Ray Rhodes
Encyclopedia
Raymond Earl Rhodes is currently a defensive assistant for the Cleveland Browns. He is also the former American football
head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles
and the Green Bay Packers
. He is the former assistant defensive backs coach
of the Houston Texans
. He earned five Super Bowl rings as an assistant coach with the San Francisco 49ers
and was named Coach of the Year
by The Associated Press in 1995, his first season as a head coach.
in Mexia, Texas
and was a letterman in football
, basketball, and track and field.
for two seasons before transferring to the University of Tulsa
, where he played wide receiver and defensive back.
in the 10th round of the 1974 NFL Draft
. He spent his first three years in the NFL as a wide receiver
before switching to defensive back
. In 1979, he was traded to the San Francisco 49ers
for Tony Dungy
, another future head coach. He retired after one season with the 49ers.
. He won two Super Bowl
s with a group that included Ronnie Lott
, Eric Wright, and Dwight Hicks
. After serving that position for many years, he was hired by former colleague Mike Holmgren
to be the new defensive coordinator
for the Green Bay Packers
. After two years Rhodes returned to San Francisco as the defensive coordinator of their 1994 Super Bowl Winning team.
Following his head-coaching jobs, Rhodes served as the defensive coordinator for the Washington Redskins
and the Denver Broncos
. After the 2002 season, Rhodes was reunited with Holmgren when he became the defensive coordinator for the Seattle Seahawks
, where he remained through the 2007 season.
In September 2005, Rhodes was hospitalized for dizziness and tests later revealed that he had suffered from a mild stroke. Early Monday October 2, 2006, the Seahawks charter flight had to make an emergency landing in Rapid City, South Dakota
to get precautionary medical care for Rhodes. The Seahawks were flying home from a loss at the Chicago Bears
.
On January 28, 2008, Ray Rhodes joined his sixth NFL organization when he was hired by the Houston Texans
as an assistant defensive backs coach.
On February 2, 1995, five days after the 49ers won Super Bowl XXIX
, Ray Rhodes was named head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles, becoming the fourth African-American head coach in NFL history behind Fritz Pollard
, Art Shell
and Dennis Green
. Rhodes gained notoriety for his no-nonsense approach and unusual ways of motivating his players. One such tactic was an analogy "comparing the feeling of a loss to someone breaking into (one's) home and sodomizing (one's) horses and kids."
In Rhodes's first season, he received the NFL Coach of the Year Award
as the Eagles overcame a 1-3 start to finish 10-6 and qualify for the playoffs as a wild card. Despite playing the first round game at home, the Eagles were an underdog to the Detroit Lions
, whose starting left tackle, Lomas Brown
, guaranteed an easy win. Using this perceived lack of respect as a rallying cry, Philadelphia dismantled Detroit, 58-37, at one point leading the game by a 51-7 score. Rhodes said after the victory that the only things guaranteed in life are "death and taxes." Though the Eagles were eliminated by the Dallas Cowboys
the following week, the 1995 season was considered an enormous success.
In 1996, the Eagles again finished 10-6, but struggled down the stretch after an impressive 7-2 start. Once again, Philadelphia reached the playoffs as a wild card, traveling to San Francisco to face the 49ers, Rhodes's former team. At a rain-soaked 3com Park
, the Eagles, who boasted the top-ranked offense in the NFC during the regular season, were shut out, 14-0.
During training camp in 1997, Rhodes remarked that season's Eagles team was his most talented one to date. Despite the optimism, Philadelphia started 1-3, and never quite recovered, stumbling to a disappointing 6-9-1 record, including an 0-7-1 mark on the road. As the team struggled through the season, it was widely speculated that players had grown weary of Rhodes's fiery approach and were tuning him out.
The 1998 season proved to be a disaster. A listless Eagles team finished 3-13, setting a franchise record for losses in a season. For the second straight season, Philadelphia did not win a road game, going 0-8 away from home. The offense, which ranked first in the NFC two years earlier, finished dead last in the NFL. The Eagles were shut out three times and scored only 161 total points. On December 28, one day after the season's final game, Rhodes was fired as Philadelphia's head coach. In four seasons as the Eagles' head coach, Rhodes complied a 29-34-1 record in the regular season, 1-2 in the playoffs.
The Green Bay Packers were looking for a new coach after Mike Holmgren
had left to become head coach and general manager of the Seattle Seahawks
. Green Bay GM Ron Wolf
was a fan of Rhodes' coaching style. On January 11, 1999, Rhodes was hired to coach the Packers after being the only candidate to interview for the position.
