American football player, coach, and executive (born 1948)
American football player
Mike Holmgren
Holmgren in 2004
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Born:
| (
1948-06-15
)
June 15, 1948
(age 76)
San Francisco, California
, U.S.
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Height:
| 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
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Weight:
| 245 lb (111 kg)
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High school:
| Abraham Lincoln
(San Francisco)
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College:
| USC
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Position:
| Quarterback
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NFL draft:
| 1970
/ Round: 8 / Pick: 201
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* Offseason and/or practice squad member only
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- As a player
- As a head coach
- As an assistant coach
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Regular season:
| 161?111 (.592)
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Postseason:
| 13?11 (.542)
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Career:
| 174?122 (.588)
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Coaching stats at
PFR
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Michael George Holmgren
(born June 15, 1948) is an American former
football
coach and executive in the
National Football League
(NFL). He began his NFL career as a
quarterbacks
' coach and later as an
offensive coordinator
with the
San Francisco 49ers
, where they won
Super Bowls XXIII
and
XXIV
. He served as the head coach of the
Green Bay Packers
from
1992
to
1998
, where he won
Super Bowl XXXI
, and of the
Seattle Seahawks
from
1999
to
2008
. His last role in the NFL was as team president of the
Cleveland Browns
from
2010
to
2012
. Prior to his career in the NFL, Holmgren coached football at the high school and collegiate levels.
Holmgren is noted for his role in molding quarterbacks such as
Steve Young
,
Brett Favre
, and
Matt Hasselbeck
during his tenures in San Francisco, Green Bay, and Seattle, respectively.
Joe Montana
won his two MVP awards under the direction of Holmgren in 1989 and 1990.
Under Holmgren's leadership and play-calling the
Green Bay Packers
were consistent winners and never had a losing season. He was considered one of the best coaches in the NFL by many fellow coaches and players. He led the Packers to their 12th league championship in
Super Bowl XXXI
, a 35?21 win over the
New England Patriots
; and also reached
Super Bowl XXXII
. Under Holmgren the Seahawks also became a frequent playoff team, including five division titles and the franchise's first
Super Bowl
appearance in
Super Bowl XL
.
As president of the Cleveland Browns, Holmgren failed to improve the team, which had a record of 5?11 the season before his arrival, and 14?34 in his tenure. Despite Holmgren's reputation as a quarterback guru, the Browns fielded three different opening-day starters in his three years with the team. In the face of much criticism in the media and new ownership, he was released by the Browns in November 2012.
He is a weekday daily guest throughout the football season on Seattle radio station
Sports Radio KJR
across various shows. As of 2021, Holmgren also works as a guest analyst for Super Bowl broadcasts on
Westwood One
.
Career
[
edit
]
Playing career
[
edit
]
Holmgren started out as a tight end before becoming a standout quarterback and punter at San Francisco's Abraham Lincoln High School where he was named "Prep Athlete of the Year" in 1965 and graduated in 1966.
Holmgren continued his playing career in
Los Angeles
as a
quarterback
at the
University of Southern California
from
1966
to
1969
, and was a member of the
Sigma Chi
fraternity
. As a sophomore, he was on USC's
national championship
team of
1967
. Holmgren played behind starter
Steve Sogge
in 1967 and
1968
. A shoulder injury put him behind sophomore
Jimmy Jones
in 1969; he earned his bachelor's degree in 1970.
Although a backup, Holmgren was selected in the
1970 NFL Draft
by the
St. Louis Cardinals
; taken in the
eighth round
(201st overall), he went to camp with both the Cardinals and the
New York Jets
that year.
Coaching career
[
edit
]
High school
[
edit
]
Holmgren's coaching career began in 1971 at his alma mater,
Abraham Lincoln High School
in
San Francisco
, where he also taught history. One year later, he moved to San Francisco's
Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory
as a teacher and assistant coach. He also coached at
Oak Grove High School
in San Jose, California, from 1975 to 1980 and won one Central Coast Section championship.
[1]
College
[
edit
]
In 1981, Holmgren became the
offensive coordinator
and quarterbacks coach for the
San Francisco State Gators
, working for
Vic Rowen
.
From 1982 to 1985, Holmgren was the quarterbacks coach at
Brigham Young University
under
LaVell Edwards
. During his four-year tenure at BYU, Holmgren not only helped coach the team's potent offense to a national championship in 1984, but in that period mentored and developed two of BYU's future NFL quarterbacks,
Steve Young
and
Robbie Bosco
, and one future NFL head coach,
Andy Reid
.
