His college coaching career ended with his dismissal from the team in 2015 as a result of the Baylor University sexual assault scandal.
[3] Briles accepted a scholarship offer by Bill Yeoman at the University of Houston, where he switched to wide receiver and played three seasons, including the 1977 Cotton Bowl Classic.
Briles' parents and aunt died in a car crash on U.S. Route 380 near Newcastle, Texas, while on their way to Dallas to see him play in a game on October 16, 1976.
[3] His then-girlfriend and now wife, the former Jan Allison, had planned to make the trip with his family, but decided to stay behind in Rule to attend a friend's bridal shower.
[3] After finishing the 1976–77 academic year, Briles left Houston and transferred to Texas Tech, which Jan was attending at the time,[3] to complete his bachelor's degree, which he earned in 1979.
In the late 1990s, Briles adapted the spread offense and today is one of the coaches credited for introducing it to Texas high school football.
The season featured the emergence of freshman quarterback Robert Griffin III, and the team's second win in 23 years over rival Texas A&M.
Following the conclusion of the 2011 regular season, Baylor quarterback Robert Griffin III, whom Briles was instrumental in recruiting and developing, was awarded the 77th annual Heisman Trophy.
Perhaps the apex of Briles' 2012 season was his involvement in the most-stunning upset of 2012 when his unranked Bears defeated the Kansas State Wildcats, BCS No.
1 ranked team at the time, by a score of 52–24, which propelled Baylor in winning its final 3 games, earning the Bears an invitation to play UCLA in the Holiday Bowl in San Diego.
They entered the game against the Michigan State Spartans with high hopes after narrowly missing the College Football Playoff.
According to the regents, the document was based on an independent investigation by the law firm Pepper Hamilton into how the school handled sexual assault.
The report stated that the findings "reflect significant concerns about the tone and culture within Baylor’s football program as it relates to accountability for all forms of athlete misconduct."
Baylor president Ken Starr lost his job and Athletic Director Ian McCaw resigned in wake of the scandal.
[21] In 2018 it was reported that victims suing Baylor accused the school of "concealing records involving its judicial affairs and police departments".
[22] On June 19, 2018, former Baylor athletic director Ian McCaw testified during a deposition that the sexual assault scandal that engulfed the school's football program was manufactured by investigators and regents to cover up a larger university-wide issue.
The documents showed multiple senior Baylor administrators knew about a serial sexual assault assailant" in fall 2011, but, along with Briles, failed to act.
[25] On August 28, 2017, Briles was hired by the Canadian Football League's Hamilton Tiger-Cats as assistant head coach for offense.
[27] However, in the face of a firestorm of criticism and pressure from league officials, the TiCats reversed course hours later and announced Briles would not join the team.
CEO and general manager Scott Mitchell said that team officials got so focused on "the inner sanctum of football discussions" that they forgot about the larger questions of "our standing in the community.
[35] A month into his first season, Briles and Mount Vernon were publicly reprimanded by a state oversight committee for using ineligible players and for using an assistant coach who wasn't a full-time employee of the district.
[36] On November 16, 2019, the Mount Vernon Tigers, coached by Briles, lost to the Sabine Cardinals in the first round of the Texas high school playoffs, 20–14.
On February 24, 2022, Briles returned to the college game when he was hired by Hue Jackson as the offensive coordinator for Grambling State.
His daughter, Staley, married Jeff Lebby who is presently the head football coach of Mississippi State.