Rhodes's tenure as head coach lasted only one season. The Packers finished 8-8, their only non-winning season between 1992 and 2004. Green Bay missed the playoffs for the first time since 1992, based on a complicated tiebreaker system (Detroit and Dallas reached the playoffs with 8-8 records, while Green Bay and the Carolina Panthers
did not). Rhodes, a former NFL Coach of the Year, spent the 1999 season under heavy scrutiny by the Wisconsin sports media, beginning with accusations of underachieving, and highlighted by objection to his use of replay to overrule a go-ahead 4th quarter touchdown by the opposing Carolina Panthers. The criticism of this decision was also echoed by NBC's Paul McGuire. On January 3, 2000, Rhodes was fired by the Packers, and subsequently replaced by Mike Sherman
.
Following first head-coaching job
Assistant coaches under Ray Rhodes who have become NFL head coaches:
Additionally, Rhodes had his own TV and radio shows in the Philadelphia market before moving to the Green Bay Packers in 1999 and deciding to end his foray into on-air media talent.
In September 2005, Rhodes suffered a stroke while at his suburban Seattle home. During the 2006 season, Rhodes suffered from stroke-like symptoms while on the Seahawks' team flight home from a game at Chicago; the plane made an emergency landing in South Dakota due to the incident.
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...
head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles
Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
and the Green Bay Packers
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions...
. He is the former assistant defensive backs coach
Defensive backs coach
A defensive backs coach or secondary coach is a coach in charge of the safeties and cornerbacks in gridiron football. This position is very common in the CFL, NFL and college football programs. Some common titles are: safeties coach, cornerbacks coach, secondary coach, secondary/safeties coach,...
of the Houston Texans
Houston Texans
The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston, Texas. The team is currently a member of the Southern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
. He earned five Super Bowl rings as an assistant coach with the San Francisco 49ers
San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers are a professional American football team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team was founded in 1946 as a charter member of the All-America Football Conference and...
and was named Coach of the Year
NFL Coach of the Year Award
The National Football League Coach of the Year Award is presented annually by various news and sports organizations to the NFL head coach who has done the most outstanding job of working with the talent he has at his disposal. Currently, the most widely recognized award is presented by the...
by The Associated Press in 1995, his first season as a head coach.
High school
Rhodes attended Mexia High SchoolMexia High School
Mexia High School is a public school in Mexia, Texas . It is part of the Mexia Independent School District.-Athletics:The Mexia Blackcats compete in the following sports:...
in Mexia, Texas
Mexia, Texas
Mexia is a city in Limestone County, Texas, United States. The population was 6,552 at the 2008 census.The city's motto, based on the fact that outsiders tend to mispronounce the name , is "A great place, no matter how you pronounce it."...
and was a letterman in football
High school football
High school football, in North America, refers to the game of football as it is played in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular interscholastic sports in both of these nations....
, basketball, and track and field.
College
Rhodes was a running back at Texas Christian UniversityTCU Horned Frogs football
The TCU Horned Frogs football team is the intercollegiate football team of Texas Christian University. TCU competes as a member of the Mountain West Conference in the NCAA's Division I Football Bowl Subdivision, but will move to the Big 12 Conference for the 2012 season. TCU began playing football...
for two seasons before transferring to the University of Tulsa
Tulsa Golden Hurricane football
The University of Tulsa's Golden Hurricane football team represents Tulsa in Conference USA. Tulsa is currently coached by first-year head coach Bill Blankenship. The football team was coached by Todd Graham until he accepted the head coaching job at Pittsburgh....
, where he played wide receiver and defensive back.
NFL
Rhodes was selected by the New York GiantsNew York Giants
The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, representing the New York City metropolitan area. The Giants are currently members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
in the 10th round of the 1974 NFL Draft
1974 NFL Draft
The 1974 National Football League Draft took place at the Americana Hotel in New York City on January 29–30, 1974. Each of the 26 NFL teams was granted 17 selections for a total of 442 picks....
. He spent his first three years in the NFL as a wide receiver
Wide receiver
A wide receiver is an offensive position in American and Canadian football, and is the key player in most of the passing plays. Only players in the backfield or the ends on the line are eligible to catch a forward pass. The two players who begin play at the ends of the offensive line are eligible...
before switching to defensive back
Defensive back
In American football and Canadian football, defensive backs are the players on the defensive team who take positions somewhat back from the line of scrimmage; they are distinguished from the defensive line players and linebackers, who take positions directly behind or close to the line of...
