Mike Mularkey
Coaching Record
| Years Coached | Record | Win % | Playoff record | Playoff win % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24 | 181-202-1 | 47.27% | 5-8 | 38.46% |
Coaching Tree
Parents:
Children:
Biography
Table of Contents
Career Summary
Mike Mularkey was a football coach in the National Football League (NFL) from 1994 to 2019, finishing his career as the tight ends coach of the Atlanta Falcons. Over his twenty-four years of coaching his teams compiled a cumulative win/loss record of 181-202-1. During his career he was a head coach for five seasons, first with the Buffalo Bills. He led the Bills for two seasons, compiling a record of 14-18-0. He resigned from the Bills on Thursday, January 12, 2006. His next head coaching stint was with the Jacksonville Jaguars for the 2012 season, leading the team to a 2-14-0 record. He was fired from the Jaguars on Thursday, January 10, 2013. His third head coach placement began in 2016 with the Tennessee Titans. He coached them for two seasons and the team had a 18-14-0 record during his tenure. He was fired from the Titans on Monday, January 15, 2018. Mularkey was surprisingly fired from the Titans after initial reports had indicated that he was currently working on a contract extension. During his entire head coaching career, his three teams combined for a record of 34-46-0 across five seasons including going 1-1-0 in the playoffs.
Career Awards
As the offensive coordinator of the Pittsburgh Steelers he coached one player to an award-winning season: Tommy Maddox, Comeback Player of the Year in 2002. As the offensive coordinator of the Atlanta Falcons he coached one player to an award-winning season: Matt Ryan, AP Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2008.
Mike Mularkey Coaching Tree
Before he was a head coach, Mularkey served as an assistant coach for Sam Wyche, Bill Cowher, Nick Saban, Cam Cameron, Mike Smith, Ken Whisenhunt, and Dan Quinn. Eight of these years were spent on Cowher's coaching staff. One assistant coach from his coaching staffs, Arthur Smith, was eventually hired as a head coach. He is the current head coach of the Atlanta Falcons. After coaching with Mike Mularkey he has posted a 21-30-0 record as head coach.
Playing Career
Mularkey played tight end while at college.
Personal Information
Mularkey was born on Sunday, November 19, 1961 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Table of Contents
Playing Career
College Football: Florida Gators
Mularkey played football at the University of Florida from 1979 to 1982 as a tight end, earning three letters for the Gators.
NFL
San Francisco 49ers
In 1983, he was drafted into the NFL in the ninth round by the San Francisco 49ers. However, he was cut at the end of his first training camp.
Minnesota Vikings
Mularkey was picked up by the Minnesota Vikings after he was cut by the 49ers. Used mostly as a backup tight end, in his six seasons with the Vikings he caught 42 passes and five touchdowns while playing in 75 games (starting seven).
Pittsburgh Steelers
After his tenure with the Vikings, he was signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers as a Plan B Free Agent, the precursor to the modern free agency. While primarily a backup in Minnesota, he started 35 games from 1989 to 1991 for the Steelers.
Coaching Career
College Coaching: Concordia University
At the conclusion of his NFL playing career, he began his coaching career at Concordia University in 1993 under head coach Tom Cross. After one season of coaching the school's offensive line, Mularkey committed to his coaching career and tried to break back into the NFL.
NFL Coaching
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
In 1994, Mularkey was hired by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as a quality control coach after meeting head coach Sam Wyche at the NFL combine during the offseason. After one season in this role, he was promoted to tight ends coach for Wyche's final season in Tampa.
Pittsburgh Steelers
In 1996 Mularkey was hired by the Pittsburgh Steelers under head coach Bill Cowher to coach the tight ends. He served in this role until 2000, however the tight ends had a limited role in the passing offense as they were more utilized as blockers. Tight end Mark Bruener became one of the best blocking tight ends in the league under Mularkey's coaching. In 2001, Mularkey was promoted to offensive coordinator as the team had the third most prolific offense in the NFL that season. At the conclusion of the season, he was named Assistant Coach of the Year by the Pro Football Writers of America. In 2002, he helped quarterback Tommy Maddox win Comeback Player of the Year after not playing in the NFL for five seasons. Maddox set the franchise record for completion percentage (62.1%) in his first season back in the NFL.
Buffalo Bills
In 2004, Mularkey had his first opportunity as a head coach in the NFL when the Buffalo Bills hired him. His first season with the Bills had shown promise as the Bills finished with their first winning record since 1999. However, the team regressed in 2005 and Mularkey was fired.
Miami Dolphins
After his time as a head coach, he returned to the offensive coordinator role with the Miami Dolphins under head coach Nick Saban in 2006. Expected to contend for the playoffs, the team struggled as free agent quarterback Daunte Culpepper did not recover from a knee injury suffered the previous season. Eventually using their third string quarterback, the Dolphins finished 6-10. After Saban returned to college coaching, the Dolphins hired Cam Cameron who retained Mularkey, but named him the tight ends coach. The team finished 1-15 in 2007, not getting their first win until Week 15.