Bosco would make it to Green Bay several years before Holmgren, but his eventual appointment as Packers head coach would bring him back into contact with
Andy Reid
and
Steve Young
.
Under Holmgren, Bosco led the
Cougars
to a national championship in 1984, finished third in
Heisman Trophy
balloting and was drafted by the
Green Bay Packers
in 1985. Bosco's NFL career was cut short by an arm injury, and he returned to BYU as a quarterbacks coach.
In addition to mentoring quarterbacks at BYU, Holmgren also worked with Reid, at the time a graduate assistant. Reid went on to become an offensive line coach at Holmgren's previous school,
San Francisco State
, and in 1992 rejoined Holmgren in Green Bay as offensive assistant coach. In 1998 Reid became quarterbacks coach and assistant coach, then in 1999 was named head coach of the
Philadelphia Eagles
.
Professional
[
edit
]
San Francisco 49ers
[
edit
]
Holmgren began his
NFL
coaching career as an assistant coach of the
San Francisco 49ers
from 1986 to 1991. He coached the 49ers' quarterbacks from 1986 to 1988 under head coach
Bill Walsh
, working with
Steve Young
, whom he had coached at BYU, and
Joe Montana
. When
George Seifert
took over as head coach, Holmgren became the team's offensive coordinator and served from 1989 to 1991. In this stretch, Joe Montana won his two MVP awards and had his best season in 1989. During his tenure with San Francisco, the 49ers posted a 71-?23?1 (74.7%) regular season record to reach the postseason each year except 1991. San Francisco won
Super Bowl XXIII
over the
Cincinnati Bengals
20?16 and
Super Bowl XXIV
over the
Denver Broncos
55?10, setting records for most points, most offensive points, and margin of victory in a Super Bowl. As offensive coordinator in 1989, Holmgren's 49er offense was ranked number one in the
NFL
. His years with the 49ers have led to later success mentoring other young assistants and Holmgren is one of the larger branches of the
Sid Gillman
coaching tree
, from which Walsh and Seifert descended.
Green Bay Packers
[
edit
]
Holmgren was head coach of the
Green Bay Packers
from 1992 to 1998, which became one of the most successful coaching stints in
NFL
history. As head coach of the Packers, Holmgren posted a 75–37–0 (67.0%) regular-season record, a 9?5 (64.3%) postseason mark, and two
Super Bowl
appearances, including a 35?21 victory over the
New England Patriots
in
Super Bowl XXXI
. By winning at least one game in five consecutive postseasons (1993?1997) Holmgren joined
John Madden
(1973?1977),
John Harbaugh
(2008?2012),
Bill Belichick
(2011?2018), and
Pete Carroll
(2012?2016) as the only coaches in league history to accomplish the feat. Holmgren's Packers posted an NFL-best 48–16 (75.0%) record, finished first in the
NFC Central
Division three times and second once, and set a 7–3 mark in the playoffs between 1995 and 1998. By taking the Packers to six consecutive postseasons (1993–1998), Holmgren set a franchise record with a team that had had just two winning seasons in the 19 years before he was hired. Holmgren is well known for molding quarterback
Brett Favre
from a wild gun slinger to a three time MVP from 1995 to 1997.
Many of Holmgren's 1992 coaches, including
Andy Reid
,
Steve Mariucci
,
Dick Jauron
,
Ray Rhodes
, and
Jon Gruden
, would go on to head coaching careers in the NFL.
Marty Mornhinweg
, an assistant hired later in Holmgren's tenure at Green Bay, also became an NFL head coach, and was previously an offensive coordinator under Reid with the
Philadelphia Eagles
from 2006 to 2012.
Doug Pederson
, a backup quarterback for Holmgren's Packers from 1996 through 1998, would also serve as an assistant under Reid in both Philadelphia and with the
Kansas City Chiefs
, later winning
Super Bowl LII
as the head coach of the Eagles in 2018.
[2]
Seattle Seahawks
[
edit
]
Holmgren resigned from the Green Bay Packers after the
1998 season
to accept an eight-year, $32 million head coach contract offered by the
Seattle Seahawks
.
[3]
Originally, Holmgren was the executive vice president and general manager and head coach of the Seahawks.
[4]
Following the
2002 season
, Holmgren was terminated as general manager.
[5]
Holmgren took the Seahawks to their first postseason since
1988
during his first season with the club in 1999, breaking a 10-year playoff drought. Holmgren posted a 72?56 (56.3%) regular season record and a 4?6 postseason record, including an
AFC West
Division title (1999), one
NFC Wildcard
berth (2003), four consecutive
NFC West
Division titles (2004, 2005, 2006 and 2007), an
NFC
championship (2005), and the Seahawks' first-ever appearance in a
Super Bowl
.