. In 1979, he was traded to the San Francisco 49ers
San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers are a professional American football team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team was founded in 1946 as a charter member of the All-America Football Conference and...
for Tony Dungy
Tony Dungy
Anthony Kevin "Tony" Dungy [DUN-jee] is a former professional American football player and coach in the National Football League. Dungy was head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 1996 to 2001, and head coach of the Indianapolis Colts from 2002 to 2008...
, another future head coach. He retired after one season with the 49ers.
Assistant coach
Rhodes remained with the 49ers as an assistant secondary coach before becoming defensive backs coachDefensive backs coach
A defensive backs coach or secondary coach is a coach in charge of the safeties and cornerbacks in gridiron football. This position is very common in the CFL, NFL and college football programs. Some common titles are: safeties coach, cornerbacks coach, secondary coach, secondary/safeties coach,...
. He won two Super Bowl
Super Bowl
The Super Bowl is the championship game of the National Football League , the highest level of professional American football in the United States, culminating a season that begins in the late summer of the previous calendar year. The Super Bowl uses Roman numerals to identify each game, rather...
s with a group that included Ronnie Lott
Ronnie Lott
Ronald Mandel "Ronnie" Lott is a former American football player who starred as a cornerback, free safety, and strong safety in college football and the NFL. He is most well known for his crushing hits on opposing players...
, Eric Wright, and Dwight Hicks
Dwight Hicks
Dwight Hicks is a former professional American football player who played defensive back for the Toronto Argonauts in 1978, the San Francisco 49ers from 1979 to 1985, and for the Indianapolis Colts in 1986.-High school and college:...
. After serving that position for many years, he was hired by former colleague Mike Holmgren
Mike Holmgren
Michael George Holmgren is a former professional football coach and current President of the Cleveland Browns. He served as the head coach of the Green Bay Packers from 1992 to 1998, and the Seattle Seahawks from 1999 to 2008...
to be the new defensive coordinator
Defensive coordinator
A defensive coordinator typically refers to a coach on a gridiron football team who is in charge of the defense. Generally, along with his offensive counterpart, he represents the second level of command structure after the head coach...
for the Green Bay Packers
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions...
. After two years Rhodes returned to San Francisco as the defensive coordinator of their 1994 Super Bowl Winning team.
Following his head-coaching jobs, Rhodes served as the defensive coordinator for the Washington Redskins
Washington Redskins
The Washington Redskins are a professional American football team and members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team plays at FedExField in Landover, Maryland, while its headquarters and training facility are at Redskin Park in Ashburn,...
and the Denver Broncos
Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver, Colorado. They are currently members of the West Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
. After the 2002 season, Rhodes was reunited with Holmgren when he became the defensive coordinator for the Seattle Seahawks
Seattle Seahawks
The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle, Washington. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team joined the NFL in 1976 as an expansion team...
, where he remained through the 2007 season.
In September 2005, Rhodes was hospitalized for dizziness and tests later revealed that he had suffered from a mild stroke. Early Monday October 2, 2006, the Seahawks charter flight had to make an emergency landing in Rapid City, South Dakota
Rapid City, South Dakota
Rapid City is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of South Dakota, and the county seat of Pennington County. Named after Rapid Creek on which the city is established, it is set against the eastern slope of the Black Hills mountain range. The population was 67,956 as of the 2010 Census. Rapid...
to get precautionary medical care for Rhodes. The Seahawks were flying home from a loss at the Chicago Bears
Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
.
On January 28, 2008, Ray Rhodes joined his sixth NFL organization when he was hired by the Houston Texans
Houston Texans
The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston, Texas. The team is currently a member of the Southern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
as an assistant defensive backs coach.
Philadelphia Eagles
On February 2, 1995, five days after the 49ers won Super Bowl XXIX
Super Bowl XXIX
Super Bowl XXIX was an American football game played on January 29, 1995 at Joe Robbie Stadium in Miami, Florida to decide the National Football League champion following the 1994 regular season...
, Ray Rhodes was named head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles, becoming the fourth African-American head coach in NFL history behind Fritz Pollard
Fritz Pollard
Frederick Douglass "Fritz" Pollard was the first African American head coach in the National Football League . Pollard along with Bobby Marshall were the first two African American players in the NFL in 1920...
