UA assistant to lead Owls

FAYETTEVILLE - Florida Atlantic confirmed Monday it has hired Arkansas assistant head coach Charlie Partridge as its head coach.

Partridge will be introduced at a news conference this morning on the Florida Atlantic campus in Boca Raton, Fla. His hiring was first reported late Saturday by the Sun Sentinel of south Florida.

A native of Plantation, Fla., Partridge has long maintained a reputation as one of college football’s best recruiters in the talent-rich fields in the southern part of Florida.

Partridge, 40, will be taking his first head coaching position, following stints as an assistant coach at his alma mater Drake, Iowa State, Eastern Illinois, Pittsburgh, Wisconsin and Arkansas. He has been on Arkansas Coach Bret Bielema’s staff the past five seasons, the previous four being at Wisconsin.

Bielema is expected to comment on the departure after Partridge’s news conference today.

Partridge replaces Brian Wright, who led the Owls to a 4-0 record on an interim basis after Carl Pelini resigned in late October.

Pelini, who had guided Florida Atlantic to a 2-6 record, and defensive coordinator Pete Rekstis admitted to attending a party in the Florida Keys in which marijuana was present during an Owls’ open week. Both men resigned, though Pelini last month denied illegal drug use, said he was forced to resign and sought to be reinstated to his job.

Partridge is the fifth Arkansas assistant coach to land a head coaching job in the past three years. Garrick McGee and John L. Smith took the Alabama-Birmingham and Weber State jobs following the 2011 season, and Smith returned to Arkansas on an interim basis for the Hogs’ 4-8 season of 2012. Coordinators Paul Haynes and Paul Petrino from that team both got their first head coaching jobs at Kent State and Idaho, respectively, last winter, while Smith was hired by Fort Lewis (Colo.) College.

Sports, Pages 17 on 12/17/2013

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