Holmgren's (and the Seahawks' until they won the Super Bowl in 2013) best season to date was
2005
. The team posted the best regular season 13?3 (81.3%) record in franchise history, set a team record 11 consecutive wins, and won their first playoff game since 1984. Holmgren also molded former Green Bay backup quarterback
Matt Hasselbeck
into a
Pro Bowl
and Super Bowl quarterback in the 2005 NFL season (much as he did with Favre in the 1990s), and coached
Shaun Alexander
to the NFL's MVP, a 2005 rushing title, and an NFL record 28 touchdowns in a single season.
With the 2005 NFC Championship win, Holmgren became the fifth member of a small coaching fraternity that has taken two different NFL franchises to the Super Bowl, joining
Bill Parcells
,
Dan Reeves
,
Don Shula
,
Dick Vermeil
, and later
John Fox
and
Andy Reid
. Had the Seahawks won
Super Bowl XL
, he would have become the first head coach in NFL history to win a
Super Bowl
with two different franchises, however they fell short, losing 21?10 to the
Pittsburgh Steelers
.
On January 22, 2008, Holmgren announced he would serve out the remaining year of his contract with a
lame duck
year and end his tenure as head coach of the Seattle Seahawks at the end of the
2008 NFL season
.
[6]
Jim L. Mora
, the defensive backs coach, succeeded Holmgren upon his departure.
On December 19, 2008, Holmgren received the
Steve Largent Award
, becoming the first coach in Seahawks history to attain the accolade.
[7]
Post-coaching career
[
edit
]
On February 1, 2009, Holmgren served as an analyst for
NBC's coverage
of
Super Bowl XLIII
.
Since 2012, He has served as an analyst for Seattle Sports station KJR 950AM and as a
color analyst
for
Westwood One
's radio broadcast of
Super Bowl LI
.
On December 21, 2009, Holmgren accepted the job to be president of the
Cleveland Browns
.
[8]
[9]
On January 3, 2011, Holmgren fired Browns coach
Eric Mangini
after a disappointing 5?11 record. On October 16, 2012, Browns owner
Jimmy Haslam
announced that Holmgren would leave the team at the end of the 2012 season.
[10]
In 2015, Holmgren was in consideration for the
New York Jets
head coaching job, but removed himself from speculation after entertaining the idea. The Jets would end up hiring
Todd Bowles
.
[11]
In 2020, he was named as a coaching finalist for the
Pro Football Hall of Fame
's "Centennial Slate". He was again up for the class of 2021, but was among the coaches part of the final cut.
[12]
He was inducted into the
Seahawks Ring of Honor
on October 31, 2021.
[13]
Head coaching record
[
edit
]
Coaching tree
[
edit
]
Holmgren has worked under two head coaches:
Eleven of Holmgren's assistant coaches/executives became head coaches in the NFL or NCAA:
- Ray Rhodes
,
Philadelphia Eagles
(1995?1998),
Green Bay Packers
(1999)
- Steve Mariucci
,
San Francisco 49ers
(1997?2002),
Detroit Lions
(2003?2005)
- Jon Gruden
,
Oakland
/
Las Vegas Raiders
(1998?2001, 2018?2021),
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
(2002?2008)
- Dick Jauron
,
Chicago Bears
(1999?2003),
Buffalo Bills
(2006?2009)
- Andy Reid
, Philadelphia Eagles (1999?2012),
Kansas City Chiefs
(2013?present)
- Mike Sherman
, Green Bay Packers (2000?2005),
Texas A&M
(2008?2011)
- Marty Mornhinweg
, Detroit Lions (2001?2002)
- Jim Zorn
,
Washington Redskins
(2008?2009)
- Jim L. Mora
,
Seattle Seahawks
(2009),
UCLA
(2012?2017),
UConn
(2022?present)
- Stump Mitchell
,
Southern
(2010?2012)
- Todd Bowles
,
Miami Dolphins
(2011, interim),
New York Jets
(2015?2018), Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2022?present)
Personal life
[
edit
]
Holmgren and his wife, Kathy, met at age 12 and have been married since June 15, 1971; they married on his birthday so he would not forget the date. Holmgren first proposed marriage to Kathy when he was age 15, to which she replied: "Nope." They have four daughters ? twins Calla and Jenny (born 1973), Emily (1977), and Gretchen (1981). They also have five granddaughters ? Emma, Emerson, Mary, Isabelle and Eloise. He also has four grandsons ? Luke, Michael, Samuel and Theodore. Holmgren and his wife currently reside in
Seattle, Washington
.