, Art Shell
Art Shell
Arthur "Art" Shell is an American former collegiate and professional football player in the American Football League and later in the NFL, a Hall of Fame offensive tackle, and a two-time former head coach of the Oakland Raiders...
and Dennis Green
Dennis Green
Dennis "Denny" Green is an American football head coach for the Sacramento Mountain Lions of the United Football League...
. Rhodes gained notoriety for his no-nonsense approach and unusual ways of motivating his players. One such tactic was an analogy "comparing the feeling of a loss to someone breaking into (one's) home and sodomizing (one's) horses and kids."
In Rhodes's first season, he received the NFL Coach of the Year Award
NFL Coach of the Year Award
The National Football League Coach of the Year Award is presented annually by various news and sports organizations to the NFL head coach who has done the most outstanding job of working with the talent he has at his disposal. Currently, the most widely recognized award is presented by the...
as the Eagles overcame a 1-3 start to finish 10-6 and qualify for the playoffs as a wild card. Despite playing the first round game at home, the Eagles were an underdog to the Detroit Lions
Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League , and play their home games at Ford Field in Downtown Detroit.Originally based in Portsmouth, Ohio and...
, whose starting left tackle, Lomas Brown
Lomas Brown
Lomas Brown, Jr. is a former American college and professional football player who was an offensive tackle in the National Football League for eighteen seasons in the 1980s, 1990s and early 2000s. Brown played college football for the University of Florida, and thereafter, he played...
, guaranteed an easy win. Using this perceived lack of respect as a rallying cry, Philadelphia dismantled Detroit, 58-37, at one point leading the game by a 51-7 score. Rhodes said after the victory that the only things guaranteed in life are "death and taxes." Though the Eagles were eliminated by the Dallas Cowboys
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas...
the following week, the 1995 season was considered an enormous success.
In 1996, the Eagles again finished 10-6, but struggled down the stretch after an impressive 7-2 start. Once again, Philadelphia reached the playoffs as a wild card, traveling to San Francisco to face the 49ers, Rhodes's former team. At a rain-soaked 3com Park
Monster Park
Candlestick Park is an outdoor sports and entertainment stadium located in San Francisco, California, in the Bayview Heights area. The stadium was originally built as the home of Major League Baseball's San Francisco Giants, who played there from 1960 until moving into Pacific Bell Park in 2000...
, the Eagles, who boasted the top-ranked offense in the NFC during the regular season, were shut out, 14-0.
During training camp in 1997, Rhodes remarked that season's Eagles team was his most talented one to date. Despite the optimism, Philadelphia started 1-3, and never quite recovered, stumbling to a disappointing 6-9-1 record, including an 0-7-1 mark on the road. As the team struggled through the season, it was widely speculated that players had grown weary of Rhodes's fiery approach and were tuning him out.
The 1998 season proved to be a disaster. A listless Eagles team finished 3-13, setting a franchise record for losses in a season. For the second straight season, Philadelphia did not win a road game, going 0-8 away from home. The offense, which ranked first in the NFC two years earlier, finished dead last in the NFL. The Eagles were shut out three times and scored only 161 total points. On December 28, one day after the season's final game, Rhodes was fired as Philadelphia's head coach. In four seasons as the Eagles' head coach, Rhodes complied a 29-34-1 record in the regular season, 1-2 in the playoffs.
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers were looking for a new coach after Mike Holmgren
Mike Holmgren
Michael George Holmgren is a former professional football coach and current President of the Cleveland Browns. He served as the head coach of the Green Bay Packers from 1992 to 1998, and the Seattle Seahawks from 1999 to 2008...
had left to become head coach and general manager of the Seattle Seahawks
Seattle Seahawks
The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle, Washington. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team joined the NFL in 1976 as an expansion team...
. Green Bay GM Ron Wolf
Ron Wolf
Ron Wolf is the former American football general manager of the NFL's Green Bay Packers. He also played a significant role in personnel operations with the Oakland and Los Angeles Raiders from 1963–1975, and again from 1978–1990...
was a fan of Rhodes' coaching style. On January 11, 1999, Rhodes was hired to coach the Packers after being the only candidate to interview for the position.
