Limestone College Photo
Mike Furrey will resign as Limestone head football coach to join the Chicago Bears staff.
Brian Turk, Limestone’s running back coach and recruiting coordinator, will serve as the interim head coach. Turk, who came to the Saints after spending nine seasons on the staff at the University of South Carolina, will oversee all day-to-day operations heading into spring practices.
Furrey becomes wide receivers coach of the Chicago Bears after spending the past seven years coaching collegiately. He joins the staff of newly hired head coach Matt Nagy, a former teammate and roommate of Furrey with the Arena Football League’s New York Dragons.
Furrey played a combined eight years in the NFL with the St. Louis Rams, the Detroit Lions, the Cleveland Browns, and the Washington Redskins. His best season as a professional came during the 2006 season with the Lions when he led the NFC with 98 receptions to go with 1,086 yards and seven touchdowns.
Furrey took over a young Limestone program in 2016. He promptly guided the Saints to their best season in with a 5-6 overall mark, and then led the program as it transitioned to membership in the South Atlantic Conference this past year.
“This is just a tremendous honor,” said Furrey. “I came to Limestone with the mindset of coaching for the next 20 years and building a platform for young men to maximize their full potential in all areas of their lives. But, when I got the call from Coach Nagy about coaching on his staff in Chicago, it was just an opportunity and a blessing that I could not pass up.”
“I believe that we have built a great foundation here at Limestone,” Furrey said. “The coaching staff will continue to move this program forward under Coach Turk. He has already done a tremendous job in bringing in quality young men, and I believe with all my heart that this program is about to take off!”
Turk joined the Saints after nine seasons on the Gamecocks staff, working his way up from a student manager to the assistant director of recruiting. He served as an offensive intern and graduate assistant coach under Steve Spurrier before taking charge of all offensive recruiting on Will Muschamp’s staff.
During his time at USC, Turk mentored quarterbacks Connor Shaw and Dylan Thompson – both of whom threw for over 5,000 yards and 40 touchdowns in their careers – and helped guide the Gamecocks to three straight 11-win seasons. He also coached in four consecutive New Year’s Day bowl games.