FIRE AND NICE
‘GOOD GUY’ CULLEY BRINGS A PASSION FOR TEACHING
David Culley worked behind the scenes for four decades, embracing every moment as a valuable assistant coach who built a reputation with his intuitive people skills and creativity.
When the Tennessee native was informed by chairman and chief operating officer Cal McNair and general manager Nick Caserio that he was being offered the Texans’ head coaching job Wednesday night, it was such an emotionally charged moment that he nearly lost his balance.
For Culley, 65, a major boxing fan, it felt like he had absorbed the perfect punch.
Days after signing a five-year contract, Culley never stopped smiling during his introductory news conference Friday at NRG Stadium as he recounted landing the job after a series of meetings with McNair and Caserio.
“I’ve followed boxing my whole life; I actually have a passion for that,” Culley said. “I had some meetings with the McNairs, very good meetings. I said, ‘If I’m fortunate enough and blessed enough to be a part of this organization right here, then
everything that I’ve ever worked for during my career would be, right now, the epitome of why I have been doing what I have been doing. I use the reference of boxing because I felt like somebody hit me with a right hook.
“(Caserio) called Cal, and all of a sudden he says, ‘Here.’ He gave me the phone and Mr. McNair says: ‘David, how would you like to be the head football coach of the Houston Texans?’ I was standing by a rail. I almost went down, but I caught the rail before I went down. Never in this profession and in my career have I been more excited and felt so good about my journey to this point when he told me he wanted me to do that. I said, ‘I am at the right place at this point in my life where I need to be and where I want to be with my family.’”
Under Andy Reid, Culley was a receivers coach with the Philadelphia Eagles and an assistant head coach and receivers coach with the Kansas City Chiefs.
Under Buffalo Bills coach Sean McDermott, Culley was Josh Allen’s quarterbacks coach his rookie year.
Under Baltimore Ravens coach John Harbaugh, Culley grew into a key voice orchestrating a multidimensional run-dominated offense headlined by former NFL Most Valuable Player Lamar Jackson.
Culley never has been a coordinator, but then neither were Harbaugh nor Reid before they became head coaches.
“Sometimes in life, you gotta swing for the fences,” Harbaugh said. “Take the path less traveled — that’s how you separate yourself and make history. The downside is nothing compared to the possibilities. We are so happy for David. He’s a genuine, really good guy. He’s a wonderful man.”
As Culley takes over a 412 team dealing with disgruntled quarterback Deshaun Watson, who has requested a trade, he hopes to follow a path similar to Harbaugh and Reid.
“I’m very fortunate to have had the opportunity to come to the Baltimore Ravens with John Harbaugh, knowing the kind of human being he is, the kind of coach that he is,” Culley said. “He’s one of the top guys in this league. When he asked me to come with him, the one thing that I love about John Harbaugh is — and I’ve taken this with me — is the honesty is so there with him in everything that he does and whether he’s dealing with a player, whether he’s dealing with a coach.
“You may not like what you hear, but what you get is you get the honesty. I’ve got that. I’ve learned that. I appreciate that, and that’s what I’m all about, and that’s why I’m glad to be there, and I appreciate him for being that for me.”
Ravens executive vice president Ozzie Newsome, the architect of two Super Bowl winners, sees in Culley a gem no longer hidden.
“David’s ability to relate to players and get them to play at their highest effort
and understand their roles is very important,” Newsome said. “David is very demanding, and I think the guys want to do well for him. He’s a great person. When he got hired two years ago, he came down to my office, and he and I talked for an hour and 15 minutes. I went and told John, ‘Why is he not a head coach?’ Having gone through coaching searches myself (Brian Billick and Harbaugh), after spending time with David, I thought he deserved to be a head coach.”
Called the “energy in the building” by former Texas A&M coaching colleague Gary Kubiak and the “vitamins” of the program by former Aggies coach R.C. Slocum, Culley is a high-energy coach known for his positive nature and deep Christian faith.
“David was like Andy Reid, always the same through adversity or great times,” said Chicago Bears offensive line coach Juan Castillo, who worked with Culley in Philadelphia. “He was able to convince guys to do the extra work. He’s always calm. He doesn’t get too excited or he doesn’t get too down. He’s about the little details, the nuances.
“He trained many of the guys with coach Reid who went on to be head coaches (Doug Pederson, Matt Nagy), training them on how to run that offense. He’ll do a great job for the Texans, because he’s been ready for this and preparing for this moment for a long, long time.”
A former Vanderbilt quarterback, Culley was an offensive coordinator at UTEP and the receivers coach in College Station. Now, he’s an NFL head coach.
“My job happens to be teacher,” Culley said. “I just happen to coach football. I’ve been in this business 43 years. I do not consider what I do a job. This is a passion for me.”
McNair hired Culley after interviewing Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy, Bills defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier, former Lions and Colts coach Jim Caldwell, Colts defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus, new Chargers coach Brandon Staley, former Bengals coach Marvin Lewis and Panthers offensive coordinator Joe Brady.
“This is an incredibly exciting day for our franchise,” McNair said. “We have added a very well-respected and experienced member to our Texans family, in our new head coach, David Culley. We met with a lot of terrific candidates throughout the process, but David’s vision and ability to bring people together made it obvious to us that he is our guy.”
Texans general manager Nick Caserio first met Culley at the NFL scouting combine. All these years later, Caserio said Culley hasn’t changed a bit
“You might be asking ‘What are the Houston Texans getting in David Culley?’ ” Caserio said. “They’re getting a great man with a passion and a joy that is singularly focused on getting the best out of people. David defines what it means to be a football coach, and he takes great pride in being able to call himself ‘coach.’ ”
As Culley was speaking about his vision and ambitions, Caserio got fired up listening to him. Normally a low-key personality, the former New England Patriots executive was effusive in his praise of Culley.
“I don’t know how you can’t be excited when you listen to this man talk,” Caserio said. “His energy, his joy, his juice, his pride. It all starts there. It all starts with David, who he is as a person, and that’s going to permeate the rest of the organization, and that’s why he’s here. If you can’t get excited listening to him, then you probably need to get some coffee to get a little bit more juice, or some 5-hour Energy or something to get you going.”