Rhodes's tenure as head coach lasted only one season. The Packers finished 8-8, their only non-winning season between 1992 and 2004. Green Bay missed the playoffs for the first time since 1992, based on a complicated tiebreaker system (Detroit and Dallas reached the playoffs with 8-8 records, while Green Bay and the Carolina Panthers
Carolina Panthers
The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. They are currently members of the South Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Panthers, along with the Jacksonville Jaguars, joined the NFL as expansion...
did not). Rhodes, a former NFL Coach of the Year, spent the 1999 season under heavy scrutiny by the Wisconsin sports media, beginning with accusations of underachieving, and highlighted by objection to his use of replay to overrule a go-ahead 4th quarter touchdown by the opposing Carolina Panthers. The criticism of this decision was also echoed by NBC's Paul McGuire. On January 3, 2000, Rhodes was fired by the Packers, and subsequently replaced by Mike Sherman
Mike Sherman
Michael Francis "Mike" Sherman is the head coach of the Texas A&M Aggies football team. Prior to coaching the Aggies, he served as the head coach of the Green Bay Packers from the 2000–05 seasons. Sherman led the Packers to five consecutive winning seasons from 2000–04 and three divisional titles...
.
Head coaching record
| Team | |Regular Season | PHI 1995 Philadelphia Eagles season The 1995 Philadelphia Eagles season was their 63rd in the league. The team improved upon their previous output of 7–9, winning ten games and qualifying for the playoffs for the first time in three seasons.-Off Season:... |
1995 1995 NFL season The 1995 NFL season was the 76th regular season of the National Football League. The league expanded to 30 teams with the addition of the Carolina Panthers and the Jacksonville Jaguars... |
10 | 6 | 0 | .625 | 2nd in NFC East | 1 | 1 | .500 | Lost to Dallas Cowboys Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas... in NFC Divisional Game NFL playoffs, 1995-96 The NFL playoffs following the 1995 NFL season led up to Super Bowl XXX.-Bracket:-AFC: Buffalo Bills 37, Miami Dolphins 22:Although Dolphins quarterback Dan Marino completed 33 out of 64 passes for 422 yards, the Bills jumped to a 27-0 lead going into the fourth quarter, and rushed for an NFL... . |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PHI 1996 Philadelphia Eagles season The 1996 Philadelphia Eagles season was their 64th in the league. The team matched their previous output of 10–6, again winning ten games and qualifying for the playoffs.-Off Season:... |
1996 1996 NFL season The 1996 NFL season was the 77th regular season of the National Football League and the season was marked by notable controversies from beginning to end... |
10 | 6 | 0 | .625 | 1st in NFC East | 0 | 1 | .000 | Lost to San Francisco 49ers San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers are a professional American football team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team was founded in 1946 as a charter member of the All-America Football Conference and... in NFC Wild-Card Game NFL playoffs, 1996-97 The NFL playoffs following the 1996 NFL season led up to Super Bowl XXXI. This post-season was remarkable in that the Jacksonville Jaguars and Carolina Panthers each made it all the way to their respective conference championships, only two years after their inception into the league as expansion... . |
||
| PHI 1997 Philadelphia Eagles season The 1997 Philadelphia Eagles season was their 65th in the league. The team failed to improve on their previous output of 10–6, winning only six games and failing to reach the playoffs for the first time in three seasons.-Player Selections:... |
1997 1997 NFL season The 1997 NFL season was the 78th regular season of the National Football League. The Oilers relocated from Houston, Texas to Nashville, Tennessee... |
6 | 9 | 1 | .400 | 3rd in NFC East | - | - | - | - | ||
| PHI 1998 Philadelphia Eagles season The 1998 Philadelphia Eagles season was their 66th in the National Football League. The team failed to improve on their previous output of 6–9–1, winning only three games, which was their worst record since 1972 and the only time since then they have won fewer than five games.-Staff:-Player... |
1998 1998 NFL season The 1998 NFL season was the 79th regular season of the National Football League.The Tennessee Oilers moved their home games from Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium in Memphis to Vanderbilt Stadium in Nashville, still awaiting construction on a new stadium in Nashville.This was the first season that CBS... |
3 | 13 | 0 | .188 | 5th in NFC East | - | - | - | - | ||
| PHI Total | 29 | 34 | 1 | .460 | 1 | 2 | .333 | |||||
| GNB 1999 Green Bay Packers season The 1999 Green Bay Packers season was the first and last season for head coach Ray Rhodes. The Packers finished 8-8, posting their worst record since Brett Favre took over the helm as the Packers' starting quarterback.-1999 NFL draft:... |
1999 1999 NFL season The 1999 NFL season was the 80th regular season of the National Football League. The Cleveland Browns returned to the field for the first time since the 1995 season... |
8 | 8 | 0 | .500 | 4th in NFC Central | - | - | - | - | ||
| GNB Total | 8 | 8 | 0 | .500 | - | - | - | |||||
| Total | 37 | 42 | 1 | .468 | 1 | 2 | .333 | |||||
Coaching tree
NFL head coaches under whom Ray Rhodes has served:- Bill Walsh, San Francisco 49ersSan Francisco 49ersThe San Francisco 49ers are a professional American football team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team was founded in 1946 as a charter member of the All-America Football Conference and...
