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Mike Mularkey

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Mike Mularkey

Mike Mularkey as Tennessee Titans head coach in 2017
Date of birth November 19 1961 (1961-11-19) (age 63)
Place of birth Miami, Florida
— No.
NFL Draft 1983 / Round 9 / Pick: by the
Career highlights
Notable career highlights
  • Assistant Coach of the Year (2008)

  • Offensive Coordinator of the Year (2010)

    • Coaching Record / Statistics
    Regular season 36-53-0 .404 win pct.)
    Postseason 1-1 (.500 win pct)
    Career coaching record 37-54-0 (.406 win pct.)
    Coaching stats Pro Football Reference
    Career player statistics (if any)
    Receptions     102
    Receiving yards     1,222
    Touchdowns     9
    Playing stats NFL.com
    Team(s) as a player (if any)
    1983-1987
    1988-1991     		Minnesota Vikings
    Pittsburgh Steelers
    Team(s) as a coach/administrator (if any)
    1994-1995

    1996-2000

    2001-2003

    2004-2005

    2006

    2007

    2008-2011

    2012-2014

    2015
    2015-2017         		Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Tight ends coach)
    Pittsburgh Steelers (Tight ends coach)
    Pittsburgh Steelers
    (Offensive coordinator)
    Buffalo Bills (Head coach)
    Miami Dolphins (Offensive coordinator)
    Miami Dolphins(Tight ends coach)
    Atlanta Falcons (Offensive coordinator)
    Jacksonville Jaguars (Head Coach)
    Tennessee Titans (Tight Ends coach)
    Tennessee Titans (Asst. head / tight ends coach)
    Tennessee Titans (Head coach)

    Michael Rene Mularkey (born November 19, 1961) is an American professional football coach who most recently was the head coach of the NFL's Tennessee Titans, from 2015 until 2017. Also a former college and professional football player, Mularkey played college football for the University of Florida, and thereafter, he played professionally he played 9 seasons in the NFL as a tight end for the Minnesota Vikings and Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL). He has served as the head coach of the Buffalo Bills and Jacksonville Jaguars, the offensive coordinator for the Pittsburgh Steelers and Atlanta Falcons, and the tight ends coach for the Miami Dolphins and Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the NFL.

    Early years[]

    Mularkey was born in Miami, Florida.[1] He attended Northeast High School in Oakland Park, Florida, and played quarterback for the Northeast Hurricanes high school football team.

    College career[]

    Mularkey attended the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida, where he played tight end for coach Charley Pell's Florida Gators football team from 1980 to 1982.[2]

    Professional playing career[]

    In 1983, Mularkey was a ninth-round draft pick for the San Francisco 49ers, but was cut before appearing in game. He went on to play with the Minnesota Vikings until the conclusion of the 1988 season. In 1989, he signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers as a free agent for the final three years of his playing career. In his nine NFL seasons, Mularkey played in 114 regular season games, started forty-six of them, and caught 102 passes for 1,222 yards and nine touchdowns.[1]

    Career statistics[]

    Receiving
    Year Team G Rec Yards Y/R TD
    1983 Minnesota Vikings 3 0 0 0 0
    1984 Minnesota Vikings 16 14 134 9.6 2
    1985 Minnesota Vikings 15 13 196 15.1 1
    1986 Minnesota Vikings 16 11 89 8.1 2
    1987 Minnesota Vikings 9 1 6 6.0 0
    1988 Minnesota Vikings 16 3 39 13.0 0
    1989 Pittsburgh Steelers 14 22 326 14.8 1
    1990 Pittsburgh Steelers 16 32 365 11.4 3
    1991 Pittsburgh Steelers 9 6 67 11.2 0

    Coaching career[]

    Tampa Bay Buccaneers[]

    Mularkey started his coaching career in 1994 with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as a Quality Control coach for both the offense and defense. In 1995 he was promoted to Tight End Coach and held the position for one season.

    Pittsburgh Steelers[]

    Mularkey was hired as the Pittsburgh Steelers tight ends coach in 1996 and held the position until the conclusion of the 2000 season, when he replaced Kevin Gilbride as the team's offensive coordinator. He has a reputation for being an offense-oriented head coach with a penchant for trick plays. His skill for creating special packages to utilize multi-dimensional players such as Hines Ward and Antwaan Randle El earned him the nickname "Inspector Gadget"[3] . Even with his creative imagination, his philosophy of being the most physical punishing offense helped the Steelers average 10+ wins a year during his 3 years as offensive coordinator.

    Buffalo Bills[]

    In 2004, Mularkey left the Steelers and was hired by the Buffalo Bills to succeed Gregg Williams as the team's head coach. Mularkey started out his first campaign as Bills head coach with a record of 0–4. He rallied his team to a 9–7 record by the end of the season, however, sparked by a six-game winning streak during which the Bills scored more points than in any other similar stretch in franchise history. Overall they were 7th in the league in total offense. This has been their last winning season to date.

