Mike Holmgren

Mike Holmgren

Michael George Holmgren (born June 15, 1948 in San Francisco, California) is a professional football coach. He served as the head coach of the Green Bay Packers from 1992 to 1998, the Seattle Seahawks from 1999 to 2008. Prior to his career in the National Football League, Holmgren coached football at the high school and collegiate levels. He is noted for his role in molding quarterbacks such as Joe Montana, Steve Young, Brett Favre and Matt Hasselbeck during his tenures in San Francisco, Green Bay and Seattle. Under Holmgren's leadership and play calling the Green Bay Packers were consistent winners; and, he has become known as one of the best coaches in the NFL, leading them to their twelfth league championship in Super Bowl XXXI. Under Holmgren the Seahawks also became a perennial playoff team, including a trip to the franchise's first Super Bowl in 2005. It is rumored that he is being considered for the position of Vice President of Football Operations for the Cleveland Browns.

Biography

Playing career

Holmgren started out as a Tight End before becoming a standout quarterback at San Francisco's Lincoln High School, where he was named "Prep Athlete of the Year" in 1965 and graduated in 1966. He continued his playing career as a Quarterback at University of Southern California, from 1966-69. As a sophomore he was on USC's national championship team of 1967, and graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in 1970. He played behind starter Steve Sogge in 1967–68, and a knee injury put him behind sophomore Jimmy Jones in 1969. Although a back-up, Holmgren was drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in the eighth round (201st overall) of the 1970 NFL Draft and went to camp with both the Cardinals and the New York Jets that year.

Coaching career

High school

Holmgren's coaching career began in 1971 at his alma mater Lincoln High School in San Francisco, where he also taught history. One year later, he moved to San Francisco's Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory as a teacher and assistant coach. He also coached at Oak Grove High School[1] in San Jose, California, from 1975 to 1980.

College

In 1981 Holmgren became the Offensive Coordinator/Quarterback Coach at San Francisco State.

From 1982 to 1985, Holmgren was the quarterbacks coach at Brigham Young University under LaVell Edwards. During his four-year tenure at BYU, Holmgren not only helped coach the team's potent offense to a national championship in 1984, but in that period mentored and developed two of BYU's future NFL quarterbacks: Steve Young, and Robbie Bosco; and one future NFL head coach, Andy Reid.

Robbie Bosco would make it to Green Bay several years before Mike Holmgren, but Holmgren's eventual appointment as Packers head coach would bring him back into contact with Andy Reid and Steve Young.

Under Mike Holmgren, BYU quarterback Robbie Bosco led the Cougars to a national championship in 1984, finished third in Heisman Trophy balloting and was drafted by the Green Bay Packers in 1985. Bosco's NFL career was cut short by an arm injury, and he returned to BYU as a quarterbacks coach.

In addition to mentoring quarterbacks at BYU, Holmgren also worked with Andy Reid, at the time a Graduate Assistant. Reid went on to become an offensive line coach at Holmgren's previous school, San Francisco State and would later re-join Mike Holmgren as Offensive Assistant Coach at Green Bay in 1992, quarterbacks coach and assistant coach in 1998 then become Head Coach of the Philadelphia Eagles in 1999.

Professional football (NFL)

San Francisco 49ers, 1986–1991

Holmgren began his NFL coaching career as an assistant coach of the San Francisco 49ers from 1986 to 1991. He coached the 49ers’ quarterbacks from 1986-1988 under head coach Bill Walsh, working with Joe Montana and Steve Young, who he also coached at BYU. When George Seifert took over as head coach, Holmgren became the team's offensive coordinator and served from 1989 to 1991. During his tenure with San Francisco, the 49ers posted a 71-23-1 (74.7%) regular season record to reach the postseason each year except 1991. San Francisco won Super Bowl XXIII over the Cincinnati Bengals 20-16 and Super Bowl XXIV over the Denver Broncos 55-10, setting records for most points, most offensive points, and margin of victory in a Super Bowl. As offensive coordinator in 1989, Holmgren's 49er offense was ranked number one in the NFL. His years with the 49ers have led to later success mentoring other young assistants and Holmgren is one of the larger branches of the Sid Gillman coaching tree, from which Walsh and Seifert descended.

