Chan Gailey

Last updated

Chan Gailey
Personal information
Born: (1952-01-05) January 5, 1952 (age 72)
Gainesville, Georgia, U.S.
Career information
High school: Americus (Americus, Georgia)
College: Florida
Career history
As a coach:
Career highlights and awards
Head coaching record
Regular season:NFL: 34–46 (.425)
Postseason:NFL: 0–2 (.000)
Career:NFL: 34–48 (.415)
NCAA: 68–41 (.624)
WLAF: 12–7 (.632)
Coaching stats at PFR

Thomas Chandler Gailey Jr. (born January 5, 1952) is a former American football coach. Most recently in 2020, he was the offensive coordinator for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League (NFL). Gailey has previously served as the head coach of the Dallas Cowboys, Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, and Buffalo Bills from 1998 to 2012.

Contents

In a coaching career spanning 46 years, Gailey began his NFL career as part of Dan Reeves' coaching staff on the Denver Broncos from 1985 to 1990, appearing in Super Bowls XXI, XXII, and XXIV with the Broncos. Gailey was on the Pittsburgh Steelers staff from 1994 to 1997 when the Steelers won four straight AFC Central titles and coached in one Super Bowl (XXX). He held his first professional head coach position in 1998, when he became the new head coach of the Dallas Cowboys, and led the Cowboys to playoff appearances in each of his 2 seasons in Dallas. Gailey served as offensive coordinator for the Miami Dolphins in 2000 and 2001, when the Dolphins posted consecutive 11–5 records, and was part of the 2000 Dolphins squad which was the last time the team had won a playoff game. Gailey served as the offensive coordinator for the Kansas City Chiefs in 2008 and three games of the 2009 preseason. [1] In 2010, he was hired as the new head coach of the Buffalo Bills, where he coached until 2012. Three years after his firing from the Bills, he served as the offensive coordinator for the New York Jets from 2015 to 2016. In 2020, Gailey came out of retirement to again serve as the offensive coordinator for the Miami Dolphins, where he would last for only a season before resigning on January 6, 2021.

Early life and education

Gailey was born in Gainesville, Georgia, in 1952. [2] He attended Americus High School in Americus, Georgia, where he earned Eagle Scout honors, [3] [4] and a letterman in high school football, basketball, baseball, and golf. In football, he was an all-state selection as quarterback. Gailey graduated from Americus High School in 1970.

Gailey attended the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida, where he was a three-year letterman for coach Doug Dickey's Florida Gators football team as a quarterback from 1971 to 1973. [5] Gailey graduated from Florida with a bachelor's degree in physical education in 1974. [2]

Coaching career

Troy, Air Force, and back to Troy

Gailey stayed with Florida as a graduate assistant for two years before taking his first actual coaching job as the secondary coach for the Troy Trojans of Troy University (then known as Troy State University) in Troy, Alabama. After two seasons there, he spent four seasons with the U.S. Air Force Academy, including two as defensive coordinator under head coach Ken Hatfield. [6]

In 1983, Gailey made his way back to Troy, taking over the head coaching duties at Troy University. In his first season as head coach, he led the Trojans to a 7–4 overall record. In his second season at the helm in 1984, he led his #3-ranked Trojans to a 12–1 record en route to the NCAA Division II national championship, defeating #1-ranked North Dakota State, 18–17 to win the title. [7]

Professional leagues (1984–1992, 1994–2001)

Gailey moved to the NFL the next year, when the Denver Broncos signed him as an offensive assistant and special teams coach. The team made three Super Bowl appearances during his six-year tenure and coached quarterbacks John Elway and Gary Kubiak during his lone year as quarterbacks coach in 1988. In 1991, Gailey left the NFL to become the head coach of the Birmingham Fire of the World League of American Football, where the team made the playoffs in both years that he was coach.

