Crennel retires after 39 years as NFL coach

HOUSTON — Romeo Crennel announced his retirement Monday, ending a 39-year NFL coaching career highlighted by five Super Bowl titles.

Crennel spent the past eight seasons with the Houston Texans. He was the team’s defensive coordinator from 2014-16 and assistant head coach from 2017-19. In 2020 he was the associate head coach before becoming the interim head coach following coach Bill O’Brien’s firing after just four games.

Crennel, who will turn 75 on June 18, worked as Houston’s senior adviser for football performance last season.

He spent 11 years as a college coach before beginning his NFL career as an assistant with the New York Giants in 1981.

“Football has been my entire life and it’s been a dream come true to coach for 50 years,” Crennel said in a statement. “I’ll miss everything about coaching and teaching, but the thing I’ll miss the most is being around the guys every day. My goal was to put every player and coach in the best position to succeed and I consider every guy I coached or worked with a part of my family.”

Crennel reached the playoffs 17 times in his career, winning 13 division titles, six conference crowns and winning two Super Bowls with the Giants and three with the Patriots.

Crennel’s first head coaching job came with the Cleveland Browns and he was with them from 2005-08. His best season as a head coach came with the Browns in 2007 when they went 10-6.

He joined the Kansas City Chiefs in 2010 as defensive coordinator and became their interim coach for the last three games of the 2011 season. He was hired as the head coach of the Chiefs in 2012, but was fired after just one season in which the team was 2-14.