Atlanta Falcons
Mularkey's next stop was under new Falcons' coach Mike Smith as the offensive coordinator. In the 2008 NFL draft, the team selected quarterback Matt Ryan. Ryan started from the very beginning, and free agent running back Michael Turner played a key role in the team's success. The Falcons were successful right away, finishing the 2008 season 11-5 with their first playoff appearance since 2004 behind Turner's 1,699 yards and a team-record 17 rushing touchdowns (finishing second in the NFL MVP voting).
Despite injuries to Turner and Ryan, the team still finished 2009 with a winning record, the first time the team had back-to-back winning seasons in franchise history. The team would stretch that streak to all four seasons with Mularkey as offensive coordinator. 2010 saw Mularkey named "Coordinator of the Year" by The Sporting News as the Falcons offense continued to develop into one of the league's best.
By 2011, Ryan had cracked 4,000 yards passing for the first time in his career as he won 43 games in his first four seasons, second only to Joe Flacco for most in NFL history.
Jacksonville Jaguars
In 2012, Mularkey was hired as the new head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars, his second stint as a head coach in the NFL. The Jaguars hoped he would be able to replicate his previous quarterbacking success of Ryan and Maddox with second-year quarterback Blaine Gabbert. The Jaguars went 2-14 on the season, and Mularkey was fired after a single season.
Tennessee Titans
After sitting 2013 season, Mularkey returned to the NFL in 2014 as the tight ends coach for the Tennessee Titans under new head coach Ken Whisenhunt. The team only won two games in 2014, and in 2015 they drafted quarterback Marcus Mariota second overall. While Mariota played well, he only played in 12 games as he was hampered by injuries. The team fired Whisenhunt after seven games and promoted Mularkey, who had been named assistant head coach in the offseason, to interim head coach. After the 2015 season, the Titans named Mularkey the head coach for the 2016 season.
History
| Year | Position | Record | Playoff record |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 Atlanta Falcons | Tight Ends Coach | 7-9-0 | 0-0 |
| 2017 Tennessee Titans | Head Coach | 9-7-0 | 1-1 |
| 2016 Tennessee Titans | Head Coach | 9-7-0 | 0-0 |
| 2015 Tennessee Titans | Assistant Head Coach / Tight Ends Coach | 1-6-0 | 0-0 |
| 2015 Tennessee Titans | Interim Head Coach / Tight Ends Coach | 2-7-0 | 0-0 |
| 2014 Tennessee Titans | Tight Ends Coach | 2-14-0 | 0-0 |
| 2012 Jacksonville Jaguars | Head Coach | 2-14-0 | 0-0 |
| 2011 Atlanta Falcons | Offensive Coordinator | 10-6-0 | 0-1 |
| 2010 Atlanta Falcons | Offensive Coordinator | 13-3-0 | 0-1 |
| 2009 Atlanta Falcons | Offensive Coordinator | 9-7-0 | 0-0 |
| 2008 Atlanta Falcons | Offensive Coordinator | 11-5-0 | 0-1 |
| 2007 Miami Dolphins | Tight Ends Coach | 1-15-0 | 0-0 |
| 2006 Miami Dolphins | Offensive Coordinator | 6-10-0 | 0-0 |
| 2005 Buffalo Bills | Head Coach | 5-11-0 | 0-0 |
| 2004 Buffalo Bills | Head Coach | 9-7-0 | 0-0 |
| 2003 Pittsburgh Steelers | Offensive Coordinator | 6-10-0 | 0-0 |
| 2002 Pittsburgh Steelers | Offensive Coordinator | 10-5-1 | 1-1 |
| 2001 Pittsburgh Steelers | Offensive Coordinator | 13-3-0 | 1-1 |
| 2000 Pittsburgh Steelers | Tight Ends Coach | 9-7-0 | 0-0 |
| 1999 Pittsburgh Steelers | Tight Ends Coach | 6-10-0 | 0-0 |
| 1998 Pittsburgh Steelers | Tight Ends Coach | 7-9-0 | 0-0 |
| 1997 Pittsburgh Steelers | Tight Ends Coach | 11-5-0 | 1-1 |
| 1996 Pittsburgh Steelers | Tight Ends Coach | 10-6-0 | 1-1 |
| 1995 Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Tight Ends Coach | 7-9-0 | 0-0 |
| 1994 Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Quality Control Coach | 6-10-0 | 0-0 |
Coach history guide
| Seasons with a championship win | Seasons with a conference championship |
Coach facts
- Years as head coach: 5
- Named the interim head coach during the 2015 season for the Tennessee Titans
- Years as a coordinator: 8
- Fifth in winning percentage for the Tennessee Titans.
- Past teams coached for: Atlanta Falcons, Tennessee Titans, Jacksonville Jaguars, Miami Dolphins, Buffalo Bills, Pittsburgh Steelers, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- College Attended: Florida Gators
- Positions Played: Tight End
- Date of Birth: Sunday, November 19, 1961 (62 years old), Fort Lauderdale, Florida