After a one-year stint as head coach at Samford University, he returned to the NFL with the Pittsburgh Steelers. After starting off as coach for the wide receivers, then moved up to offensive coordinator for the 1996 and 1997 NFL seasons. The Steelers won their division all four years, and made one Super Bowl appearance.

On February 13, 1998, Gailey was hired to take over a struggling Dallas Cowboys squad (as operated by Jerry Jones), one that had faltered under Barry Switzer during his last season. Other candidates considered in the course of five weeks were George Seifert, Sherman Lewis, and Terry Donahue, with the latter being the closest to being hired before disagreeing with Jones about contract language that opened the door for Gailey. Notably in the leadup to the season, Gailey expressed his opinion to the Cowboys to not draft Randy Moss in the 1998 NFL draft due to perceived off-field issues. [8] [9] Gailey's Cowboys won the NFC East in 1998, winning all eight games against teams in their division. This would come back to haunt them when they played the Arizona Cardinals, who happened to squeak into the playoffs as a Wild Card team despite losing to their division rival twice. Arizona trounced Dallas 20-7 for not only the first home playoff loss for the Cowboys in six years but also their first playoff win in a half-century. The Cowboys, hindered by injuries to players such as Michael Irvin (who suffered a career-ending injury midway through the year) went 8–8 in 1999 after starting the season 3–0, losing seven of eight games decided by a touchdown. They made the playoffs but lost to Minnesota. [10] He was fired on January 12, 2000, three days after the season ended for Dallas with three years remaining on his contract. Gailey is the only Cowboys coach to have never missed the playoffs with his team. Gailey is also sometimes referred to by fans as "the forgotten coach" of Dallas. Jones later stated his regret at firing Gailey after two seasons. [11] [12]

Gailey returned to the offensive coordinator role, this time with the Miami Dolphins for the 2000 and 2001 seasons. [13]

Georgia Tech (2002–2007)

Gailey was hired by the Yellow Jackets in 2002 to replace George O'Leary, who left to become head coach at the University of Notre Dame (O'Leary infamously resigned at Notre Dame after only 5 days). [14] In his first five years at Georgia Tech, he had compiled a 37–27 record. Georgia Tech went to bowl games each year under Gailey, and won two: the 2003 Humanitarian Bowl (a 52–10 win over the University of Tulsa), and the 2004 Champs Sports Bowl (a 51–14 victory over Syracuse University). Gailey compiled six winning seasons in six years at the helm. However, he never defeated Tech's biggest rival, the University of Georgia, never won the ACC, never went to a BCS bowl, never won more than nine games, and never finished in the top 25. The 2006 season was his most successful at Georgia Tech, winning the ACC Coastal Division, but losing his last three games to rival UGA, Wake Forest in the ACC Championship Game, and West Virginia in the Gator Bowl. [15]

Gailey's name was mentioned for both the Pittsburgh Steelers and Miami Dolphins head-coaching jobs following the 2006 season, two teams for which he was offensive coordinator. [16] Gailey got neither job. On January 19, 2007, Gailey announced he would return to Georgia Tech. [17]

After a 7–5 2007 regular season and losing to the Georgia Bulldogs football team for the sixth straight year, it was announced on November 26, 2007, that Gailey had been dismissed and his $1 million/year contract bought out. [18] [19] [20] [21]

Kansas City Chiefs (2008)

Gailey was hired on January 16, 2008, to become the offensive coordinator of the Kansas City Chiefs. He inherited a Chiefs offense that ranked at the bottom of the league in almost every category the previous season. [22] Under his coaching, the Chiefs finished with the 24th-ranked offense in the league. [23] He was demoted after three pre-season games in 2009 and relieved of play-calling duties by head coach Todd Haley. [24] He spent the 2009 season out of football.

