Scott Linehan

Scott Linehan

Date of birth	September 17, 1963 (1963-09-17)
Place of birth	Sunnyside, Washington
Position(s)	Head Coach Offensive Coordinator Quarterbacks Coach Wide Receivers Coach Quarterback
College	Idaho
Regular season	11-25-0 (.306)
Postseason	0-0
Career record	11-25-0 (.306)
Stats
Coaching stats	Pro Football Reference
Team(s) as a player
1983-86	Idaho
Team(s) as a coach/administrator
1987-88 1989-90 1991 1992-93 1994-95 1996-97 1998 1999-2001 2002-04 2005 2006-08 2009–present	Sunset High School - OC Idaho - WR UNLV - QB Idaho - OC/QB Washington - WR Washington - OC/WR Washington - OC/QB Louisville - OC/QB Minnesota Vikings - OC/WR Miami Dolphins - OC St. Louis Rams Detroit Lions - OC

Scott Thomas Linehan (born September 17, 1963) is an American football coach, currently the offensive coordinator for the Detroit Lions of the NFL. He was previously the head coach of the St. Louis Rams, and also served as the offensive coordinator for the Miami Dolphins in 2005 and the Minnesota Vikings for three seasons (2002–04).

Biography

Early life

Scott Linehan was born and raised in Sunnyside, Washington, a town of 14,000 about three hours southeast of Seattle that bills itself as the "Asparagus Capital of the Northwest." He graduated from Sunnyside High School in 1982, and accepted an athletic scholarship to play college football at the University of Idaho, two hundred miles (320 km) to the east.

Playing career

Linehan was a quarterback for the Vandals under head coaches Dennis Erickson (1982–85) and Keith Gilbertson. He redshirted in 1982, was the back-up to senior QB Ken Hobart in 1983, and became the starter in 1984 as a redshirt sophomore. In 1985, Linehan led Idaho to the Big Sky title and consecutive Division I-AA playoff appearances in 1985 and 1986. His career passing yardage for the Vandals was over 7000 yards. Not selected in the 1987 NFL Draft, he signed a rookie free agent contract with the Dallas Cowboys in 1987, but a shoulder injury quickly ended his playing career when he was cut at the start of his rookie training camp.

Coaching career

Linehan began his coaching career as a volunteer coach at Sunset High School in Portland in 1987. At this time he was also helping a friend with his business, selling class rings for Jostens.^{[citation needed]}

His college coaching career began in 1989 as the wide receivers coach at his alma mater. He subsequently coached in the college ranks at UNLV, Idaho, Washington, and Louisville. He took his first NFL job as the offensive coordinator/ wide receivers coach with the Minnesota Vikings in 2002. He served in a similar capacity with the Miami Dolphins in 2005 before being hired as head coach by the St. Louis Rams on January 19, 2006.

His tenure as Rams head coach was marked by disputes (on and off the field) with star players such as Steven Jackson, Torry Holt, and, most notoriously, quarterback Marc Bulger, whom he benched for his final game as head coach. Linehan was fired after the fourth game of the 2008 season after an 11-25 record in his 36 games as head coach.

On January 9, 2009, Linehan interviewed with the San Francisco 49ers as a candidate for the open offensive coordinator position. A second interview with the 49ers was held on January 15, 2009.^{[citation needed]}. He then declined the offer of the offensive coordinator position of the 49ers.

Linehan was announced as the offensive coordinator of the Detroit Lions on January 23, 2009, by new head coach Jim Schwartz. In 2009 the Lions were off to a slow start, offensively, under Linehan scoring only 13 offensive touchdowns and averaging 291 yards of offense per game, both among the NFL lows.

Personal life

Linehan is the youngest of seven children of Bill and Margaret Linehan — he has three brothers and three sisters. His father was a high school principal after serving in World War II.

Scott and his wife of over 20 years, Kristen, have three sons: Matthew, Michael, and Marcus.
He is of Irish descent and is a devout Catholic.

Head coaching record

Team	Year	Regular Season					Post Season
		Won	Lost	Ties	Win %	Finish	Won	Lost	Win %	Result
STL	2006	8	8	0	.500	2nd in NFC West	-	-	-	-
STL	2007	3	13	0	.188	last in NFC West	-	-	-	-
STL	2008*	0	4	0	.000	last in NFC West (team finished 2-14)	-	-	-	-
STL Total		11	25	0	.306		-	-	-	-
Total		11	25	0	.306		-	-	-	-

*Fired four games into 2008 season

Coaching tree

NFL head coaches under whom Linehan has served:

• Jim Schwartz, Detroit Lions (2009–present)
• Nick Saban, Miami Dolphins (2005)
• Mike Tice, Minnesota Vikings (2002–2004)

College head coaches under whom Linehan served:

• John L. Smith, Louisville (1999–2001)
• Jim Lambright, Washington (1994–1998)
• John L Smith, Idaho (1992–1993)
• Jim Strong, UNLV (1991)
• John L Smith, Idaho (1989–1990)

College head coaches under whom Linehan played:

• Dennis Erickson, Idaho (1982–1985)
• Keith Gilbertson, Idaho (1986)

Trivia

• Linehan credits Dennis Erickson, his coach at Idaho, as the "biggest influence" on Linehan's attack-style offensive philosophies.
• Fellow NFL head coach Tom Cable and ESPN analyst (and former NFL player) Mark Schlereth both blocked for Linehan during his playing days at Idaho.
• Actor James Caviezel is Linehan's brother-in-law – Linehan's wife, Kristen, and Caviezel's wife, Kerri, are sisters.

External links

• College Football Data Warehouse Idaho Vandals results - 1985-89
• St. Louis Rams - Scott Linehan biography
• St. Louis Rams.com - transcript of introductory press conference - 2006
• Linehan legacy continues in St. Louis - The Seattle Times - 11-Oct-2006
• Scott Linehan - Tacoma News Tribune 13-Oct-2006
• University of Idaho Athletics - All-time football scores (pdf)
• U of L sports - home page of Louisville Cardinals Athletics
• ESPN.com - Linehan accepts coaching offer from the Detroit Lions.

Sporting positions
Preceded by Sherman Lewis	Minnesota Vikings Offensive Coordinator 2002–2004	Succeeded by Steve Loney
Preceded by Chris Foerster	Miami Dolphins Offensive Coordinator 2005	Succeeded by Mike Mularkey
Preceded by Jim Colletto	Detroit Lions Offensive Coordinator 2009–present	Succeeded by Incumbent