Auburn’s Football Coach Dancing to ‘U Can’t Touch This’ Is the Essence of the ’90s

As Jimmy Fallon’s “Evolution of End Zone Dancing” reminds us, football fans are no strangers to inspired moves. It’s not unusual for coaches to get a little riled up on the sidelines, gesturing wildly to their quarterbacks or lamenting a play gone rogue. Auburn University football coach Gus Malzahn has had his fair share of sideline jigs, most notably involving the rapid rotation of his hands. And from the looks of this new video unearthed from a family vacation, Malzahn’s moves are years in the making.

In the video, Malzahn dances to MC Hammer’s “U Can’t Touch This,” pulling out favorites from his arsenal of dad moves: the opposite-arm-opposite-knee-pump, the reel-it-in, and a half-decent attempt at break dancing. While he may never have expected the glory of Internet fame — at least not for his dance moves — Malzahn certainly made no efforts to hide his talents in the past. In a 2009 profile, he admits to showing the video to his team at Shiloh Christian High School before playoff games. And the YouTube user who posted the video got the clip from his 2001 Springdale High School Highlights DVD.

The video was recorded on a family vacation to Six Flags in 1996. Despite his protestations, his daughters kept laying on the pressure. “Finally I had enough,” he said in a radio interview yesterday, “and I said, ‘No, I’m going to do it.’ So, I went in there and of course we got it done.” Sounds like the words of a football coach. You can fault him for his lack of rhythm, but you can’t fault a guy who has a sense of humor about himself.