Mike Pettine

Coaching Record

Years Coached Record Win % Playoff record Playoff win %
21 178-160-1 52.65% 8-8 50.00%

Coaching Tree

Parents:

Brian Billick, John Harbaugh, Rex Ryan, Doug Marrone

Children:

Mike McDaniel, Kyle Shanahan, Kevin O'Connell

Biography

Career Summary

Mike Pettine is a football coach in the National Football League (NFL) and has been the assistant head coach for the Minnesota Vikings since 2022. During this time period, the Vikings compiled a 20-14-0 record. He was the head coach of the Cleveland Browns from 2014 until the 2015 season, during which time the Browns went 10-22-0. During his career he was a head coach for two seasons. He was fired from the Browns on Sunday, January 3, 2016.

Mike Pettine Coaching Tree

Before he was a head coach, Pettine served as an assistant coach for Brian Billick, John Harbaugh, Rex Ryan, Doug Marrone, Pete Carroll, Mike McCarthy, Matt LaFleur, Matt Nagy, and Kevin O'Connell. Five of these years were spent on Billick's coaching staff. During his time as head coach, three assistant coaches, (Mike McDaniel, Kyle Shanahan, and Kevin O'Connell) on his coaching staff were hired as head coaches across the league. His coaching tree has combined for a record of 104-79-0 in the regular season and 8-7 in the playoffs during their eleven seasons as head coach after serving on his coaching staffs.

Personal Information

Pettine was born on Sunday, September 25, 1966 in Doylestown, Pennsylvania.

Table of Contents

Playing Career

Pettine grew up around football. His father, a longtime high school football coach in Pennsylvania, taught him to play and eventually coached him as a teenager. After high school, Pettine played college football at Virginia. He began his career as quarterback before moving to defensive back during his junior season. He was a two-year letterman as a free safety (1986, 1987) and led the team in interceptions in 1986.

Coaching Career

Amateur Coaching Years

Central Bucks West High School

After college, Pettine started his coaching career as an assistant coach to his father for five seasons at Central Bucks West High School. After the 1992 season, Pettine began coaching college.

Pittsburgh University

Beginning in 1993, Pettine coached with Pittsburgh University under head coach Johnny Majors. During his two seasons working as the defensive graduate assistant, the Panthers would post back-to-back 3-8 seasons.

William Tennent High School

In 1995, Pettine returned to the Philadelphia area and accepted his first head coach position. He coached at William Tennent High School for two seasons.

North Penn High School

After William Tennent, Pettine accepted the head coaching position with North Penn High School, a local rival of Central Bucks West High School where his father was still coaching. Pettine would coach for North Penn for five seasons (1997-2001). Two documentaries were created about the local Father/Son coaching matchups as Pettine challenged his father for area dominance. However, Pettine would go 0-5 against his dad between 1997 and 1999. Pettine's father retired after the 1999 season after going 45-0 with three straight State championships from 1997-1999.

NFL Coaching Career

Baltimore Ravens

In 2002, Pettine would jump to the NFL as a coaching assistant for the Baltimore Ravens. During his first two years with the Ravens, he helped develop the game plans and scouting reports to use against upcoming opponents. In 2004, Pettine was promoted to work closely with Rex Ryan as the assistant defensive line coach. 2004 would be the first year of nine in his career that Pettine would work closely with Ryan. In 2005, he was promoted to the outside linebacker coach as Ryan moved into the defensive coordinator position. With Pettine in that position, the Ravens had one of the top defensive units in the league over the next four seasons.

New York Jets

This success was rewarded when Ryan became the head coach of the New York Jets in 2009, naming Pettine his defensive coordinator. The Jets made the AFC championship game the first two years of Pettine’s time with the franchise. After 2010, however, the Jets regressed, missing the playoffs in the following two seasons.

Buffalo Bills

After the 2012 season, Pettine accepted a lateral position with the Buffalo Bills and new head coach Doug Marrone. His new position came with an increase in responsibility. While he was the defensive coordinator for the Jets, Ryan remained the primary defensive play-caller. Pettine's role with the Bills included play calling duties for the defense. During his lone season with the Bills, the defense would make dramatic improvements, leading Pettine to be a prime head coaching candidate.

Cleveland Browns

Pettine was hired by the Cleveland Browns at the conclusion of the 2013 season to fill the vacant head coaching position. The team had experienced positive improvement over the previous season, winning more games (7) than any year since 2007. Pettine was fired after the 2014 season when the Browns won only three games.

Seattle Seahawks

After not coaching during the 2016 NFL season, Pettine spent 2017 as a defensive consultant for the Seattle Seahawks.

Green Bay Packers

Pettine returned to the full-time coaching ranks in 2018, after he was named defensive coordinator for the Green Bay Packers under head coach Mike McCarthy. The team finished 6-9-1, tied for the fewest wins the Packers ever had in twelve seasons under McCarthy. After McCarthy was fired following the 2018 season, Pettine was retained by new head coach Matt LaFleur.

History

Year Position Record Playoff record
2023 Minnesota Vikings Assistant Head Coach 7-10-0 0-0
2022 Minnesota Vikings Assistant Head Coach 13-4-0 0-1
2021 Chicago Bears Senior Defensive Assistant Coach 6-11-0 0-0
2020 Green Bay Packers Defensive Coordinator 13-3-0 1-1
2019 Green Bay Packers Defensive Coordinator 13-3-0 1-1
2018 Green Bay Packers Defensive Coordinator 6-9-1 0-0
2017 Seattle Seahawks Defensive Consultant 9-7-0 0-0
2015 Cleveland Browns Head Coach 3-13-0 0-0
2014 Cleveland Browns Head Coach 7-9-0 0-0
2013 Buffalo Bills Defensive Coordinator 6-10-0 0-0
2012 New York Jets Defensive Coordinator 6-10-0 0-0
2011 New York Jets Defensive Coordinator 8-8-0 0-0
2010 New York Jets Defensive Coordinator 11-5-0 2-1
2009 New York Jets Defensive Coordinator 9-7-0 2-1
2008 Baltimore Ravens Outside Linebackers Coach 11-5-0 2-1
2007 Baltimore Ravens Outside Linebackers Coach 5-11-0 0-0
2006 Baltimore Ravens Outside Linebackers Coach 13-3-0 0-1
2005 Baltimore Ravens Outside Linebackers Coach 6-10-0 0-0
2004 Baltimore Ravens Assistant Defensive Line Coach / Defensive Assistant Coach 9-7-0 0-0
2003 Baltimore Ravens Quality Control Coach / Coaching Assistant / Coaches Assistant 10-6-0 0-1
2002 Baltimore Ravens Coaching and Video Assistant / Coaches Assistant 7-9-0 0-0
1994 Pittsburgh Panthers Graduate Assistant 3-8-0
1993 Pittsburgh Panthers Graduate Assistant 3-8-0

Coach history guide

Seasons with a championship win Seasons with a conference championship

Coach facts