Mike Smith (American football coach)
_2013_(cropped).jpg) Smith in 2013 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born: | June 13, 1959 Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Career information | |
| High school: | Father Lopez (Daytona Beach, Florida) |
| College: | East Tennessee State (1977–1981) |
| Career history | |
| As a coach: | |
| |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
| Head coaching record | |
| Regular season: | 66–46 (.589) |
| Postseason: | 1–4 (.200) |
| Career: | 67–50 (.573) |
| Coaching stats at PFR | |
Mike Smith (born June 13, 1959) is a former
Early years
Raised in Daytona Beach, Florida, Smith played linebacker at Father Lopez Catholic High School, earning all-state honors. He played collegiately for East Tennessee State University between 1977 and 1981, and was chosen as defensive MVP twice. He briefly played professionally for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the Canadian Football League, for the 1982 season, before retiring as a player.
Coaching career
College Coaching
Smith decided to take up coaching after his playing days were over, starting in various assistant capacities with several Division I colleges before moving on to the NFL: San Diego State (1982–1985), Morehead State (1986) and Tennessee Tech (1987–1998).
Baltimore Ravens and Jacksonville Jaguars
His first NFL job was as defensive assistant/defensive line coach for the
Atlanta Falcons
In 2008, Smith became head coach for the first time at any level, taking charge of the
In his second season, Smith and the Falcons overcame a difficult schedule and several key injuries (to QB Ryan and RB Turner) to end up with a 9–7 finish and second place in the NFC South. While they failed to reach the playoffs, this marked the first time the team had ever had back-to-back winning seasons.
In 2010, he led the Falcons to a NFC-best season record of 13–3, earning the team's second NFC South title and fourth divisional championship overall before being beaten at home by the eventual Super Bowl XLV champions, the Green Bay Packers, 48–21 in the NFC Divisional Round.
The 2011 season ended with another winning record (10–6) and Smith's third playoff appearance (a first-round loss, by another eventual Super Bowl champion, the New York Giants).
In 2012 Smith led the Falcons to a league best 13–3 record and recorded his first win in the postseason as Falcons head coach, edging the
Smith was named
In the 2013 season, the Falcons slumped to a 4–12 record, and Smith was eventually named the head coach of the North Team in the 2014 Senior Bowl.[6]
On December 28, 2014, multiple media outlets reported that the Falcons had hired Korn Ferry, a reputed firm, to assist in finding potential candidates to replace Smith should he be fired. Later that day, the Falcons lost to the Carolina Panthers 34–3. The game determined the NFC South champion, despite both teams having a losing record. On December 29, 2014, Smith was fired, after two losing seasons in a row.[7]
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
On January 15, 2016, Smith was named the defensive coordinator for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, under former assistant Dirk Koetter, who was named the Buccaneers' head coach that same day.[8] On October 15, 2018, Smith was fired after leading Tampa Bay to the league's worst defense through the first six weeks of the season.[9]
Head coaching record
| Team | Year | Regular Season | Post Season | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Won | Lost | Ties | Win % | Finish | Won | Lost | Win % | Result | ||
| ATL | 2008 | 11 | 5 | 0 | .688 | 2nd in NFC South | 0 | 1 | .000 | Lost to Arizona Cardinals in NFC Wild Card Game |
| ATL | 2009 | 9 | 7 | 0 | .563 | 2nd in NFC South | - | - | - | - |
| ATL | 2010 | 13 | 3 | 0 | .813 | 1st in NFC South | 0 | 1 | .000 | Lost to Green Bay Packers in NFC Divisional Game |
| ATL | 2011 | 10 | 6 | 0 | .625 | 2nd in NFC South | 0 | 1 | .000 | Lost to New York Giants in NFC Wild Card Game |
| ATL | 2012 | 13 | 3 | 0 | .813 | 1st in NFC South | 1 | 1 | .500 | Lost to San Francisco 49ers in NFC Championship Game |
| ATL | 2013 | 4 | 12 | 0 | .250 | 3rd in NFC South | - | - | - | - |
| ATL | 2014 | 6 | 10 | 0 | .375 | 3rd in NFC South | - | - | - | - |
| ATL Total | 66 | 46 | 0 | .589 | 1 | 4 | .200 | |||
| Total[10] | 66 | 46 | 0 | .589 | 1 | 4 | .200 | |||
Hula Bowl
In January 2022, Smith coached Team Aina in the Hula Bowl, a college football postseason all-star game.[11] He returned as head coach of the same squad in 2023.
Personal life
Smith is the oldest of eight children. Mike and his wife, Julie, have one daughter, Logan.[12] Mike is the brother-in-law of former NFL head coach Brian Billick.[13]
References
- ^ AP names Smith NFL Coach of the Year Archived January 16, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Seahawks vs. Falcons Divisional Playoff recap". NFL.com. Retrieved January 13, 2013.
- ^ Cox, Daniel. "Smith Sets Franchise Record With 50th Win". atlantafalcons.com - News. atlantafalcons.com. Retrieved October 30, 2012.
- ^ Yasinskas, Pat (October 29, 2012). "Mike Smith is in good company". ESPN.com NFC South Blog. ESPN.com. Retrieved October 30, 2012.
- ^ "Mike Smith voted Sporting News' Coach of the Year". Retrieved January 25, 2013.
- ^ DiRocco, Michael (January 2, 2014). "Mike Smith, Gus Bradley to coach". ESPN. Retrieved January 12, 2014.
- ^ "Falcons fire Mike Smith". espn.go.com. December 29, 2014. Retrieved December 29, 2014.
- ^ https://twitter.com/RapSheet/status/688072051962286082.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ^ "Buccaneers fire defensive coordinator Mike Smith". nfl.com. October 15, 2018. Retrieved October 15, 2018.
- ^ Mike Smith Record, Statistics, and Category Ranks - Pro-Football-Reference.com Archived September 19, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Gregson, Robert (January 16, 2022). "NFL Draft: 2022 Hula Bowl All-Star Game Recap". Visit NFL Draft on Sports Illustrated, the latest news coverage, with rankings for NFL Draft prospects, College Football, Dynasty and Devy Fantasy Football. Retrieved November 11, 2022.
- ^ "Mike Smith". etsualumni.org. Retrieved January 4, 2020.
- ^ Porath, Brendan (January 13, 2013). "Seahawks vs. Falcons: Brian Billick, brother-in-law of Mike Smith, will call game on FOX". sbnation.com. Vox Media, LLC. Retrieved January 4, 2020.
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