A player-coach (also playing coach, captain-coach, or player-manager) is a member of a sports team who simultaneously holds both playing and coaching duties. Player-coaches may be head coaches or assistant coaches, and they may make changes to the squad and also play on the team.
Very few current major professional sports teams have head coaches who are also players, though it is common for senior players to take a role in managing more junior athletes. Historically, when professional sports had less money to pay players and coaches or managers, player-coaches were more common. Likewise, where player-coaches exist today, they are more common at, but not exclusive to, the lower levels where money is less available.
Bill Russell served as the player-coach of the Boston Celtics from 1966 to 1969, winning 2 NBA championships in that timespan.
The player-coach was, for many decades, a long-time fixture in professional basketball. Many notable coaches in the NBA served as player-coaches, including Bill Russell and Lenny Wilkens. This was especially true up through the 1970s, when the league was not as financially successful as it is today, and player-coaches were often used to save money. The practice fell out of favor in the 1980s (though Mike Dunleavy Sr., while an assistant coach with the Milwaukee Bucks, once came out of retirement and played several games when a rash of injuries decimated the team). Today, the collective bargaining agreement between the NBA and the players' union prohibits the use of player-coaches, in order to avoid circumventing the league's salary cap, as coaches' salaries are not counted under the cap. Therefore, if a player is to serve as a coach, he would have to receive commission from his contract as a player. The player, then, is not technically an official coach of his team but instead simply a coach in name. One example of a player in recent years who was groomed for eventual official coaching duties using this practice was Avery Johnson. The last player to serve as an official assistant coach was Tree Rollins for the Orlando Magic during the 1994-1995 season, and the last player to serve as head coach was Dave Cowens for the Boston Celtics during the 1978-1979 season.
Player-coaches in American football
In the early days of professional American football, player-coaches were a necessity, as most leagues' rules prohibited coaching from the sidelines. The National Football League eventually allowed sideline coaches in the late 1920s, and they quickly became the norm. During the 1920s, legendary player-coaches in the NFL include Curly Lambeau, who played for the Green Bay Packers from 1919 to 1929 and served as their head coach from 1919 to 1949, and George Halas, who held similar roles for the Chicago Bears, a team for which he was also part-owner and business manager. Ernie Nevers held the positions of both fullback and head coach for the Duluth Eskimos in 1927 and the Chicago Cardinals from 1929 to 1931. Jimmy Conzelman was player-coach for four teams during the 1920s. In the mid-1950s, Tom Landry played defensive back while serving as defensive coordinator for the New York Giants. In the early 1970s, when Landry was coach of the Dallas Cowboys, he made running back Dan Reeves a player-coach.
In the television era, pro football evolved into a higher-impact two-platoon game, so players serving as head coaches became impractical.
More modern players have acted as player-assistant coaches in an unofficial capacity, such as journeyman quarterback Steve DeBerg, who served as an unofficial mentor for younger, more skilled arms while also serving as their backup.
In an official capacity, much like the NBA, the current CBA between the NFL and the NFL Players Association prohibits official player-coaches due to teams using it to circumvent the salary cap. This was evident in 2020 when the Denver Broncos were forced to start practice squadwide receiverKendall Hinton at quarterback due to all of the Broncos regular quarterbacks being placed into COVID-19 protocols as a result of backup quarterback Jeff Driskel testing positive for COVID-19 and being around the remaining quarterbacks on the team without wearing face masks. Originally, the Broncos wanted to use offensive quality control coach Rob Calabrese to play quarterback, but the NFL turned them down out of hand.[1] The Saints defeated the Broncos 31–3, with Hinton going 1 for 9 and two interceptions.[2]
By the 21st century, on-field playcalling duties would often be split between the head coach or offensive coordinator and the Quarterback. Peyton Manning, Brett Favre, Tom Brady, Ben Roethlisberger and Drew Brees pioneered what would essentially become roles as on-field offensive coordinators by taking vocal leadership in playcalling and game management.
Player-coaches in cricket
Player-coaches in cricket are almost unheard of, although professional coaches are a relatively recent innovation and a similar role was generally filled by the team captain; this may still be the case in amateur competition. Internationally, Shane Deitz was appointed non-playing coach of Vanuatu in 2014 and, after meeting the necessary residency qualifications, made his international playing debut in 2018, at the age of 42.[3] Similarly, former Australian international Ryan Campbell was appointed as a non-playing batting coach of Hong Kong in 2013,[4] and after meeting the residency qualifications made his playing debut for Hong Kong in 2016, at the age of 44.[5]
More recently the ICC full-member team of India had a spell in following the resignation of head coach Anil Kumble where the team played without a coach. In this instance, team captain Virat Kohli was given the nickname 'Koach' (Kohli + Coach) as he served as player coach for the tour of the West Indies in 2017.[6]
In association football, this situation usually arises when a manager leaves a team suddenly, and the chairman has to make a quick decision to appoint someone new as a caretaker manager. The chairman will usually either ask a coach to take temporary charge or turn to one of the club's most senior players. If this particular player gains good results for the team during his time in charge, he may be appointed full-time manager, which leaves him a player–manager. However, there are instances when a free agent is appointed by a new team as a manager and offers his playing abilities.
