Jeff Fisher
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Jeff Fisher | |
|---|---|
| Date of birth | February 25, 1958 (age 49) |
| Place of birth |  Culver City, California |
| Position(s) | Head Coach Cornerback |
| College | Southern California |
| NFL Draft | 1981 / Round 7 / Pick 177 |
| Career Record | 105-93-0 (Regular Season) 5-4 (Postseason) 110-97-0 (Overall) |
| Championships Won |
1999 AFC Championship |
| Playing Stats | DatabaseFootball |
| Coaching Stats | Pro Football Reference |
| Coaching Stats | DatabaseFootball |
| Team(s) as a player | |
| 1981-1984 | Chicago Bears |
| Team(s) as a coach/administrator | |
| 1986-1987 1988-1990 1991 1992-1993 1994-1996 1996-present |
Philadelphia Eagles (defensive backs coach) Philadelphia Eagles (defensive coordinator) Los Angeles Rams (defensive coordinator) San Francisco 49ers (defensive backs coach) Houston Oilers (defensive coordinator) Houston/Tennessee Oilers/Titans (head coach) |
Jeffrey Michael Fisher (born February 25, 1958) is an American football head coach, currently the head coach of the Tennessee Titans of the National Football League. With the resignation of Pittsburgh's Bill Cowher[1], Fisher now has the longest tenure as head coach with one team among active head coaches in the League. He is also one of the winningest active head coaches in the League, with a 105-93-0 (.530) record.
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[edit] Early life
A native of Southern California, Fisher starred as a high school All-American wide receiver for Taft High School in Woodland Hills.
[edit] Playing career
Fisher later went on to star as a University of Southern California Trojan under coach John Robinson. During his collegiate career (1977-1980), he played alongside such defensive stars as Ronnie Lott and Joey Browner. Fisher and the Trojans won a national championship during the 1978 season, and in 1980 he was honored with a Pac-10 All-Academic selection.
Fisher entered the NFL as a 7th round draft pick of the Chicago Bears. An excellent special teams player, his playing career came to an end in the NFL when his leg was broken during a collision on a kickoff, by former Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Bill Cowher.
[edit] Early coaching career
Realizing his playing days were over,and not content to be idle Fisher wanted to still be involved with professional football.In 1985 the Chicago Bears put him on injured reseve,so during this time he became a defensive assistant to Buddy Ryan the Bears defensive Coordinator.After the 1985 Bears won Super Bowl XX,Ryan left Chicago to become the head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles and Fisher went with him.He joined the Philadelphia Eagles as a defensive backs coach and was promoted to defensive coordinator at the age of 30, becoming the youngest one in the league at that point. Fisher found great success despite his youth, as the 1989 Eagles defense led the NFL in interceptions (30) and sacks (62). The 1990 squad led the League in rushing defense and was second in sacks.
In 1991, Fisher headed west to be reunited with his college coach John Robinson, serving as the Los Angeles Rams’ defensive coordinator for one season. The next two seasons, he served as the defensive backs coach for the San Francisco 49ers. These years as an assistant to George Seifert place Fisher in the Bill Walsh coaching tree. On February 9, 1994, Fisher again became a defensive coordinator, this time for the Houston Oilers under Jack Pardee succeeding his one-time mentor Ryan, who left the post of the Oilers' defensive coordinator to become the head coach of the Arizona Cardinals.
[edit] Head coach
On November 14, 1994, Pardee was fired as head coach by the Oilers, and Fisher was promoted to replace him for the last five games of the season. Following the 1994 campaign, the Oilers drafted quarterback Steve McNair and decided to retain Fisher's services as head coach. The new coach did not disappoint, leading the team to a 7-9 record in 1995, tied for second place in the division. The following year, which saw the debut of Heisman Trophy winner Eddie George for the Oilers, they achieved an 8-8 record. However, an inability to get a new stadium deal in Houston caused owner Bud Adams to relocate the team to Tennessee for the 1997 season.
In the 1997 and 1998 seasons, the franchise were unable to break through the .500 plateau, going 8-8 both years. This led to criticism from fans that Fisher was incapable of ever achieving anything more. The 1999 season, and the renaming of the team to the Tennessee Titans, proved the doubters wrong, however, when Fisher led the Titans to a surprising 13-3 regular season record, leading them deep into the playoffs (thanks to the Music City Miracle) and all the way to Super Bowl XXXIV. Ranked among the greatest championship games of all-time, Fisher's team fell to the St. Louis Rams, 23-16, when wideout Kevin Dyson was tackled one yard short of the end zone with no time remaining. This play became known as "The Tackle" in football lore. Tennessee achieved the same record the next year, but were again defeated in the playoffs by an eventual world champion, this time, the Baltimore Ravens.
The 2001 season was a disappointing one for the Titans, as they could only muster a 7-9 showing. The beginning of the next season proved to be even worse, with the franchise starting off with a 1-4 record. Following one home loss, owner Bud Adams made the comment to reporters that perhaps the Titans "were getting outcoached". This provided a spark the team needed, and they finished the season with a 11-5 record and made it to the AFC Championship Game.
The 2003 season saw more success, with yet another trip to the playoffs and McNair winning the League Most Valuable Player award. Again, they lost to an eventual world champion, the New England Patriots, but the team's progress did not go unnoticed. The 2004 season, however, was plagued by injuries from the start, and Fisher's worst record as head coach (5-11) was the result. Following the season, many veteran players (such as Samari Rolle and Derrick Mason) were cut in an effort to comply with the strict salary cap. The relative youth of the team resulted in a disappointing 2005 season as well. Before the 2005 season, Fisher hired Norm Chow out of USC to be his offensive coordinator.
In 2006, the Titans finished a better-than-expected 8-8. The Tennessee Titans then exercized their right to extend his contract by a year, keeping him as the head coach through the 2007/2008 season.
Throughout his tenure with the Tennessee Titans, Fisher has maintained a good relationship with his players, and is now almost universally known as "Coach Fish".
[edit] External links
- NFL.com Profile
- Jeff Fisher Profile at USC Legends
| Preceded by Jack Pardee |
Houston Oilers/Tennessee Titans Head Coaches November 14, 1994–present |
Succeeded by Current coach |
| Houston Oilers/Tennessee Titans Head Coaches |
|---|
| Rymkus • Lemm • Ivy • Baugh • Taylor • Lemm • Hughes • Peterson • Gillman • Phillips • Biles • Studley • Campbell • Glanville • Pardee • Fisher |
| Current Head Coaches of the National Football League | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| American Football Conference | |||
| East | North | South | West |
| Jauron (Buffalo) | Billick (Baltimore) | Kubiak (Houston) | Shanahan (Denver) |
| Cameron (Miami) | Lewis (Cincinnati) | Dungy (Indianapolis) | Edwards (Kansas City) |
| Belichick (New England) | Crennel (Cleveland) | Del Rio (Jacksonville) | Kiffin (Oakland) |
| Mangini (NY Jets) | Tomlin (Pittsburgh) | Fisher (Tennessee) | Turner (San Diego) |
| National Football Conference | |||
| East | North | South | West |
| Phillips (Dallas) | Smith (Chicago) | Petrino (Atlanta) | Whisenhunt (Arizona) |
| Coughlin (NY Giants) | Marinelli (Detroit) | Fox (Carolina) | Linehan (St. Louis) |
| Reid (Philadelphia) | McCarthy (Green Bay) | Payton (New Orleans) | Nolan (San Francisco) |
| Gibbs (Washington) | Childress (Minnesota) | Gruden (Tampa Bay) | Holmgren (Seattle) |
