a breathalyzer test and was arrested at 12:40 a.m. He posted bond and was released at 9 a.m.
Kevin Sumlin is in his first year as co-offensive coordinator and associate head coach of the Maryland Terrapins. The school issued a statement following the incident.
"Maryland athletics is aware of the incident this past weekend involving football coach Kevin Sumlin," the university said. "As this is an ongoing investigation, we will have no further comment."
The Terps were in an open week last weekend and play Northwestern on Saturday. Maryland coach Michael Locksley said Tuesday that Sumlins is not with the team this week. Per ESPN, Locksley said, "Of course," when asked if the assistant coach would face any disciplinary action.
Sumlin, 59, was born in Brewton, Alabama, in 1964. He attended high school in Indianapolis and played football, hockey and basketball. Sumlin played college football at Purdue University in the 1980s, where he was a member of the 1984 Peach Bowl champion squad. He was a teammate of Pro Football Hall of Famer Rod Woodson.
Kevin Sumlin's Coaching Career
Kevin Sumlin started coaching in 1989 as a graduate assistant at Washington State. In 28 years, he held several coaching positions, mainly as a wide receivers coach and an offensive coordinator, in teams like Oklahoma, Minnesota, Purdue and Texas A&M.
In 2008, he had his first job as a college football head coach with the Houston Cougars. Over four seasons, he had a record of 35-17 and won two C-USA West Division titles, an Armed Forces Bowl and a TicketCity Bowl. He was also named the C-USA Coach of the Year on two occasions.
From there, Sumlin made the jump to a big college football job at Texas A&M in the Southeastern Conference. Between 2012 and 2017, he led them to a 51-26 record and a bowl invitation every year.
With Kevin Sumlin, the Aggies won three straight bowls (Cotton, Chick-fil-A and Liberty) in 2012, 2013 and 2014. However, in 2015, 2016 and 2017, they lost three straight bowl games (Music City, Texas and Belk). Sumlin was the SEC Coach of the Year in 2012.
Despite positive results, Sumlin won more than nine games once and had only one season with an SEC winning record. He was fired and replaced by Jimbo Fisher.
Kevin Sumlin was hired by Arizona but failed to have a winning record in any of his three seasons there. He jumped to the USFL, where, in his sole season, he led the Houston Gamblers to a 3-7 record. In 2023, Sumlin returned to college football as an associate head coach for Maryland.