In British men's football
Notable football player-managers include: Kenny Dalglish (Liverpool), Graeme Souness (Rangers), Glenn Hoddle (Swindon Town and Chelsea), Bryan Robson (Middlesbrough), Peter Reid (Manchester City), Ruud Gullit, Gianluca Vialli (both Chelsea).[7][8] Dalglish won a double of the league title and FA Cup in his first season as player-manager and continued to win two more league titles and an FA Cup before retiring from playing completely five years after becoming manager. Souness won three Scottish league titles and several cup competitions when he was player-manager of Rangers. He then succeeded Dalglish as Liverpool manager just before Rangers won another Scottish league title, but at the age of 38 he did not register himself as a player for Liverpool. In 1997, Ruud Gullit won the FA Cup with Chelsea in his first season as player-manager, also making history by being the first foreign and non-white manager to win a major trophy in English football. He was sacked nine months later, and Chelsea appointed another player-manager (Gianluca Vialli) in his place. Within weeks of taking over, Vialli guided Chelsea to victory in the League Cup, and two months after that, they won the European Cup Winners' Cup.[7][8]
A number of bigger clubs have appointed player-managers on a temporary basis but not given them permanent contracts. Notable cases include Ossie Ardiles (Tottenham Hotspur) in 1987 and Dave Watson (Everton) a decade later, although Ardiles later returned to Tottenham as manager in 1993 after managing three other clubs. During the first decade of the 21st century, however, the concept gradually fell into almost total disuse and was normally only practiced by smaller clubs.[9] In March 2013, a BBC Sport article suggested that the concept of having a player-manager had gone out of fashion, with only two clubs in the English professional leagues using player-managers at that time.[9]
There have been four player-managers in the Premier League since 2000:
Chelsea L.F.C. defender Casey Stoney served a six-month spell as player-manager from January to June 2009 after the mid-season resignation of manager Steve Jones, and guided the club to a third-place finish in the 2008–09 FA Women's Premier League National Division.[10]
In Slovak men's football
In Slovakia, comparably to surrounding countries, player-coaches and player-managers are most common in semi-professional or amateur clubs with sides being led by formerly professional players on the brink of retirement or in early stages of their managerial careers. Frequently, such player-managers are linked with clubs from their native areas. Examples include Milan Jambor playing and managing FK Svit, Stanislav Šesták playing for and managing a club from his native village of Demjata or Peter Petráš's tenure in Tatran Prešov during their years in crisis in 3. Liga.[11][12][13] In professional football (top two leagues) such cases are rarer but have occurred in the past, especially in smaller and financially struggling clubs, such as Senica, which has cooperated with Juraj Piroska simultaneously in a role of a players and assistant manager.[14]
In September 2021, Ferencvárosi TC appointed forward Fanny Vágó as player-manager, who then led the team to two Női NB I championships in 2021–22 and 2022–23 while also continuing as the league's leading goalscorer in both seasons.[15] When prompted to choose between managing her club and continuing to play for the Hungary women's national football team by its manager Margret Kratz, Fanny chose club management and ended her international career.[16]
In Brazilian men's football
Brazilian world-cup winner Romário was also a player-coach for Vasco da Gama in 2007.[17] He was appointed in November 2006 when Celso Roth was sacked after a loss and debuted in a 1–0 win against Club América in the quarterfinals of the Copa Sudamericana. Despite the victory, Vasco was eliminated because of a 2–0 loss in the first leg. He continued as a coach until early February when he decided to go against Vasco's president Eurico Miranda forced him to use the then youth player Alan Kardec in a match for Campeonato Carioca. Romário left Vasco both as a coach and player.[18]
In American women's football
In 2009, Sky Blue FC defender Christie Rampone took on her team's player-manager role after the resignation of Kelly Lindsey, herself the caretaker manager after the earlier resignation of Ian Sawyers.[19] She led Sky Blue from the lowest seed in the 2009 Women's Professional Soccer Playoffs to the league's inaugural championship match, which Sky Blue won.[20] Rampone later revealed that she was also more than two months' pregnant during her championship run as player-manager.[21]
Challenges
The chief executive of the League Managers Association stated his belief that the increased workload for managers made combining the two roles difficult. The last permanent player-manager in the top flight of English football was Gianluca Vialli, who retired from playing in 1999 when he was the manager of Chelsea.[9] The governing bodies have also imposed requirements for managers to hold professional coaching qualifications, which few players obtain before retiring.[9]
Pete Rose is the most recent player-manager in Major League Baseball
In baseball, the manager selects the lineup and starting pitcher before each game, and makes substitutions throughout the game. In early baseball history, it was not uncommon for players to serve as player-managers; that is, they managed the team while still being signed to play for the club. One reason for this is that by hiring a player as a manager, the team could save money by paying only one salary.[22][23]:4 Also, popular players were named player-managers in an effort to boost game attendance.[23]:4–5 The early history of player-managers in baseball is also responsible for the unique quirk in modern baseball of a team's non-playing staff to continue to wear the same uniform as its players.[24][25]
The most recent player-manager in MLB was Pete Rose, who, upon being traded from the Montreal Expos to the Cincinnati Reds in August 1984, was immediately named the Reds' manager.[26] Rose managed and served as a backup infielder until the end of the 1986 season, when he retired as a player. Rose continued to manage the Reds until 1989, when he was given a lifetime ban by MLB for gambling on baseball.