Buffalo Bills (2010–2012)

Gailey was introduced as the 15th head coach of the Buffalo Bills on January 19, 2010, replacing interim head coach Perry Fewell and becoming their fifth head coach in 10 years. [25] The Bills went 4–12 in his first season, with the 25th-ranked offense and 24th-ranked defense in the league. [26] The following year, Buffalo ranked 14th in offense and 26th in defense as the Bills improved slightly to finish with a 6–10 record despite starting the season with a 5–2 record. [27] In 2012, the Bills finished 19th in offense and 22nd in defense as they once again finished 6–10. [28]

On December 31, 2012, Gailey was relieved of his duties as the Bills' head coach. He amassed a career 16–32 record in Buffalo. [29]

New York Jets (2015–2016)

Gailey was named offensive coordinator by the New York Jets on January 20, 2015, under new head coach Todd Bowles. [30] He was reunited with former Bills quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick.

In his first season, the Jets finished with the 10th-ranked offense in the league. They finished 13th in the league in passing and 10th in rushing. [31] Through Week 14 of the 2016 season, the Jets had the 24th-ranked offense in the league. [32] Following the 2016 season in which the Jets ranked near the bottom of the league in offense and finished 5–11, Gailey retired on January 3, 2017. [33]

Return to the Miami Dolphins

On January 20, 2020, Gailey was hired by the Miami Dolphins as their offensive coordinator under head coach Brian Flores, also Gailey's first time in Miami in 19 years. Gailey was again reunited with former Bills and Jets quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick, whom Gailey served as head coach of the Bills from 2010 to 2012, and as offensive coordinator for the Jets from 2015 to 2016. On January 6, 2021, Gailey resigned from the offensive coordinator position.

Head coaching record

College

YearTeamOverallConferenceStandingBowl/playoffs
Troy State Trojans (Gulf South Conference)(1983–1984)
1983 Troy State 7–44–3T–2nd [34]
1984 Troy State 12–16–11stW NCAA Division II Championship
Troy State:19–510–4
Samford Bulldogs (NCAA Division I-AA independent)(1993)
1993 Samford5–6
Samford:5–6
Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (Atlantic Coast Conference)(2002–2007)
2002 Georgia Tech 7–64–4T–5thL Silicon Valley
2003 Georgia Tech 7–64–4T–4thW Humanitarian
2004 Georgia Tech 7–54–4T–6thW Champs Sports
2005 Georgia Tech 7–55–33rd (Coastal)L Emerald
2006 Georgia Tech 9–57–11st (Coastal)L Gator
2007 Georgia Tech 7–54–43rd (Coastal) Humanitarian
Georgia Tech:44–3228–20
Total:68–43
      National championship        Conference title        Conference division title or championship game berth

National Football League

TeamYearRegular seasonPostseason
WonLostTiesWin %FinishWonLostWin %Result
DAL 1998 1060.6251st in NFC East01.000Lost to Arizona Cardinals in NFC Wild Card Game
DAL 1999 880.5002nd in NFC East01.000Lost to Minnesota Vikings in NFC Wild Card Game
DAL total18140.56302.000
BUF 2010 4120.2504th in AFC East
BUF 2011 6100.3754th in AFC East
BUF 2012 6100.3754th in AFC East
BUF total16320.33300.000
Total34460.42502.000

World League of American Football

Record with Birmingham Fire

Season records
SeasonWLTFinishPlayoff results
1991 5501st North American WestLost Semifinals (Dragons)
1992 7212nd North American WestLost Semifinals (Thunder)
Totals1271(excluding playoffs)

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bill Parcells</span> American football coach (born 1941)

Duane Charles "Bill" Parcells is a former American football coach who served as a head coach in the National Football League (NFL) for 19 seasons. He came to prominence as the head coach of the New York Giants from 1983 to 1990, where he won two Super Bowl titles. Parcells was later the head coach of the New England Patriots from 1993 to 1996, the New York Jets from 1997 to 2000, and the Dallas Cowboys from 2003 to 2006. Nicknamed "the Big Tuna", he is the only NFL coach to lead four different franchises to the playoffs and three to a conference championship game.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jimmy Johnson (American football coach)</span> American football broadcaster, coach and executive (born 1943)

