Mike Mularkey has been hired as head coach of the Tennessee Titans on a permanent basis, removing his interim tag.
The move made him the 18th head coach in franchise history.
“The vision Mike presented for our football team during this search as well as the character, integrity, and leadership skills he displayed during the last two months of the season makes him the right coach for the Tennessee Titans,” said Titans Controlling Owner and Co-Chairman of the Board of Directors Amy Adams Strunk.
According to those with the team, Mularkey has 21 years of NFL coaching experience, which included three-plus seasons as head coach and eight as an offensive coordinator. He has coached in Jacksonville, Atlanta, Miami, Buffalo, Pittsburgh, and Tampa Bay.
Mularkey’s teams went to the playoffs in five of eight of his seasons as a coordinator.
“Mike is a quality coach and an outstanding person who will help us build this team the right way,” Adams Strunk said. “He has experience as a head coach and a track record for developing young quarterbacks and dynamic offenses, and he also brings continuity for our franchise quarterback. We understand this may take time as we rebuild the roster and bring in new coaches for Mike’s staff, but we believe he has the experience and expertise to build a consistent winner.”
Mularkey played a total of 114 games in nine seasons with the Minnesota Vikings and Pittsburgh Steelers as a former NFL tight end.
“I am honored to be named the head coach of the Titans, and I want to thank Amy, Kenneth, Steve and Jon for this opportunity,” said Mularkey. “I will give all that I have to make this team successful and our city and fans proud. The last two months of the season were extremely valuable in order to understand our personnel and instill some of our values and standard of play, so we won’t be starting from scratch. With that as a basis, we will now be installing some new systems and bringing in new coaches and players to build on what we have started. There is plenty of work to be done until we reach our goal, but we will all work tirelessly to get us there.”
“After numerous discussions with Mike and consulting trusted colleagues throughout the league, I believe he is the right head coach to lead this Titans team,” said Titans General Manager Jon Robinson. “Mike’s attention to detail as well as his track record of building dynamic offenses while developing young quarterbacks such as Matt Ryan is impressive. Mike and I share an aligned vision of how to best proceed, and our goal is to build the Tennessee Titans into one of the elite organizations in the NFL.”
Mularkey joined the Titans after after one season with the Jacksonville Jaguars as the franchise’s fourth head coach and four seasons with the Atlanta Falcons as offensive coordinator.
Mularkey entered the coaching ranks in 1993. He’s a graduate of Northeast High School in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, where he played quarterback and earned a scholarship to the University of Florida.
He and his wife, Betsy, have two sons, Patrick and Shane.
The Titans released the following on Mularkey’s experience:
Mike Mularkey’s Coaching Experience (Head Coaching Record:18-39):
- 2015 - Interim Head Coach, Tennessee Titans (2-7)
- 2015 - Assistant Head Coach/Tight Ends, Tennessee Titans
- 2014 - Tight Ends, Tennessee Titans
- 2012 - Head Coach, Jacksonville Jaguars (2-14)
- 2008-11 - Offensive Coordinator, Atlanta Falcons
- 2007 - Tight Ends, Miami Dolphins
- 2006 - Offensive Coordinator, Miami Dolphins
- 2004-05 - Head Coach, Buffalo Bills (14-18; 9-7 in 2004, 5-11 in 2005)
- 2001-03 - Offensive Coordinator, Pittsburgh Steelers
- 1996-2000 - Tight Ends, Pittsburgh Steelers
- 1995 - Tight Ends, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- 1994 - Quality Control, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- 1993 - Offensive Line, Concordia College
Mike Mularkey’s Playing Experience:
- 1989-91 — Tight End, Pittsburgh Steelers
- 1983-88 — Tight End, Minnesota Vikings