During the 1999 Season Webster Garrison served as a player/coach for the Midland Rockhounds of the Texas League, (AA). Garrison played in 43 games while acting as the hitting coach for the team.
In their final game of the 2016 season, the Miami Marlins allowed Martin Prado to serve as player-manager. Prado started the game at third base and played for three innings before taking himself out of the game.[27]
Australian rules football
Captain-coaches used to be a relatively common occurrence in Australian rules football, even at the highest level of play; in fact, for the first nine years of the VFL (1897–1905), the premiership-winning team was coached by a player in every instance. However, the increasing professionalism and complications of the game late into the 20th century meant that the efficacy of captain-coaching was becoming increasingly unviable. The last captain-coach to win the premiership at the top level was Carlton's Alex Jesaulenko, who managed to secure a 5-point victory in the 1979 VFL Grand Final against Collingwood. Jesaulenko was also the final captain-coach in the VFL/AFL, serving as captain-coach until Round 8 on 16 May 1981.[28] However, Malcolm Blight was a non-captaining player-coach at North Melbourne until Round 16 of the same season but was not captain during this time.[29]
Gianfranco Zola is an Italian football manager and former footballer who played predominantly as a forward. He is currently in charge as vice-president of the Lega Pro, the Italian Serie C football league.
Romário de Souza Faria, known simply as Romário, is a Brazilian politician and professional footballer. A prolific striker renowned for his clinical finishing, he scored over 700 goals and is one of the few players to score at least 100 goals for three clubs. He is considered one of the greatest players of all time. Romário starred for Brazil in their 1994 FIFA World Cup triumph, receiving the Golden Ball as player of the tournament. He was named FIFA World Player of the Year the same year. He came fifth in the FIFA Player of the Century internet poll in 1999, was elected to the FIFA World Cup Dream Team in 2002, and was named in the FIFA 100 list of the world's greatest living players in 2004.
Gianluca Vialli was an Italian football player and manager who played as a striker. Vialli started his club career at his hometown club Cremonese in 1980, where he made 105 league appearances and scored 23 goals. His performances impressed Sampdoria, who signed him in 1984 and with whom he scored 85 league goals, won three Italian cups, Serie A and the European Cup Winners Cup.
Raymond Colin Wilkins was an English football player and coach.
Stephen Clarke is a Scottish professional football manager and former player who is the manager of the Scotland national team.
Raymond Lewington is an English football manager and former player.
Jorge de Amorim Campos, better known as Jorginho, is a Brazilian professional football manager and former player. He is the current head coach of Coritiba.
Graham Cyril Rix is an English former professional football player who later became a coach and manager. He is the former manager of Fareham Town.
Nicholas Vincent Colgan is an Irish football coach and former professional footballer who is goalkeeping coach at EFL League Two side Stockport County.
Jody Steven Morris is an English professional football coach and former player. He was most recently the head coach of EFL League Two club Swindon Town.
Edward John Ikem Newton is an English football manager and former professional footballer.
Christie Patricia Pearce is an American former professional soccer player who played as a defender. She is the former captain of the United States national team. Pearce is a three-time Olympic gold medalist, and also a two-time world champion in FIFA Women's World Cup.
Kevin Hitchcock is an English football coach and former professional footballer who is goalkeeping coach of MLS side New England Revolution.
Graham Paul Roberts is an English retired footballer and manager who played as a defender for numerous clubs including Tottenham Hotspur, Rangers, Chelsea and West Bromwich Albion. He was also capped six times by England. He subsequently served as the head coach of the Pakistan national team and Nepal national team.
Dmitri Viktorovich Kharine is a Russian football coach and former professional footballer, who is goalkeeping coach of National League South side Hemel Hempstead Town.
Paul Anthony Furlong is an English football coach and former professional player who played as a striker. He was appointed joint manager of Queens Park Rangers' U23 team in 2021.
Nigel James Gibbs is an English professional football manager and former player. He has been an assistant coach at Swansea City and has previously worked as a coach with the Under-19 squad of Tottenham Hotspur. A Watford supporter, as well as a product of their youth system, Gibbs spent his entire professional career as a right back for the club. He was assistant manager of Leeds United after being appointed on 12 April 2013 alongside Brian McDermott, whom he assisted at Reading. He departed from Leeds United in August 2014.
Terry Byrne is an English businessman and a director of various companies connected to football that are active in the United Kingdom and the United States. He is best known for his business relationship and close friendship with the footballer David Beckham, spending years as his personal manager and business adviser.
This article documents the history of Chelsea Football Club, an English association football team based in Fulham, West London. For a general overview of the club, see Chelsea F.C.
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