James William Johnson is an American sports analyst and former football coach. Johnson served as a head football coach on the collegiate level from 1979 to 1988 and in the National Football League (NFL) for nine seasons. He is the first head football coach to win both a college football national championship and a Super Bowl, achieving the former with University of Miami and the latter with the Dallas Cowboys.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dave Wannstedt</span> American football player, coach, executive (born 1952)

David Wannstedt is a former American football coach. He has been the head coach of the Chicago Bears and Miami Dolphins of the National Football League (NFL). He was also the head coach of the University of Pittsburgh football team from 2005 to 2010. He also was a long-time assistant to Jimmy Johnson with the Dallas Cowboys, Miami Hurricanes, and Oklahoma State Cowboys as well as an associate of Johnson when both were assistants at the University of Pittsburgh.

Jim Bates is a former American football coach in the National Football League (NFL), most recently serving as defensive coordinator of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He primarily ran a 4–3 scheme, using fast, undersized linebackers. Bates served as interim head coach for the Miami Dolphins during the 2004 NFL season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Randy Shannon</span> American football player and coach (born 1966)

Randy Leonard Shannon is an American football coach and former player. He is the linebackers coach and co-defensive coordinator for Florida State. Shannon was the head coach at the University of Miami from 2007 to 2010 and has served as an assistant coach for the National Football League (NFL)'s Miami Dolphins and several college teams, including stints as the defensive coordinator for the Miami Hurricanes, the Florida Gators, and the UCF Knights. He won the Frank Broyles Award as the nation's top collegiate assistant coach while at Miami in 2001.

Brian Cornelius Schottenheimer is an American football coach who is the offensive coordinator for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL). He previously served as the offensive coordinator for the Seattle Seahawks, New York Jets, St. Louis Rams and the University of Georgia and also served as an assistant coach for the Washington Redskins, San Diego Chargers, Indianapolis Colts, and Jacksonville Jaguars.

Hudson Houck is an American football coach and college player who was an offensive line coach for a six teams of the National Football League (NFL) over a 40-year coaching career. Houck retired on January 10, 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anthony Lynn</span> American football player and coach (born 1968)

Anthony Ray Lynn is an American football coach and former running back who is the run game coordinator and running backs coach for the Washington Commanders of the National Football League (NFL). He played running back for the Texas Tech Red Raiders and in the NFL for six seasons, primarily with the Denver Broncos where he won Super Bowl XXXII and XXXIII. Lynn entered coaching after retiring as a player in 2000, later serving as head coach of the Los Angeles Chargers from 2017 to 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Todd Haley</span> American football coach

Richard Todd Haley is an American football coach who most recently was head coach for the Memphis Showboats of the United States Football League (USFL).

Joseph Anthony Philbin is a senior offensive assistant for the Las Vegas Raiders. He served as the offensive line coach for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL). He was the head coach of the Miami Dolphins, a position he held from 2012 to 2015. Philbin was also the offensive coordinator of the Green Bay Packers from 2007 to 2011, helping them win Super Bowl XLV over the Pittsburgh Steelers. Most recently, Philbin served as interim head coach of the Packers for the final four games of the 2018 season after serving as the offensive coordinator for the first part of the season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dolphins–Jets rivalry</span> National Football League rivalry

The Dolphins–Jets rivalry is a rivalry between the Miami Dolphins and the New York Jets in the National Football League (NFL). The teams both play in the AFC East division, and play two scheduled games each season as a result. They have often competed for divisional supremacy, and have played several classic games. Currently, the Dolphins lead the series 60–56–1, while the Dolphins have won the lone postseason meeting, defeating the Jets in the 1982 AFC Championship.

