Ed Biles
Encyclopedia
Ed Biles is a former American football
coach whose most prominent position was as head coach of the National Football League's Houston Oilers
from 1981 to 1983.
A native of Reading, Ohio
, USA, Biles was an outstanding high school athlete, earning 12 letters and helping the 1946 Reading High team capture the state baseball championship. He then attended Miami University
and was on the school's football team until suffering a career-ending injury. In his remaining time as an undergraduate, Biles served as an assistant with the squad, then officially began his coaching tenure at the high school level.
, while also finishing work on his master's degree. The next year, he was elevated to head coach at the school, before accepting the position of freshman football coach at Cincinnati's Xavier University. Biles would remain in that position for the next six years, with a record of 20-4 until he was promoted to head coach of the varsity on November 24, 1961, following the departure of Edward Doherty
.
under head coach Ara Parseghian
, who had been at the helm during Biles career at Miami. However, Biles turned the offer down on January 4, 1964, citing his desire to remain as a head coach. He remained at the school for another five seasons, having his best success with the 1965 unit that finished 8-2, and compiled an overall record of 39-28-3.
On January 27, 1969, Biles resigned his position at Xavier to become an assistant coach with the NFL's New Orleans Saints
. Working for two seasons under head coach Tom Fears
, Biles lost his job soon after Fears was dismissed in November 1970, but found work as a scout for the New York Jets
the following year.
After one season in that capacity, Biles was selected as the Jets' defensive backs coach on June 24, 1972. He spent the next two seasons under the leadership of head coach Weeb Ewbank, but when he retired following the 1973 NFL season
, Biles again lost his job.
. When Gillman retired at the end of that season, he promoted Bum Phillips
to head coach, with Biles becoming the team's defensive coordinator. Over the next six seasons, the team showed constant improvement, reaching the AFC Championship game
in both 1978 and 1979.
were stopped not by Pittsburgh, but the Cleveland Browns
. Houston reached the playoffs, but three days after an embarrassing loss to the Oakland Raiders in the 1980 AFC Wild Card game, Phillips was fired by Oilers owner Bud Adams
. On January 2, 1981, Biles was tabbed as the team's head coach.
Biles inherited an aging football team and was unable to maintain the winning ways, falling to 7-9 in 1981
before dropping to 1-8 in the strike-shortened 1982 NFL season
. When the team lost its first six games the next year, a string that extended a losing streak to 13 games, Biles resigned on October 10, 1983, and was replaced by defensive coordinator Chuck Studley
. Biles' frustration was evident at his final press conference when he said, "I've been a punching bag. I've been in the eye of the hurricane for two and a half years, the center of all controversies. I've felt like I've had enough."
. He was also inducted into both the Hamilton County
(Ohio) and Xavier University Halls of Fame,and Reading high School
In 2005, he was hired as head coach of the Cincinnati Marshalls of the National Indoor Football League
, but resigned on May 31 when additional duties were given due to the team's shaky financial condition.
In late 2006, Coach Biles was hired as an assistant to the head coach of the Texas Copperheads
of the af2
, the minor league system of the Arena Football League.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
coach whose most prominent position was as head coach of the National Football League's Houston Oilers
Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. They are members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Previously known as the Houston Oilers, the team began play in 1960 as a charter...
from 1981 to 1983.
A native of Reading, Ohio
Reading, Ohio
Reading is a city in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States. The population was 11,292 at the 2000 census. It is a suburb of Cincinnati. Reading is also the Home of 2003 Division 3 State Boys Basketball Champions...
, USA, Biles was an outstanding high school athlete, earning 12 letters and helping the 1946 Reading High team capture the state baseball championship. He then attended Miami University
Miami University
Miami University is a coeducational public research university located in Oxford, Ohio, United States. Founded in 1809, it is the 10th oldest public university in the United States and the second oldest university in Ohio, founded four years after Ohio University. In its 2012 edition, U.S...
and was on the school's football team until suffering a career-ending injury. In his remaining time as an undergraduate, Biles served as an assistant with the squad, then officially began his coaching tenure at the high school level.
High school coaching
In 1953, he served as an assistant coach at Woodward High School in Cincinnati, OhioCincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio. Cincinnati is the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located to north of the Ohio River at the Ohio-Kentucky border, near Indiana. The population within city limits is 296,943 according to the 2010 census, making it Ohio's...
, while also finishing work on his master's degree. The next year, he was elevated to head coach at the school, before accepting the position of freshman football coach at Cincinnati's Xavier University. Biles would remain in that position for the next six years, with a record of 20-4 until he was promoted to head coach of the varsity on November 24, 1961, following the departure of Edward Doherty
Edward Doherty
Edward Doherty is the name of:* Edward P. Doherty , United States Army officer, led capture of the assassin of US President Abraham Lincoln* Eddie Doherty , reporter, author, screenwriter, and ultimately ordained priest...
.
Coaching career
After two seasons in which he compiled an 11-8-1 record, Biles was offered a defensive assistant's role with the University of Notre DameUniversity of Notre Dame
The University of Notre Dame du Lac is a Catholic research university located in Notre Dame, an unincorporated community north of the city of South Bend, in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States...
under head coach Ara Parseghian
Ara Parseghian
Ara Raoul Parseghian is a former American football player and coach of Armenian descent. He served as the head football coach at Miami University , Northwestern University , and the University of Notre Dame , compiling a career college football record of 170–58–6...
, who had been at the helm during Biles career at Miami. However, Biles turned the offer down on January 4, 1964, citing his desire to remain as a head coach. He remained at the school for another five seasons, having his best success with the 1965 unit that finished 8-2, and compiled an overall record of 39-28-3.
