Philosophical Tree Connections
Coaching trees can also show a philosophical relationship between a mentor head coach and their protégé. Below is a list of current and former head coaches and who they primarily developed their philosophy under:
- Norv Turner: Most recently Turner worked as an Offensive Coordinator under Mike Nolan in San Francisco. However, Nolan previously worked under Turner when he was the Head Coach with the Redskins as a Defensive Coordinator 1997-1999. Also, before getting his first head coaching job with the Redskins in 1994, Turner worked under both John Robinson in Los Angeles and Jimmy Johnson in Dallas. Turner article
- Wade Phillips: Coached under Marty Schottenheimer, but primarily learned his philosophy from his father, Bum Phillips. Phillips article
- Jon Gruden: Worked under Mike Holmgren in Green Bay. Holmgren/Gruden article
- Tony Dungy: Is listed above as part of the Schottenheimer coaching tree. However, Dungy attributes most of his coaching style from tutelage under Chuck Noll. Noll learned much of his own philosophy from Paul Brown. Noll coached Dungy as a player and also gave him his first NFL position as the defensive backs coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers. Dungy later became the defensive coordinator for the Steelers. Dungy article
- Todd Haley: Coached under Bill Parcells and learned his philosophy from him for many years before joining Ken Whisenhunt in Arizona, in 2007.
- Steve Spagnuolo: While Spagnuolo is credited under Tom Coughlin and Bill Parcells tree, he studied and learned much of his style and system during his tenure in Philadelphia under Jim Johnson and Andy Reid. Spagnuolo took Johnson's style of play to New York where he gained national attention for his scheming and personnel packages that helped shut down New England in the Super Bowl, one of the biggest upsets in NFL history. He then took that defense to St. Louis.
- Jack Del Rio: He worked under Marvin Lewis on the Ravens' defensive staff. However, Del Río got his coaching start from Mike Ditka in New Orleans, and then worked as Defensive Coordinator under John Fox in Carolina before being hired by Jacksonville in 2003.
Additionally, many college football coaches worked as assistants for head coaches on the tree. For instance, Bill Belichick can claim Kirk Ferentz, Nick Saban, and Charlie Weis as descendants of his tree, though they are not included in the graphic above.
- Bum Phillips coached under Gillman with the Oilers, and was chosen by Gillman to succeed him upon Gillman's stepping down from the head coaching job of the Houston Oilers.
Read more about this topic: Coaching Tree
Famous quotes containing the words tree and/or connections:
“A tree is made to live in peace in the color of day and in friendship with the sun, the wind and the rain. Its roots plunge in the fat fermentation of the soil, sucking in its elemental humors, its fortifying juices. Trees always seem lost in a great tranquil dream. The dark rising sap makes them groan in the warm afternoons. A tree is a living being that knows the course of the clouds and presses the storms because it is full of birds’ nests.”
—Jacques Roumain (1907–1945)
“The conclusion suggested by these arguments might be called the paradox of theorizing. It asserts that if the terms and the general principles of a scientific theory serve their purpose, i. e., if they establish the definite connections among observable phenomena, then they can be dispensed with since any chain of laws and interpretive statements establishing such a connection should then be replaceable by a law which directly links observational antecedents to observational consequents.”
—C.G. (Carl Gustav)