Larry Slade is in his seventh year as Carson-Newman's defensive coordinator. 

Slade's defense ranked in the top half of the SAC for 2022.  He helped tutor Frank Lee to SAC Defensive Freshman of the Year honors, while defensive back Major Williams, linebacker Alonzo Houston and Lee all earned first team all-league honors defensively.  

In 2019, Slade tutored corner Desmond Fairell and linebacker Rondrow Peebles to  All-America honors.  That year, Slade's defense turned in an all-time great performance in the first round of the NCAA playoffs at Bowie State. Bowie State cracked the redzone five times and didn't score a single point off those five trips.  The Bulldogs had been averaging 43 points per game, but were held to nine in the Eagles' 17-9 victory.  

Slade put together a banner year for the Eagles' defense in 2017.  Carson-Newman led the conference in total defense and rush defense.  The Eagles were second in the league in scoring defense. Carson-Newman had a quartet of All-SAC first team selections in his second year in lineman Montel Presley, linebacker Sha'Heem Stupart and defensive backs Darius Williams and Desmond Fairell.  Williams earned All-America honors at the end of the year. 

Slade has more than 25 years of Division I experience under his belt as a defensive coach.  He spent a decade on Phillip Fulmer’s staff as a secondary coach from 1999-2008 before heading to Louisville where he coached corners in 2009 and the secondary until 2012.

Other stops for Slade include Texas A&M (1994-98), Maryland (1992-93) and Washington (1986-91).   He spent this past year as an assistant at Central High School.

Slade, is a native of Pelham, N.C., who twice was named All-WVIAC while playing guard at Shepherd in the early 1970s. He was named Little All-America honorable mention in 1971 and later inducted into the Shepherd College Hall of Fame.

Slade's coaching career began at his alma mater with a nine-year stay before subsequent stops at Richmond, Howard, Southern Illinois, Washington and Maryland.

His six-year tenure as secondary coach at Washington was highlighted by a national championship season in 1991, during which the Huskies ranked first in NCAA statistics for pass efficiency defense.

His 1997 Aggies secondary allowed only three passing touchdowns, fewest in the nation. Slade's first unit at Tennessee also sparkled by allowing 214.9 yards per game through the air and making 21 interceptions against only 15 touchdown passes.

Over the course of his final five seasons at Tennessee, Tennessee's defensive backfield produced such NFL signees as Super Bowl champion Gibril Wilson, Super Bowl participant Deon Grant, Rashad Baker, Jabari Greer, Jonathan Wade and Jason Allen, who was selected in the 2006 first round by the Miami Dolphins.

Slade's 2000 and 2001 secondary units, aided and abetted by the rest of the defense, established school season records with 64 and 72 passes broken up, respectively.

Eagle fans can follow Slade on Twitter @coachlarryslade.