The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football franchise which competes in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The team's headquarters, stadium and training facilities are all co-located in Miami Gardens, Florida. The Dolphins' team was founded by attorney-politician Joe Robbie and actor-comedian Danny Thomas. The Dolphins began play in the American Football League (AFL) in 1966. South Florida had not had a professional football team since the days of the Miami Seahawks, who played in the All-America Football Conference (AAFC) East Division in 1946 before becoming the first incarnation of the Baltimore Colts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Lee (American football coach)</span> American football player and coach (born 1953)

David Lee is an American football coach and former player. Lee has spent many years as a quarterbacks coach, and has served as the head coach of the UTEP Miners.

The 1999 season was the Dallas Cowboys' 40th in the National Football League (NFL) and second and final under head coach Chan Gailey. The Cowboys were looking to return to the playoffs, improve on their 10–6 record from the previous season and head to the Super Bowl for the final time in the 1990s.

The 1998 Dallas Cowboys season was the Cowboys' 39th season in the National Football League (NFL). The Cowboys were looking to improve on their 6–10 mark from the year before and head to the Super Bowl for the final time in the 1990s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brian Daboll</span> Canadian-born American football coach (born 1975)

Brian Michael Daboll is a Canadian-American professional football coach who is the head coach of the New York Giants of the National Football League (NFL). He previously served as the offensive coordinator for the Cleveland Browns, Miami Dolphins, Kansas City Chiefs, Alabama Crimson Tide, and Buffalo Bills. Daboll has also served in various capacities as an assistant coach for the New England Patriots from 2000 to 2006 and again from 2013 to 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tony Sparano</span> American football coach (1961–2018)

Anthony Joseph Sparano III was an American professional football coach. He served as the head coach of the Miami Dolphins and Oakland Raiders of the National Football League (NFL) and is the only NFL head coach to have led a team to the playoffs the year following a one-win season, and only the second to conduct a ten-game turnaround, both of which he accomplished in his first season with the Dolphins. He was fired by the Dolphins in December 2011 after a 4-9 start to the season, Sparano's worst start in his four-year tenure with the Dolphins.

George Edwards is an American football coach who is the outside linebackers coach for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League (NFL). He has previously served as a defensive coordinator for the Buffalo Bills, Washington Redskins and Minnesota Vikings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dan Quinn (American football)</span> American football coach (born 1970)

Daniel Patrick Quinn is an American professional football coach who is the head coach of the Washington Commanders of the National Football League (NFL). He has been active in the NFL since 2001, most prominently as Atlanta Falcons head coach from 2015 to 2020. His career in coaching began in college football, spent mostly with the Hofstra Pride in the late 1990s. Quinn has been a defensive line coach for the San Francisco 49ers, Miami Dolphins, and New York Jets, and as defensive coordinator for the Seattle Seahawks, Florida Gators, and Dallas Cowboys. Prior to coaching, he competed in the hammer throw and played football at Salisbury University.

Robert Parks Brown is an American football coach who was most recently the quarterbacks coach for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League (NFL). Prior to that, he was a special assistant to the head coach and the senior offensive analyst at West Virginia University.

