This article is about the American linebacker (1985-1992) and NFL general manager. For American football guard (1972-1984), see Reggie McKenzie (guard).
| Date of birth | February 8 1963 |
|---|---|
| Place of birth | Knoxville, Tennessee, U.S. |
| Height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) |
| Weight | 240 pounds (109 kg) |
| Miami Dolphins — No. | |
| Position | Linebacker / General Manager |
| College | Tennessee |
| High school | Knoxville (TN) Austin-East |
| NFL Draft | 1985 / Round 10 / Pick: by the |
| Career player statistics (if any) | |
| ' | |
| ' | |
| ' | |
| Playing stats | DatabaseFootball |
| Team(s) as a player (if any) | |
| (1985–1988) (1989–1990) (1992) (1992) |
Los Angeles Raiders Phoenix Cardinals Montreal Machine San Francisco 49ers |
| Team(s) as a coach/administrator (if any) | |
| (1994–1996) (1997–2007) (2008–2011) (2012–2018) (2019–present) |
Green Bay Packers (Pro personnel assistant) Green Bay Packers (Pro personnel director) Green Bay Packers (Director of football operations) Oakland Raiders (General manager) Miami Dolphins (Senior Personnel Executive) |
Reggie McKenzie (born February 8, 1963) is currently the senior personnel executive of the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League. Previously, McKenzie was a linebacker for, and then, most recently, from January 5, 2012, until his firing on December 10, 2018, served as general manager of the Oakland Raiders and was also the director of player personnel for the Green Bay Packers.
Playing career[]
Austin-East High School[]
McKenzie played high school football at the Austin-East High School. He was a consensus All-State linebacker during his senior year, and was considered the 22nd best player in the state by the Knoxville News Sentinel.[1] He was a teammate of Raiders Director of Player Personnel, Joey Clinkscales.[2] McKenzie was valedictorian of his 1981 graduating class.[3]
University of Tennessee[]
McKenzie played collegiate football at the University of Tennessee.
Los Angeles Raiders[]
From 1985 to 1988, McKenzie played as a linebacker for the Los Angeles Raiders. He became a starter as a rookie[4] at inside linebacker next to Matt Millen in a 3-4-4 defensive scheme, playing in all 16 games for a team ending the year with a won-lost record of 12-4, allowing 308 points (19.2 points/game), 9th of 28 teams, and winning the AFC Western division.[5] The Raiders lost their divisional round to the New England Patriots, having difficulty to stop a running game which amassed 156 yards against them, led by Craig James' 104 yards behind an offensive line which featured John Hannah at left guard and Brian Holloway at left tackle. It was McKenzie's only playoff appearance. McKenzie also started all 16 games the following year, but at outside linebacker in a 4-3-4 scheme, with Matt Millen inside and Jerry Robinson on the other side, when the Raiders ended with a won-lost record of 8-8 and allowed 346 points (21.6 points/game), 19th among 28 teams. He returned as an inside linebacker in a 3-4-4 defensive scheme during the 1987 NFL season, the strike year, but started only 5 games, sharing time with Jerry Robinson next to Matt Millen, and then only 3 the following year, his final one as a Raider.
San Francisco 49ers[]
After sitting out three years, McKenzie came back in 1992 as a member of the San Francisco 49ers, but played in only 2 games.
Post-playing career[]
Director of player personnel[]
McKenzie was employed by the Green Bay Packers from 1994 to 2012. He began as a scout, and gradually rose through the ranks to become the Packers' director of player personnel and eventually the team's director of football operations, while reporting to general managers Ron Wolf and Ted Thompson.[6]
General manager[]
McKenzie was hired as general manager of the Oakland Raiders on January 5, 2012.[7] Longtime owner Al Davis had been general manager since 1966, and retained control over football operations after becoming principal owner in 1972. Both Wolf (who had worked in the Raiders front office prior to his Green Bay tenure) and former Raiders coach John Madden recommended McKenzie to new owner Mark Davis, who hired McKenzie after an interview conducted jointly by Davis and Madden. He brought in his twin brother Raleigh McKenzie to become a college scout for the Oakland Raiders.
McKenzie promptly fired head coach Hue Jackson and hired Dennis Allen, who had previously served as the defensive coordinator of a Denver Broncos squad that barely beat Oakland for a playoff spot. McKenzie's first priority was to shore up a porous defense which allowed 433 points (27.1 points/game), 29th among 32 teams.[8] Before the 2012 NFL Draft, he took four free agents to help the defense: outside linebacker Philip Wheeler and cornerbacks Shawntae Spencer, Ron Bartell, and Pat Lee, the last three second round picks from 2004, 2005, and 2008 NFL drafts, respectively, Bartell being the greater risk after missing the final 15 games of the season as a starter for the St. Louis Rams with a fractured neck.
In the 2012 NFL Draft, his first pick (due to previous trades) was third-round offensive lineman Tony Bergstrom, and his next pick was linebacker Miles Burris.
Personal information[]
His Super Bowl ring was stolen on May 3, 2009.[9]
His twin brother Raleigh McKenzie also played in the National Football League as an offensive lineman for the Washington Redskins and Philadelphia Eagles. Both he and Raleigh are members of Omega Psi Phi fraternity.
References[]
- ↑ 1981 Tennessee Volunteers Football Program (University of Tennessee, 1981), p. 58.
- ↑ "Joey Clinkscales Named Personnel Director for Raiders," Knoxville News Sentinel, May 16, 2012. Retrieved: August 2, 2013.
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedraidersbio - ↑ http://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/M/McKeRe21.htm
- ↑ http://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/rai/1985_roster.htm
- ↑ Reggie McKenzie. lostlettermen.com. Retrieved on September 18, 2010.
- ↑ Raiders Reach Agreement with McKenzie to be GM. Raiders.com. Retrieved on January 6, 2012.
- ↑ http://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/rai/2011_roster.htm
- ↑ "McKenzie's rings stolen from car", ESPN, May 4, 2009. Retrieved on September 18, 2010.
External links[]
- Reggie McKenzie (linebacker) article at Wikipedia
