How long can UR hold London?

London file

Mike London can't hide, even if that is his preference. Coaches of successful programs are subjects of discussions regarding other jobs.

The University of Richmond is 17-3 with a national championship and a No. 1 ranking in the Football Championship Subdivision poll with London, in his second season as coach of his alma mater. London, who will turn 49 next Friday, can't get much hotter as a potential candidate at an FCS school.

"I'll let other people speculate. I'm concentrating on being the head coach at the University of Richmond," London said.

After last season, his name surfaced in Boston College's search. A Houston Texans' assistant in 2005, London also had opportunities to return to the NFL.

London's résumé reflects that he has not been bashful about moving to improve his situation. He has changed jobs eight times since 1988.

His lone position outside football enhances his portfolio. During the mid'80s, London was a member of the Richmond Bureau of Police, working as a patrol officer and detective with the Street Crimes Unit. His goal at that time was to become a member of the Secret Service.

London is black. According to the Black Coaches & Administrators organization, seven of 120 Football Bowl Subdivision head coaches are black. The NCAA has boosted efforts to increase that number through its Diversity and Inclusion Department. FBS schools are encouraged by the NCAA to examine qualified black candidates. As a result, search committees and college presidents have become more attuned to the paucity of black head coaches in the FBS.

"The proof is in the pudding with what Mike has done. He has certainly proved that he is ready to be the head coach at a lot of different places," said Floyd Keith, the executive director of the BCA and the former head football coach at Rhode Island. "But I know he is not one of those who is at one place and always looking where he's going next. That's not the way he's geared."

Richmond starts 15 fifth-year seniors, including quarterback Eric Ward, a four-year starter. From that angle, if London has interest in moving to another situation, the coming offseason may be the time to explore options.

"I was hired to do a job here at my alma mater. There's unfinished business," London said. "The only thing I worry about is what's going on in this open week [the Spiders are off Saturday], and after that it's James Madison the week after."

In June, when London signed a contract extension that runs through 2014, UR Athletic Director Jim Miller said, "We understand the realities of FCS football, that if you're successful, sometimes coaches have opportunities that they feel they have to look at."

Richmond hasn't hesitated to release coaches who want to elevate in their field. Dave Clawson, whom London succeeded, agreed to a UR contract extension that ran through 2010. He left to become Tennessee's offensive coordinator in 2008.

FCS schools can't come close to matching financial packages available to coaches at FBS schools in top-tier conferences. More than half of FBS coaches will make more than $1 million in salary this season, according to various sources. In the FCS, salaries in the low six figures are normal, even in the highly competitive Colonial Athletic Association, the league to which UR belongs. As a private school, Richmond does not release salary information.

London did not recruit any Spiders starter on last year's team. Only one player he signed has started a game this season for 4-0 UR. Each of Richmond's current regulars came at the invitation of Clawson, now Bowling Green's head coach.

But London was regarded as an elite recruiter while a college assistant, particularly when he worked on the University of Virginia staff (2001-04, 2006-07). Players he signed since becoming Richmond's coach, and those who have orally committed to UR so far this year, are generally viewed as quality talents by recruiting analysts.

Contact John O'Connor at (804) 649-6233 or joconnor@timesdispatch.com.