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Mike Smith (American football coach)

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Mike Smith
Candid photograph of Smith of the Atlanta Falcons
Smith in 2013
Personal information
Born: (1959-06-13) June 13, 1959 (age 65)
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Career information
High school:Daytona Beach (FL) Father Lopez
College:East Tennessee State
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)
Record at Pro Football Reference

Mike Smith (born June 13, 1959) is a former American football coach. He served as the head coach of the Atlanta Falcons from 2008 to 2014. Smith has also served as the defensive coordinator for the Jacksonville Jaguars and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. During his tenure as head coach of the Falcons, Smith became the franchise's winningest head coach by number of wins in addition to being the recipient of the 2008 NFL Coach of the Year Award by the Associated Press and was also voted NFL Coach of the Year Award by the Sporting News in 2008, 2010, and 2012.

Early life

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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. Smith briefly played professionally for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the Canadian Football League for the 1982 season before retiring as a player.

Coaching career

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College coaching

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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

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Smith's first NFL job was as defensive assistant/defensive line coach for the Baltimore Ravens in 1999 under defensive line coach Rex Ryan for three seasons. In 2002, Smith was promoted to linebackers' coach for head coach Brian Billick, tutoring such future standouts as Ray Lewis, Peter Boulware, Jamie Sharper and Adalius Thomas, and in that capacity helped the 2000 Ravens win Super Bowl XXXV.

Jacksonville Jaguars

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On January 21, 2003, Smith became the defensive coordinator of the Jacksonville Jaguars under new head coach Jack Del Rio.[1]

Atlanta Falcons

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In 2008, Smith became head coach for the first time at any level, taking charge of the Atlanta Falcons.[2] He started off his first season by installing rookie Matt Ryan as starting quarterback to open the season against the Detroit Lions. In his debut as an NFL head coach, the Falcons beat the Lions 34–21. Atlanta's 216 yards of total offense in the first quarter was the highest in over two decades, eclipsing their October 13, 1991, mark of 172 yards against San Francisco. The first loss of the year against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, was mitigated by winning Smith's first coach's challenge, on the spotting of the ball after a Roddy White reception in the third quarter, giving the Falcons a first down and keeping the drive alive. Stars like Michael Turner, Roddy White, Michael Jenkins and John Abraham helped carry the Falcons to an 11–5 record and their first playoff berth since 2004.[3] In the Wild Card Round, the Falcons lost to the eventual NFC champions, the Arizona Cardinals. Smith was named the 2008 AP Coach of the Year and NFL Coach of the Year, beating out Miami Dolphins head coach Tony Sparano in the voting.[4]

In 2009, Smith and the Falcons overcame a difficult schedule and several key injuries (to QB Ryan and RB Turner) to end with a 9–7 record and second place in the NFC South.[5] While they failed to reach the playoffs, this marked the first time in franchise history that the Falcons had back-to-back winning seasons.

In 2010, Smith led the Falcons to an NFC-best season record of 13–3,[6] 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, by a score of 48–21 in the Divisional Round.

In 2011, the Falcons finished 10–6 and qualified for the playoffs,[7] but they lost in the Wild Card round to the eventual Super Bowl XLVI champions, the New York Giants.

In 2012, Smith led the Falcons to a league-best 13–3 record[8] and recorded his first win in the postseason as Falcons head coach, narrowly edging the Seattle Seahawks 30–28 in the 2012 NFC Divisional Playoffs. With the win, Atlanta also made their third all-time appearance in the NFC Championship Game and hosted the game for the first time in their history against the San Francisco 49ers. The Falcons were beaten 28–24 despite a 17–0 in the second quarter.[9] That same year, Smith earned his 50th win by defeating the Philadelphia Eagles on October 28, passing Dan Reeves as the best-performing coach in Falcons history by number of wins.[10] Smith reached 50 wins in 71 games, which was good for third best all-time since the AFL-NFL merger in 1970, surpassed only by Chuck Knox who earned his 50th win in 65 games and by George Seifert in 62 games.[11] Smith was named Sporting News 2012 Coach of the Year[12] for the third time by a pool of 27 NFL coaches and executives.

In 2013, the Falcons slumped to a 4–12 record,[13] and Smith was eventually named the head coach of the North Team in the 2014 Senior Bowl.[14]

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 by a score of 34–3. The game determined the NFC South champion, despite both teams having a losing record. The next day, Smith was fired after two consecutive losing seasons as the Falcons finished the 2014 season with a 6–10 record.[15][16]

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

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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.[17]

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.[18]

Hula Bowl

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In January 2022, Smith coached Team Aina in the Hula Bowl, a college football postseason all-star game.[19] He returned as head coach of the same squad in 2023.

Head coaching record

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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[20] 66 46 0 .589 1 4 .200

Personal life

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Smith is the oldest of eight children. He and his wife, Julie, have a daughter, Logan.[21] Smith is the brother-in-law of former NFL head coach Brian Billick.[22]

References

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  1. ^ "Mike Smith named defensive coordinator". Jaguars.com. January 21, 2003. Retrieved November 1, 2024.
  2. ^ "Falcons make Jags' Smith new coach". ESPN.com. January 24, 2008. Retrieved January 25, 2008.
  3. ^ "2008 Atlanta Falcons Statistics & Players". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved January 16, 2009.
  4. ^ AP names Smith NFL Coach of the Year Archived January 16, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
  5. ^ "2009 Atlanta Falcons Statistics & Players". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved January 8, 2010.
  6. ^ "2011 Atlanta Falcons Statistics & Players". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved January 13, 2011.
  7. ^ "2011 Atlanta Falcons Statistics & Players". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved January 9, 2012.
  8. ^ "2012 Atlanta Falcons Statistics & Players". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved January 21, 2013.
  9. ^ "Seahawks vs. Falcons Divisional Playoff recap". NFL.com. Retrieved January 13, 2013.
  10. ^ Cox, Daniel. "Smith Sets Franchise Record With 50th Win". atlantafalcons.com - News. atlantafalcons.com. Retrieved October 30, 2012.
  11. ^ Yasinskas, Pat (October 29, 2012). "Mike Smith is in good company". ESPN.com NFC South Blog. ESPN.com. Retrieved October 30, 2012.
  12. ^ "Mike Smith voted Sporting News' Coach of the Year". Retrieved January 25, 2013.
  13. ^ "2013 Atlanta Falcons Statistics & Players". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved January 2, 2014.
  14. ^ DiRocco, Michael (January 2, 2014). "Mike Smith, Gus Bradley to coach". ESPN. Retrieved January 12, 2014.
  15. ^ "Falcons fire Mike Smith". ESPN. December 29, 2014. Retrieved December 30, 2014.
  16. ^ "2014 Atlanta Falcons Statistics & Players". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved December 30, 2014.
  17. ^ https://twitter.com/RapSheet/status/688072051962286082. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  18. ^ "Buccaneers fire defensive coordinator Mike Smith". nfl.com. October 15, 2018. Retrieved October 15, 2018.
  19. ^ Gregson, Robert. "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.
  20. ^ Mike Smith Record, Statistics, and Category Ranks - Pro-Football-Reference.com Archived September 19, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
  21. ^ "Mike Smith". etsualumni.org. Retrieved January 4, 2020.
  22. ^ 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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