    His second season in Buffalo was far less successful. Dogged by a quarterback controversy between J.P. Losman and Kelly Holcomb and a series of defensive personnel problems, Mularkey led the team to a 5–11 finish and a sixth consecutive year out of the playoffs - the longest such active streak in the AFC. Mularkey's offensive schemes continued to be touted by then general manager Tom Donahoe, despite the lack of production, finishing 24th in total offense.

    On January 12, 2006, Mularkey resigned as head coach of the Bills, citing a disagreement in the direction of the organization, which had recently hired new management including ex-coach Marv Levy.

    Miami Dolphins[]

    On January 22, 2006, Mularkey was hired to be the Miami Dolphins offensive coordinator.[4] As the offensive coordinator under Miami's coach, Nick Saban, Mularkey had an unsuccessful season with injuries to his first string quarterback, Daunte Culpepper, and running back, Ronnie Brown. The Dolphins only scored 16.3 points per game, ranking 29th in the NFL. Following the season, it was announced Saban had resigned as Dolphins head coach and he accepted the position of head coach of the University of Alabama Crimson Tide on January 3, 2007.

    Upon the hiring of former San Diego Chargers offensive coordinator Cam Cameron as Dolphins head coach on January 19, 2007, it was announced that Mularkey would no longer serve as offensive coordinator but would remain with the team in another capacity. On March 15, 2007 it was officially announced that Cameron himself would call the offensive plays in 2007, leaving Mularkey to serve as tight ends coach.

    On January 3, 2008 it was announced that Mularkey was let go from his tight ends coach position, as were all other coaches for the Miami Dolphins.[5]

    Atlanta Falcons[]

    On January 25, 2008 it was announced that he would become the next offensive coordinator for the Atlanta Falcons.[6][7] In his first season at Atlanta, Mularkey's offense rushed for 152.5 rushing yards per game, second most in the league. The Falcons also finished 10th in the NFL in scoring (up from 29th the previous year) with 24.4 points per game, and 6th in yards with 361.2 per game. After the 2010 season, Mularkey interviewed with multiple NFL teams for their head coaching vacancies for 2011.[8]

    Jacksonville Jaguars[]

    On January 11, 2012, Mularkey accepted the head coaching job for the Jacksonville Jaguars, making him the third full-time head coach in franchise history.[9] His first win came in Week 3 of the 2012 season against the Indianapolis Colts.[10] He led the team to a 2–14 record.[11]

    On January 10, 2013, the Jaguars fired Mularkey after only one season. He had two years remaining on a three-year contract. However, Jaguars general manager David Caldwell, who had been hired on January 8, 2013, decided that the Jaguars needed "an immediate and clean restart" after winning only seven games in the past two seasons.[12]

    Tennessee Titans[]

    On January 22, 2014, the Tennessee Titans announced they hired Mularkey as their tight ends coach and he was given the title of assistant head coach for the 2015 season.[13]

    On November 3, 2015, the Titans relieved Ken Whisenhunt of head coaching duties and announced that Mularkey would step in as interim head coach for the rest of the season.[14] The Titans announced on January 16, 2016, that they would retain Mularkey as their full-time head coach on a three-year contract,[15][16][17] a highly criticized move by their fans and the media, who qualified the hire as "uninspired"[18] and "awful."

    Mularkey was given full control over his staff, and on January 18, 2016, he hired former Atlanta Falcons wide receivers coach Terry Robiskie as the offensive coordinator[19] and promoted assistant DC Dick LeBeau to defensive coordinator.[20] He stated that the Titans would run an "Exotic Smashmouth" offense in 2016, meaning that they would go run-heavy, like a 1970s offense.

    After starting the season 1–3, the Titans beat the Browns and the Dolphins to improve to 3–3. Thanks to a last-minute win against Detroit in Week 2, blowouts against the Packers and the Dolphins respectively and a game-winning 53-yard field goal to beat the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 14, the team came within just one game of earning an AFC South division title and a trip to the playoffs, ending with a 9–7 record,[21] the first winning season for Tennessee since 2011.[22][23][24] The Titans also sent 5 players to the Pro Bowl, their highest number since 2008.[25] In 2017, the Titans again finished with a 9–7 record, making the playoffs for the first time in 9 years with a 15–10 win over Jacksonville in Week 17.[26][27] In the first round, the Titans rallied from a 21–3 halftime deficit against the Chiefs to win 22–21 to win their first playoff game since 2003.[28] The Titans also sent 6 players to the Pro Bowl.

    Mularkey and the Titans agreed to part ways after the 35-14 loss to the New England Patriots in the divisional playoff round.[29][30]

    Head coaching record[]

    Team Year Regular Season Post Season
    Won Lost Ties Win % Finish Won Lost Win % Result
    BUF 2004 9 7 0 .563 3rd in AFC East - - - Did Not Qualify for Playoffs
    BUF 2005 5 11 0 .313 3rd in AFC East - - - Did Not Qualify for Playoffs
    BUF total 14 18 0 .438 N/A 0 0 .000
    JAX 2012 2 14 0 .250 4th in AFC South — — — Did Not Qualify for Playoffs
    JAX total 2 14 0 .250 N/A 0 0 .000
    TEN* 2015 2 7 0 .222 4th in AFC South — — — Did Not Qualify for Playoffs
    TEN 2016 9 7 0 .563 2nd in AFC South — — — Did Not Qualify for Playoffs
    TEN 2017 9 7 0 .563 2nd in AFC South 1 1 .500 Lost to New England Patriots in AFC Divisional Game
    TEN total 20 21 0 .487 1 1 .500
    Career Totals 36 53 0 .404 N/A 1 1 .500

    * – Interim head coach

    Personal[]

    Mularkey is married to Elizabeth "Betsy" Conant Mularkey, who is also a University of Florida alumna. The Mularkeys have two sons, Patrick and Shane.

