Russ Grimm

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Russ Grimm
Date of birth	May 2, 1959 (age 47)
Place of birth	Scottdale, PA
Position(s)	Offensive guard Assistant Head Coach Offensive line coach
College	Pittsburgh
NFL Draft	1981 / Round 3 / 69th Overall
Career Highlights
Pro Bowls	1983, 1984, 1985, 1986
Honors	3 Super Bowl rings NFL 1980s All-Decade Team 70 Greatest Redskins
Stats
Playing Stats	Pro Football Reference
Playing Stats	DatabaseFootball
Team(s) as a player
1981-1991	Washington Redskins
Team(s) as a coach/administrator
1992-2000 2000-'2006 2007-present	Washington Redskins Pittsburgh Steelers Arizona Cardinals

Russ Grimm (May 2, 1959) was an All-American center at the University of Pittsburgh and a Pro Bowl guard for the Washington Redskins of the NFL. Grimm played 11 seasons for the Redskins and was a first team selection to the NFL 1980s All-Decade Team.

[edit] NFL Playing Career

He was drafted in the third round by the Redskins in the 1981 NFL draft. Along with Jeff Bostic, Mark May, George Starke and Joe Jacoby, Russ Grimm was a founding member of the Redskins' renowned "Hogs" offensive line of the 1980s and early 1990s (deemed one of the best front fives of NFL history), which was a mainstay of the Redskins' glory years during the first Joe Gibbs era.

During his 11 seasons as the Redskins' starting guard, Russ Grimm helped lead his team to 4 Super Bowl appearances and 3 Super Bowl victories (Super Bowl XVII in 1983, Super Bowl XXII in 1988, and Super Bowl XXVI in 1992). Along the way, Grimm was selected to 4 consecutive Pro Bowl appearances (1983 through 1986). He was named an All-Pro in each of those years as well.

According to Mark May, a teammate both at Pittsburgh and on the Redskins, no one lived up to the "Hog" persona more than Grimm: "He was a blue collar stiff and proud of it." In his 2005 memoir, May recalled a Christmas party at his house in 1982: "I iced down a keg of beer and stationed it on the landing between the first floor and basement. Russ turned the landing into his headquarters for the evening. He grabbed a chair and a Hog shot glass (a 60-ounce pitcher) and parked his butt on the landing next to the keg. Except for an occasional trip to the bathroom, we didn't see Russ on the first level all night..."^[1]

Grimm was a semifinalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2004, and a finalist in 2005, 2006 and 2007.

[edit] NFL Coaching Career

After hanging up his player's cleats, Grimm returned to the Redskins as a tight end coach (from 1992 through 1996, and offensive line coach from 1997 through 2000, during which he was instrumental in the development of tackles Chris Samuels and Jon Jansen. After his coaching stint with the Redskins, Grimm joined the Pittsburgh Steelers as offensive line coach in September of 2000. In 2004 he was promoted to Assistant Head Coach/Offensive Line.

In 2004, after the Chicago Bears fired Dick Jauron, Bears management considered Grimm as a top candidate for the job. The job eventually went to then St. Louis Rams defensive coordinator Lovie Smith.

In 2005, Grimm added another Super Bowl ring (totalling 4) to his resumé as part of the Pittsburgh Steelers' coaching staff (Offensive Line Coach).

On January 5, 2007, Bill Cowher resigned as head coach of the Steelers. In the press conference that followed, Steeler's President Art Rooney II announced Russ Grimm as one of the candidates for the job. On January 15th, 2007, he was named as a finalist for the job along with Ron Rivera and Mike Tomlin. The Steelers would end up hiring Tomlin as their head coach. Shortly after, Grimm was hired by the Arizona Cardinals to serve as their assistant head coach/offensive line coach. In Arizona, he will serve under head coach Ken Whisenhunt who Grimm worked with under Bill Cowher in Pittsburgh.