[14]
The Holmgren family is heavily involved in the
Evangelical Covenant Church
and the denomination's
North Park University
, in Chicago. In 2004, they led the fundraising drive to build the university's Holmgren Athletic Complex.
Holmgren's grandfather, Jens Bugge,
[15]
who served briefly as a commandant at
West Point
and wrote a book on military strategy, also had the distinction of being eulogized by
Gen
.
Douglas MacArthur
.
[16]
[17]
Both of Holmgren's parents were officers in the
Salvation Army
.
Holmgren is a brother in the
Sigma Chi
fraternity.
Holmgren Way is a street named for the coach and is located in
Green Bay, Wisconsin
.
Holmgren endorsed
Joe Biden
in the
2020 presidential election
.
[18]
He endorsed and campaigned for
Mandela Barnes
in the
2022 U.S. Senate election
.
[19]
See also
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
CCS Football Champions Year-By-Year
Archived
October 16, 2014, at the
Wayback Machine
- ^
Bonesteel, Matt (February 5, 2018).
"
'Our coach has got some guts, huh?': Doug Pederson never backs down in Eagles' Super Bowl win"
. Retrieved
February 21,
2018
– via www.washingtonpost.com.
- ^
Boling, Dave (September 9, 1999).
"Building With a Coach"
.
The Washington Post
. Retrieved
October 20,
2023
.
- ^
Litsky, Frank (January 9, 1999).
"Seahawks Make Holmgren Top Paid"
.
The New York Times
. p. D6
. Retrieved
October 20,
2023
.
- ^
Shapiro, Leonard (October 15, 2004).
"Holmgren not missing G.M. role much now"
.
NBC News
. Retrieved
October 20,
2023
.
- ^
"Holmgren will return next season"
. Msn.foxsports.com. Archived from
the original
on January 24, 2008
. Retrieved
October 16,
2012
.
- ^
Williams, Eric. (December 19, 2008). Friday practice -- Holmgren receives Largent award.
thenewstribune.com
. Retrieved December 21, 2008 from
"Seahawks Insider - Friday practice -- Holmgren receives Largent award"
. Archived from
the original
on December 23, 2008
. Retrieved
December 22,
2008
.
- ^
John Froschauer/Associated Press (December 22, 2009).
"Mike Holmgren accepts team president role with Cleveland Browns"
. cleveland.com
. Retrieved
October 16,
2012
.
- ^
"Holmgren agrees to join Browns as team president ? NFL.com"
.
National Football League
. December 21, 2009
. Retrieved
October 16,
2012
.
- ^
Josh Gordon.
"Mike Holmgren to exit at the end of Browns season"
.
National Football League
. Retrieved
October 16,
2012
.
- ^
"Mike Holmgren Tells WFAN Talks Between Him, Jets Almost Got Serious 3 Years Ago"
.
CBS News
. November 28, 2017
. Retrieved
November 11,
2023
.
- ^
@WixieEarlWilson (August 19, 2020).
"@VinLospinuso91 @RonBorges Coaches were Tom Flores, Mike Holmgren, Buddy Parker, Shaughnessy, Coryell and Vermeil"
(
Tweet
) – via
Twitter
.
- ^
Boyle, John.
"Mike Holmgren & Matt Hasselbeck To Enter Seahawks Ring Of Honor"
.
seahawks.com
. Retrieved
August 25,
2021
.
- ^
"Ex-Packers coach Mike Holmgren throws support behind Biden as Green Bay faces pandemic Packers season"
.
- ^
"COLONEL JENS BUGGE.; West Point Official Dies After Service Overseas"
.
The New York Times
. July 18, 1919
. Retrieved
May 12,
2010
.
- ^
Bishop, Greg (December 21, 2008).
"Seahawks' Holmgren, a Football Lifer, Ponders Life After Football"
.
The New York Times
. Retrieved
May 12,
2010
.
- ^
"Holmgren Athletic Field"
. Archived from
the original
on May 8, 2006
. Retrieved
September 21,
2008
.
- ^
BeMiller, Haley.
"Ex-Packers coach Mike Holmgren throws support behind Biden as Green Bay faces pandemic Packers season"
.
Green Bay Press-Gazette
. Retrieved
March 19,
2023
.
- ^
"Former Packers coach Mike Holmgren to campaign for Democratic Senate candidate Mandela Barnes"
. October 17, 2022.
External links
[
edit
]
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# denotes interim head coach
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# denotes interim head coach
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Mike Holmgren?championships, awards, and honors
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