Not always rave reviews in Act II
How some NFL coaches have fared in their returns to the sideline
Jon Gruden was introduced as head coach of the Oakland Raiders at a press conference Tuesday, marking his return to the National Football League after a nine-year hiatus. He is not the first coach to return to the sidelines after several years out of coaching — nor the first who opted to work as a television analyst between coaching stints. With Gruden’s comeback in mind, here’s a look at some of the other notable names who returned to coaching after several years off, and how they fared the second time around.
Mike Ditka
Chicago Bears (1982-92): 112-68 (.622) New Orleans Saints (’97-99): 15-33 (. 313)
After being fired by the Bears following the 1992 season, Ditka spent four years as a studio analyst for NBC and also made plans to open a restaurant. Then, in ’97, he decided to return to the sidelines as head coach of the Saints, a second head-coaching stint that, by all accounts, did not go nearly as well as his first. By November ’97, Ditka was already publicly proclaiming he was “probably the wrong guy for this job” and the Saints would be better off hiring somebody else. New Orleans never finished better than 6-10 in Ditka’s three seasons, and he was fired in ’99.
Herm Edwards
Kansas City Chiefs (2006-08): 15-34 (. 306) Arizona State (present): ???
Edwards spent eight seasons as an NFL head coach, including five with the New York Jets prior to his last stint with the Chiefs, but he was fired in early 2009. He quickly landed with ESPN, which made him an NFL analyst, and he remained there until last month, when he was hired by his former agent, Arizona State athletic director Ray Anderson, as the head coach in Tempe. Edwards’ hire was largely met with raised eyebrows across college football, and it’s unclear whether he’ll be able to have success after nearly nine years away from coaching.
Joe Gibbs
Washington Redskins (1981-92): 140-65 (. 683) Washington Redskins (2004-07): 31-36 (. 463)
The most successful coach in Washington history abruptly retired after the 1992 season to spend more time with his family. He worked as an analyst on NBC for a few years, founded a NASCAR team and was even elected to the Hall of Fame. Then, 11 seasons after he left the Redskins, owner Daniel Snyder successfully wooed him back. Gibbs took Washington to the playoffs twice in four seasons before retiring again — this time for good — in early 2008.
Dennis Green
Minnesota Vikings (1992-2001): 101-70 (. 591) Arizona Cardinals (’04-06): 16-32 (. 333)
The Vikings bought out the remainder of Green’s contract in early 2002, after the team finished below .500 for the first time in his tenure. He spent two years as an analyst at ESPN, then rejoined the coaching ranks with the Cardinals, who never finished better than 6-10 in his three seasons. His time in Arizona did result in one of the sport’s iconic postgame press conferences, however, with Green famously saying of the Chicago Bears that “they are who we thought they were!”
Bill Parcells
New York Giants (1983-90): 85-52-1 (. 616) New England Patriots/ New York Jets (’93-99): 64-54 (. 542) Dallas Cowboys (2003-06): 34-32 (. 515)
The Big Tuna returned to coaching after a multi-year hiatus not once, but twice. Parcells retired for the first time in 1991 after winning Super Bowl XXV with the Giants, spending two years as a commentator for NBC before returning in ’93. Then, in ’99, he retired a second time, claiming that his coaching days were over. Naturally, he was back on the sidelines a mere three seasons later, coaching the Cowboys for four seasons before retiring a third (and final?) time in 2007.
Marty Schottenheimer
Kansas City Chiefs (1989-98): 104-65-1 (. 612) Washington Redskins/ San Diego Chargers (2001-06): 55-43 (. 561)
Schottenheimer resigned in early 1999 after a decade as head coach of the Chiefs, including six seasons with double-digit wins. After a two-year stint with ESPN, he was back in the league, first with the Redskins for one season, then the Chargers. Schottenheimer was abruptly fired after the 2006 season, when he guided San Diego to a 14-2 record but promptly lost to New England in the divisional round.
George Seifert
San Francisco 49ers (1989-96): 108-35 (. 755) Carolina Panthers (’99-2001): 16-32 (. 333)
Seifert had tremendous success in San Francisco, leading the 49ers to a pair of Super Bowl titles, but he resigned in 1996 after failing to reach the NFC title game for the second consecutive season. A brief — and apparently somewhat unsuccessful — TV stint with CBS followed. By 1999, he was back on the field, coaching the Panthers in just their fifth season of existence.
Dick Vermeil
Philadelphia Eagles (1976-82): 57-51 (. 528) St. Louis Rams (’97-99): 25-26 (. 490)
Vermeil retired after the 1982 season, describing himself as “emotionally burned out,” and took a job in television. Fifteen years later, the Rams nudged him out of retirement with a contract that paid him more than $1.6 million per year. Vermeil, of course, went on to lead St. Louis to a Super Bowl championship in 1999 with a group of offensive skill players that was later known as “The Greatest Show on Turf.” He retired (again) before re-emerging as head coach of Kansas City in 2001.