    References[]

    1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Pro-Football-Reference.com, Players, Mike Mularkey. Retrieved May 19, 2011.
    2. ↑ 2011 Florida Gators Football Media Guide, University Athletic Association, Gainesville, Florida, pp. 166, 174, 184 (2011). Retrieved August 31, 2011.
    3. ↑ Best Local Boy Made Good. New Times Broward-Palm Beach. Retrieved on 2007-01-24.
    4. ↑ Ex-Bills coach Mularkey joins Dolphins. AP. Retrieved on 2007-01-24.
    5. ↑ Mularkey to return to Dolphins in 2007. South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Retrieved on 2007-01-24.
    6. ↑ Falcons hire Mularkey as offensive coordinator
    7. ↑ Mularkey has given Falcons extreme makeover on offense
    8. ↑ Falcons’ coaching staff could fill league vacancies
    9. ↑ Ganguli, Tania. Jaguars hire Mike Mularkey as head coach. Jacksonville.com. Retrieved on September 16, 2012.
    10. ↑ Jacksonville Jaguars at Indianapolis Colts - September 23rd, 2012 (in en).
    11. ↑ 2012 Jacksonville Jaguars Statistics & Players (in en).
    12. ↑ "Jaguars fire head coach Mike Mularkey", USA Today, January 10, 2013. Retrieved on January 10, 2013. 
    13. ↑ Jim Wyatt (January 16, 2016). Mike Mularkey "Honored" to be Named Head Coach. TitansOnline.com.
    14. ↑ Paul Kuharksy (November 4, 2015). Titans fire coach Ken Whisenhunt. ESPN.com. Retrieved on January 16, 2016.
    15. ↑ Josh Alpert (January 16, 2016). Titans announce hiring of Mike Mularkey as head coach. Pro Football Talk.
    16. ↑ Adam Schefter (January 16, 2016). Titans are hiring HC Mike Mularkey, sources told ESPN..
    17. ↑ Paul Kuharksy (January 18, 2016). Mike Mularkey's new agreement with Titans is for three years. ESPN.com. Retrieved on May 5, 2018.
    18. ↑ Titans hire Mike Mularkey, 3 things to know about an uninspiring hire. ESPN.com.
    19. ↑ Titans hire Terry Robiskie as Offensive Coordinator. NFL.com.
    20. ↑ Three coordinators hired, LeBeau, Robiskie, April. titansonline.com.
    21. ↑ Titans beat Texans, Finish season 9-7. titansonline.com.
    22. ↑ Tennessee Titans at Kansas City Chiefs - December 18th, 2016 (in en).
    23. ↑ 2016 Tennessee Titans Statistics & Players (in en).
    24. ↑ Houston Oilers/Tennessee Oilers/Tennessee Titans Team Encyclopedia (in en).
    25. ↑ Five Titans selected to 2017 Pro Bowl team. titansonline.com.
    26. ↑ 2017 Tennessee Titans Statistics & Players (in en).
    27. ↑ Jacksonville Jaguars at Tennessee Titans - December 31st, 2017 (in en).
    28. ↑ Wild Card - Tennessee Titans at Kansas City Chiefs - January 6th, 2018 (in en).
    29. ↑ Divisional Round - Tennessee Titans at New England Patriots - January 13th, 2018 (in en).
    30. ↑ "Mike Mularkey, Titans mutually agree to part ways", NFL.com. (en) 

    Bibliography[]

    • Carlson, Norm, University of Florida Football Vault: The History of the Florida Gators, Whitman Publishing, LLC, Atlanta, Georgia (2007). ISBN 0794822983.
    • Golenbock, Peter, Go Gators! An Oral History of Florida's Pursuit of Gridiron Glory, Legends Publishing, LLC, St. Petersburg, Florida (2002). ISBN 0-9650782-1-3.
    • Hairston, Jack, Tales from the Gator Swamp: A Collection of the Greatest Gator Stories Ever Told, Sports Publishing, LLC, Champaign, Illinois (2002). ISBN 1-58261-514-4.
    • McCarthy, Kevin M., Fightin' Gators: A History of University of Florida Football, Arcadia Publishing, Mount Pleasant, South Carolina (2000). ISBN 978-0-7385-0559-6.
    • Nash, Noel, ed., The Gainesville Sun Presents The Greatest Moments in Florida Gators Football, Sports Publishing, Inc., Champaign, Illinois (1998). ISBN 1-57167-196x.

    External links[]

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