On January 27, 1969, Biles resigned his position at Xavier to become an assistant coach with the NFL's New Orleans Saints
New Orleans Saints
The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans, Louisiana. They are members of the South Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League ....
. Working for two seasons under head coach Tom Fears
Tom Fears
Thomas Jesse Fears was a Mexican-American football wide receiver for the Los Angeles Rams in the National Football League, playing nine seasons from 1948 to 1956.-Early life:...
, Biles lost his job soon after Fears was dismissed in November 1970, but found work as a scout for the New York Jets
New York Jets
The New York Jets are a professional football team headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, representing the New York metropolitan area. The team is a member of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
the following year.
After one season in that capacity, Biles was selected as the Jets' defensive backs coach on June 24, 1972. He spent the next two seasons under the leadership of head coach Weeb Ewbank, but when he retired following the 1973 NFL season
1973 NFL season
The 1973 NFL season was the 54th regular season of the National Football League. The season featured O.J. Simpson becoming the first man to rush for 2,000 yards in one season...
, Biles again lost his job.
Houston Oilers
With his Miami University pedigree, he was able to obtain a def l.b. assistant's position in 1974 with the Oilers under former Miami coach Sid GillmanSid Gillman
Sidney "Sid" Gillman was an American football player, coach, executive, and innovator. Gillman's insistence on stretching the football field by throwing deep downfield passes, instead of short passes to running backs or wide receivers at the sides of the line of scrimmage, was instrumental in...
. When Gillman retired at the end of that season, he promoted Bum Phillips
Bum Phillips
Oail Andrew "Bum" Phillips is a retired American football coach and the father of Wade Phillips, the Defensive Coordinator for the Houston Texans...
to head coach, with Biles becoming the team's defensive coordinator. Over the next six seasons, the team showed constant improvement, reaching the AFC Championship game
AFC Championship Game
The American Football Conference Championship Game is one of the two final playoff matches of the National Football League, the largest professional American football league in the United States. The game is played on the penultimate Sunday in January and determines the champion of the American...
in both 1978 and 1979.
Head coach
In 1980, the Oilers' hopes of dethroning the Pittsburgh SteelersPittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The team currently belongs to the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Founded in , the Steelers are the oldest franchise in the AFC...
were stopped not by Pittsburgh, but the Cleveland Browns
Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns are a professional football team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are currently members of the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
. Houston reached the playoffs, but three days after an embarrassing loss to the Oakland Raiders in the 1980 AFC Wild Card game, Phillips was fired by Oilers owner Bud Adams
Bud Adams
Kenneth Stanley "Bud" Adams, Jr. is the owner of the Tennessee Titans' National Football League franchise. He was instrumental in the founding and establishment of the former American Football League. Adams became a charter AFL owner with the establishment of the Titans franchise, which was...
. On January 2, 1981, Biles was tabbed as the team's head coach.
Biles inherited an aging football team and was unable to maintain the winning ways, falling to 7-9 in 1981
1981 NFL season
The 1981 NFL season was the 62nd regular season of the National Football League. The season ended with Super Bowl XVI when the San Francisco 49ers defeated the Cincinnati Bengals.-Major rule changes:...
before dropping to 1-8 in the strike-shortened 1982 NFL season
1982 NFL season
The 1982 NFL season was the 63rd regular season of the National Football League. A 57-day long players' strike reduced the 1982 season from a 16-game schedule per team to an abbreviated nine game schedule...
. When the team lost its first six games the next year, a string that extended a losing streak to 13 games, Biles resigned on October 10, 1983, and was replaced by defensive coordinator Chuck Studley
Chuck Studley
Charles B. "Chuck" Studley is a former American football coach. He served as interim head coach of the Houston Oilers in 1983. Studley would finish with a 2-8 record in his only job as an NFL head coach....
. Biles' frustration was evident at his final press conference when he said, "I've been a punching bag. I've been in the eye of the hurricane for two and a half years, the center of all controversies. I've felt like I've had enough."
Later career
Biles never returned to the NFL, but remained in touch with the sport by serving as a color commentator for high school and college games in TexasTexas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
. He was also inducted into both the Hamilton County
Hamilton County, Ohio
As of 2000, there were 845,303 people, 346,790 households, and 212,582 families residing in the county. The population density was 2,075 people per square mile . There were 373,393 housing units at an average density of 917 per square mile...
(Ohio) and Xavier University Halls of Fame,and Reading high School
In 2005, he was hired as head coach of the Cincinnati Marshalls of the National Indoor Football League
National Indoor Football League
National Indoor Football League was a professional indoor football league in the United States. For their first six years, the league had teams in markets not covered by either the Arena Football League or its developmental league, af2, however, that changed briefly with their expansion into AFL...
, but resigned on May 31 when additional duties were given due to the team's shaky financial condition.
In late 2006, Coach Biles was hired as an assistant to the head coach of the Texas Copperheads
Texas Copperheads
The Texas Copperheads were a professional arena football that played in af2, the minor league for the Arena Football League. The team was founded in 2006 as member of the National Indoor Football League . They played their home games at the Richard E. Berry Educational Support Center in Cypress,...
of the af2
Af2
AF2 was the name of the Arena Football League's developmental league; it was founded in 1999 and played its first season in 2000. Like parent AFL, the AF2 played using the same arena football rules and style of play. League seasons ran from April through July with the postseason and ArenaCup...
, the minor league system of the Arena Football League.
External links
- http://www.goxavier.com/genrel/biles_edwardg00.html Xavier University Biography