| Ken Whisenhunt | |
|---|---|
| Date of birth | February 28, 1962 |
| Place of birth | Augusta, Georgia |
| Position(s) | Head coach, Tight end |
| College | Georgia Tech |
| NFL Draft | 1985 / Round 12 / Pick 313 |
| Regular season | 17-15-0 |
| Postseason | 3-1 |
| Career record | 20-16-0 |
| Championships won |
2008 NFC Championship |
| Stats | |
| Playing stats | Pro Football Reference |
| Playing stats | NFL.com |
| Playing stats | DatabaseFootball |
| Coaching stats | Pro Football Reference |
| Team(s) as a player | |
| 1985-1988 1989-1990 1991-1993 |
Atlanta Falcons Washington Redskins New York Jets |
| Team(s) as a coach/administrator | |
| 1995-1996 1997-1998 1999 2000 2001-2003 2004-2006 2007-present |
Vanderbilt University (special teams & TE coach) Baltimore Ravens (tight ends coach) Cleveland Browns (special teams coach) New York Jets (tight ends coach) Pittsburgh Steelers (tight ends coach) Pittsburgh Steelers (offensive coordinator) Arizona Cardinals (head coach) |
Kenneth "Ken" Moore Whisenhunt (born February 28, 1962 in Augusta, Georgia) is the American football head coach of the Arizona Cardinals NFL football team, leading them to the first Super Bowl in franchise history during the 2008 season. Previously, he was known for his well engineered offensive plays, including the success he had with the Pittsburgh Steelers in his 3 years as their offensive coordinator under Bill Cowher and winning Super Bowl XL during the 2005 season.
Contents |
Playing career
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This section requires expansion. |
After attending the Academy of Richmond County in Augusta, Georgia for high school, Whisenhunt played college football at Georgia Tech (1980-84),[1][2] where he graduated with a degree in Civil Engineering. During his senior season, he was an honorable mention All-American. He also finished first team all-ACC during his final two college seasons.
Whisenhunt's career as a player included 4 years (1985-88) as a tight end with the Atlanta Falcons, who drafted him in the twelfth round, and then spells with the Washington Redskins and New York Jets. He retired from the league in 1993 after nine seasons in which he was mostly known as a blocking back.
Coaching career
Early career
He began his coaching career at Vanderbilt University, where he coached special teams, tight ends and H-backs for the Commodores from 1995–96. In 1997, he returned to the NFL as the tight ends coach for the Baltimore Ravens. Whisenhunt was a transient in his early years in the league, moving to the staff of the Cleveland Browns in 1999 and to the New York Jets the following season.
Pittsburgh Steelers
In 2001, Whisenhunt was hired by the Steelers to coach their tight ends. He was able to develop players such as Mark Bruener and Jay Riemersma, both considered past their prime, into excellent blocking backs. He took over the role of offensive coordinator in Pittsburgh for the 2004 season after Mike Mularkey became the head coach of the Buffalo Bills. Whisenhunt had instant success in his role. While Mularkey was known for creating flashy trick plays, Whisenhunt became more of a cautious innovator, whose well-timed trick plays contrasted the conservative Pittsburgh run game.
Whisenhunt's most famous moment is the trick play he called in Super Bowl XL. With Pittsburgh leading 14-10 over the Seattle Seahawks, Whisenhunt called a wide receiver reverse pass (Antwaan Randle El to Hines Ward, the only TD pass thrown by a WR in Super Bowl history) that allowed Pittsburgh to pull away.
Arizona Cardinals
On January 14, 2007 the Arizona Cardinals hired Whisenhunt as their new head coach, with a contract to receive an average of $2.5 million annually. Whisenhunt had also interviewed for the head coaching position with the Steelers, Atlanta Falcons and Miami Dolphins. He was previously interviewed to be the head coach of the Oakland Raiders in February 2006, but he pulled out of talks before an offer could be made.[3] The Cardinals showed improvement in Whisenhunt's first season, finishing 8-8 after finishing 5-11 the previous two seasons and losing 10 or more games in seven of the previous eight campaigns. It was their first non-losing season since 1998, though they still failed to make the playoffs.
Going into his second season, Whisenhunt made the decision to go with veteran quarterback Kurt Warner as his starter. In previous seasons, Warner had split time with the team's younger quarterback Matt Leinart, although Warner started the final 11 games of the 2007 season after Leinart suffered a season-ending injury. This decision has paid off as Warner has put up great numbers in leading the Cardinals to a 9-7 regular season record in the 2008 season and the NFC West Division championship, the Cardinals' first division title since 1975, when the team played in St. Louis, and the club's first playoff berth since 1998. After defeating the Atlanta Falcons and the Carolina Panthers in the first two rounds of the NFC playoffs, the Cardinals defeated the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC Championship on January 18, 2009 and advanced to the Super Bowl for the first time in franchise history to face the Pittsburgh Steelers, where Whisenhunt formerly occupied the post of offensive coordinator. Whisenhunt's Cardinals lost the game 27-23. Whisenhunt credited the Steelers' players and staff with the win, but cited penalties as a contributing factor to Arizona's loss.
Head coaching record
| Team | Year | Regular Season | Post Season | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Won | Lost | Ties | Win % | Finish | Won | Lost | Win % | Result | ||
| ARZ | 2007 | 8 | 8 | 0 | .500 | 2nd in NFC West | - | - | - | - |
| ARZ | 2008 | 9 | 7 | 0 | .560 | 1st in NFC West | 3 | 1 | .750 | Lost to Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XLIII. |
| Total[4] | 17 | 15 | 0 | .530 | 3 | 1 | .750 | |||
Coaching tree
NFL head coaches under whom Ken Whisenhunt has served:
- Ted Marchibroda, Baltimore Ravens (1997–1998)
- Chris Palmer, Cleveland Browns (1999)
- Al Groh, New York Jets (2000)
- Bill Cowher, Pittsburgh Steelers (2001–2006)
Assistant coaches under Ken Whisenhunt who became NFL head coaches:
- Todd Haley, Kansas City Chiefs (2009)
Personal
Ken and his wife, Alice, have two children: a son Kenneth Jr., and daughter Mary Ashley.
Whisenhunt earned the rank of Eagle Scout as a boy.[5]
References
- ^ Bretherton, William (2006-09-01). "Humble start for Whisenhunt". The Technique. http://www.nique.net/issues/2006-09-01/sports/2. Retrieved 2007-03-28.
- ^ Scott Michaux Coach takes pressure in stride, Augusta Chronicle, January 28, 2009. Retrieved 01-28-2009
- ^ "Raiders without Russell in opener". National Football League via Associated Press. 2008-04-11 (written 2007). http://www.nfl.com/gamecenter/preview;jsessionid=4264059C0054F0150445F956C7444AC6?game_id=29464&displayPage=tab_preview&season=2007&week=PRE1. Retrieved 2009-01-18.
- ^ "Kenneth Moore Whisenhunt". Pro Football Reference.com. 2008. http://www.pro-football-reference.com/coaches/WhisKe0.htm. Retrieved 2009-01-18.
- ^ "Eagle Scouts In The News". Eagletter (Irving, TX: National Eagle Scout Association, Boy Scouts of America) 35 (2): 13. Fall 2009.
External links
| Sporting positions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Mike Mularkey |
Pittsburgh Steelers Offensive Coordinator 2004-2006 |
Succeeded by Bruce Arians |
| Preceded by Dennis Green |
Arizona Cardinals Head Coach 2007- |
Succeeded by Incumbent |
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