Green Bay Packers, 1992–1998

Holmgren was head coach of the Green Bay Packers from 1992 to 1998, which became one of the most successful coaching stints in NFL history. As head coach of the Packers, Holmgren posted a 75–37–0 (67.0%) regular-season record, a 9–5 (64.3%) postseason mark, and two Super Bowl appearances, including a 35-21 victory over the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XXXI. By winning at least one game in five consecutive postseasons (1993–1997) Holmgren joined John Madden (1973–1977) as the only coaches in league history to accomplish the feat. Holmgren's Packers posted an NFL-best 48–16 (75.0%) record, finished first in the NFC Central Division three times, second once, and set a 7–3 mark in the playoffs between 1995 and 1998. By taking the Packers to six consecutive postseasons (1993–1998), Holmgren set a franchise record with a team that had had just two winning seasons in the 19 years before he was hired.

Many of Holmgren's 1992 assistant coaches, including Andy Reid, Steve Mariucci, Dick Jauron, Ray Rhodes and Jon Gruden, would go on to head coaching careers in the NFL. Marty Mornhinweg, an assistant hired later in Holmgren's tenure at Green Bay, also became an NFL head coach, but is now the offensive coordinator under Andy Reid with the Philadelphia Eagles.

Seattle Seahawks, 1999–2008

Mike Holmgren resigned from the Green Bay Packers after the 1998 season to accept an eight year head coach contract offered by the Seattle Seahawks. Originally, Holmgren was the Executive Vice President/General Manager and Head Coach of the Seahawks. Following the 2002 season, Holmgren was terminated as Seahawks General Manager, but retained his position as Seahawks Head Coach, despite heavy pressure from the Seahawks fan base to replace him.

Holmgren took the Seahawks to their first postseason since 1988 during his first season with the club in 1999, breaking a 10-year playoff drought. Holmgren has posted a 72-56 (56.3%) regular-season record and a 3-4 (42.9%) postseason record, including an AFC West Division title (1999), one NFC Wildcard berth (2003), four consecutive NFC West Division titles (2004, 2005, 2006 and 2007), an NFC championship (2005), and the Seahawks' first-ever berth in a Super Bowl.

Holmgren's (and the Seahawks') best season to date was 2005. The team posted the best regular-season 13-3 (81.3%) record in franchise history, set a team record 11 consecutive wins, and won their first playoff game since 1984. Holmgren also molded former Green Bay backup quarterback Matt Hasselbeck into a Pro Bowl and Super Bowl quarterback in the 2005 NFL season (much as he did with Favre in the 90s), and coached Shaun Alexander to the NFL's MVP, a 2005 rushing title, and an NFL record 28 touchdowns in a single season.

With the 2005 NFC Championship win, Mike Holmgren became the fifth member of a small coaching fraternity that has taken two different NFL franchises to the Super Bowl, joining Bill Parcells, Dan Reeves, Don Shula, and Dick Vermeil. Had the Seahawks won Super Bowl XL, he would have become the first head coach in NFL history to win a Super Bowl with two different franchises, however they fell short, losing 21-10 to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

On January 22, 2008, Mike Holmgren announced he would serve out the remaining year of his contract with a lame duck year and end his tenure as head coach of the Seattle Seahawks at the end of the 2008 NFL season. Jim L. Mora, the defensive backs coach, will succeed Holmgren upon his departure.

On December 19, 2008, Mike Holmgren received the Steve Largent award, becoming the first coach in Seahawks history to attain the accolade.

Post-coaching career

On February 1, 2009, Holmgren served as an analyst for NBC's coverage of Super Bowl XLIII.