References

  1. Associated Press. Former Cowboys head coach hopes to revive Chiefs' sputtering offense ESPN.com, January 16, 2008.
  2. 1 2 Chan Gailey (November 18, 2006). "Chan Gailey Bio - Georgia Tech Official Athletic Site". Ramblinwreck.com. Archived from the original on February 8, 2012. Retrieved April 22, 2013.
  3. Townley, Alvin (2007). Legacy of Honor: The Values and Influence of America's Eagle Scouts. New York: St. Martin's Press. ISBN   978-0-312-36653-7. Archived from the original on May 29, 2008. Retrieved December 29, 2006.
  4. Hydrick, Robert (May 2006). "Gailey looking forward to spring practice". WALB News 10. Archived from the original on March 21, 2006. Retrieved November 8, 2006.
  5. 2011 Florida Gators Football Media Guide Archived April 2, 2012, at the Wayback Machine , University Athletic Association, Gainesville, Florida, pp. 174 & 181 (2011). Retrieved August 29, 2011.
  6. Van Brimmer, Adam (October 18, 2007). "Army life different, say Tech coaches". The Telegraph . macon.com. Retrieved October 23, 2007.[ dead link ]
  7. [ dead link ]
  8. "Memory Lane: The Cowboys made Chan Gailey the fourth coach in team history". wfaa.com. February 13, 2020. Retrieved September 5, 2024.
  9. "Archer: Ex-Cowboys coach doing more with less". ESPN.com. November 10, 2011. Retrieved September 5, 2024.
  10. "PRO FOOTBALL; The Cowboys Fire Gailey After 2 Seasons as Coach" . Retrieved September 5, 2024.
  11. "Dallas Cowboys Team Records, Leaders, and League Ranks". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved September 5, 2024.
  12. "Chan Gailey: Jerry Jones' horror stories not true". ESPN.com. December 17, 2015. Retrieved September 5, 2024.
  13. "Winning Style". Tech Topics. Georgia Tech Alumni Association. Spring 2002. Archived from the original on November 30, 2007. Retrieved September 17, 2007.
  14. Clarke, Michael (November 18, 2005). "Gailey signs new five-year contract, will coach through 2010 campaign". The Technique . Archived from the original on September 29, 2007. Retrieved May 16, 2007.
  15. "Skinner, Swank lift Wake to ACC title; next stop: Orange Bowl". ESPN. go.com. Associated Press. December 2, 2006. Archived from the original on July 14, 2012. Retrieved September 17, 2007.
  16. "Miami interviews Gailey". The Technique . January 19, 2007. Archived from the original on September 29, 2007. Retrieved March 22, 2007.
  17. "Gailey to Remain at Tech". Ramblinwreck.com. Georgia Tech Athletic Association. January 19, 2007. Archived from the original on November 30, 2007. Retrieved March 22, 2007.
  18. Knobler, Mike (November 26, 2007). "Georgia Tech fires Gailey after six seasons". Atlanta Journal-Constitution . Retrieved November 26, 2007.
  19. "Sources: Gailey fired at Tech after six seasons". ESPN. go.com. November 26, 2007. Retrieved November 26, 2007.
  20. Knobler, Mike (November 26, 2007). "Tech owes Gailey $4 million". Atlanta Journal-Constitution . Retrieved November 26, 2007.
  21. "Gailey Relieved of Duties As Georgia Tech Head Coach". RamblinWreck.com. Georgia Tech Athletic Association. November 26, 2007. Archived from the original on November 28, 2007. Retrieved November 26, 2007.
  22. Gregg Rosenthal. "Source: Chiefs chop Chan Gailey". NBCSports.com. Retrieved August 31, 2009.
  23. "2008 NFL Team Total Offense Postseason Stats".
  24. John Clayton (August 31, 2009). "Gailey no longer running Chiefs offense". ESPN.com. Retrieved August 31, 2009.
  25. "Bills hire Gailey as coach". Associated Press. Retrieved September 12, 2011.
  26. "2010 NFL Team Total Offense Postseason Stats".
  27. "2011 NFL Team Total Offense Postseason Stats".
  28. "2012 NFL Team Total Offense Postseason Stats".
  29. "Chan Gailey fired by Buffalo Bills". Associated Press. Retrieved December 31, 2012.
  30. Jets Staff (January 20, 2015). "Jets Tab Chan Gailey as Offensive Coordinator". New York Jets. Archived from the original on January 24, 2015. Retrieved January 22, 2015.
  31. "2015 NFL Team Total Offense Postseason Stats".
  32. "2021 NFL Team Total Offense Stats".
  33. Orr, Conor (January 3, 2017). "Jets offensive coordinator Chan Gailey retires". NFL.com. Retrieved January 3, 2017.
  34. "2014 GSC Football Media Guide (PDF) - Gulf South Conference" (PDF).