On May 12, 2009, Holmgren announced on KJR-AM radio that he plans to return to the game of football in 2010. It is unclear whether he will return in the front office or as part of the coaching staff, hence, he has made no plans to retire.

Personal life

Mike Holmgren and his wife, Kathy, met at age 12 and have been married for 38 years. Holmgren first proposed marriage to Kathy when he was age 15. They have four daughters—twins Calla and Jenny (born 1973), Emily (1977), and Gretchen (1981). They also have four granddaughters—Emma, Emerson, Mary and Isabell. The Holmgren family is heavily involved in the Evangelical Covenant Church and the denomination's North Park University, in Chicago. In 2004, they led the fundraising drive to build the university's Holmgren Athletic Complex. Holmgren's grandfather, Jens Bugge, who served briefly as a commandant at West Point and wrote a book on military strategy, also had the distinction of being eulogized by Gen. Douglas MacArthur.

Head coaching record

Team	Year	Regular Season					Post Season
		Won	Lost	Ties	Win %	Finish	Won	Lost	Win %	Result
GNB	1992	9	7	0	.563	2nd in NFC Central	-	-	-	-
GNB	1993	9	7	0	.563	3rd in NFC Central	1	1	.500	Lost to Dallas Cowboys in NFC Divisional Game.
GNB	1994	9	7	0	.563	2nd in NFC Central	1	1	.500	Lost to Dallas Cowboys in NFC Divisional Game.
GNB	1995	11	5	0	.688	1st in NFC Central	2	1	.667	Lost to Dallas Cowboys in NFC Championship Game.
GNB	1996	13	3	0	.813	1st in NFC Central	3	0	1.000	Super Bowl XXXI Champions.
GNB	1997	13	3	0	.813	1st in NFC Central	2	1	.667	Lost to Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XXXII.
GNB	1998	11	5	0	.688	2nd in NFC Central	0	1	.000	Lost to San Francisco 49ers in NFC Wild-Card Game.
GNB Total		75	37	0	.670		9	5	.643
SEA	1999	9	7	0	.563	1st in AFC West	0	1	.000	Lost to Miami Dolphins in AFC Wild-Card Game.
SEA	2000	6	10	0	.375	4th in AFC West	-	-	-	-
SEA	2001	9	7	0	.563	2nd in AFC West	-	-	-	-
SEA	2002	7	9	0	.438	3rd in NFC West	-	-	-	-
SEA	2003	10	6	0	.625	2nd in NFC West	0	1	0.000	Lost to Green Bay Packers in NFC Wild-Card Game.
SEA	2004	9	7	0	.563	1st in NFC West	0	1	0.000	Lost to St. Louis Rams in NFC Wild-Card Game
SEA	2005	13	3	0	.813	1st in NFC West	2	1	0.667	Lost to Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XL.
SEA	2006	9	7	0	.563	1st in NFC West	1	1	0.500	Lost to Chicago Bears in NFC Divisional Game.
SEA	2007	10	6	0	.625	1st in NFC West	1	1	0.500	Lost to Green Bay Packers in NFC Divisional Game.
SEA	2008	4	12	0	.200	3rd in NFC West	-	-	-	-
SEA Total		86	74	0	.541		4	6	.400
Total		161	111	0	.592		13	11	.542

External links

• Seattle Seahawks coaches - Mike Holmgren
• Pro-Football-Reference.com statistics - Mike Holmgren
• 1970 NFL draft Mike Holmgren St. Louis Cardinals 8th round
• The Classroom History of Mr. Holmgren - The Seattle Times 05-Nov-2006, by Greg Bishop
• Native Son - Mike Holmgren - S.F. Chronicle - 04-Feb-2006, by Tom FitzGerald
• Mike Holmgren profile - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette 29-Jan-2006
• College Football Data Warehouse.com - USC Trojans 1965-69 results
• [2] - The New York Times 20-Dec-2008, by Greg Bishop