, (1981–1988) - George SeifertGeorge SeifertGeorge Seifert is a former NFL head coach of the San Francisco 49ers and the Carolina Panthers. Seifert joined the 49ers' coaching staff under Bill Walsh in 1980 as defensive backs coach and served as the team's defensive coordinator from 1983–1988.As a 49er assistant, his defenses finished...
, San Francisco 49ers, (1989–1991; 1994) - Mike HolmgrenMike HolmgrenMichael George Holmgren is a former professional football coach and current President of the Cleveland Browns. He served as the head coach of the Green Bay Packers from 1992 to 1998, and the Seattle Seahawks from 1999 to 2008...
, Green Bay PackersGreen Bay PackersThe Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions...
, (1992–1993); Seattle SeahawksSeattle SeahawksThe Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle, Washington. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team joined the NFL in 1976 as an expansion team...
(2003–2007)
Following first head-coaching job
- Norv TurnerNorv TurnerNorval Eugene Turner is the head coach for the National Football League's San Diego Chargers. He also has served as head coach of the Washington Redskins and the Oakland Raiders, and as offensive coordinator for the Dallas Cowboys, San Diego Chargers, Miami Dolphins, and San Francisco 49ers...
, Washington RedskinsWashington RedskinsThe Washington Redskins are a professional American football team and members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team plays at FedExField in Landover, Maryland, while its headquarters and training facility are at Redskin Park in Ashburn,...
, (2000) - Mike ShanahanMike ShanahanMichael Edward "Mike" Shanahan is the 28th and current head coach of the Washington Redskins of the National Football League. Shanahan also holds the title of Vice President of Football Operations with the Redskins, giving him full control over player personnel with the team. Shanahan previously...
, Denver BroncosDenver BroncosThe Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver, Colorado. They are currently members of the West Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
, (2001–2002) - Gary KubiakGary KubiakGary Wayne Kubiak is the head coach for the Houston Texans of the National Football League. Kubiak has participated in six Super Bowls, losing three as a player with the Denver Broncos and winning three as an assistant coach with Denver and the San Francisco 49ers.-High school:Kubiak passed for a...
, Houston TexansHouston TexansThe Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston, Texas. The team is currently a member of the Southern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
, (2008–present)
Assistant coaches under Ray Rhodes who have become NFL head coaches:
- Bill Callahan, Oakland RaidersOakland RaidersThe Oakland Raiders are a professional American football team based in Oakland, California. They currently play in the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
(2002–2003), University of NebraskaNebraska Cornhuskers footballThe Nebraska Cornhuskers represent the University of Nebraska–Lincoln in college football. The program has established itself as a traditional powerhouse, and has the fourth-most all-time victories of any NCAA Division I-A team. Nebraska is one of only six football programs in NCAA Division I-A...
(2003–2007) - Jon GrudenJon GrudenJon David Gruden is an American football analyst and former head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for seven seasons and prior to that the Oakland Raiders for four seasons. In his first year as the head coach of Tampa Bay, the Buccaneers won Super Bowl XXXVII, defeating the Raiders whom he had...
, Oakland RaidersOakland RaidersThe Oakland Raiders are a professional American football team based in Oakland, California. They currently play in the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
(1998–2001), Tampa Bay BuccaneersTampa Bay BuccaneersThe Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football franchise based in Tampa, Florida, U.S. They are currently members of the Southern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League – they are the only team in the division not to come from the old NFC West...
(2002–2008) - John Harbaugh, Baltimore RavensBaltimore RavensThe Baltimore Ravens are a professional football franchise based in Baltimore, Maryland.The Baltimore Ravens are officially a quasi-expansion franchise, having originated in 1995 with the Cleveland Browns relocation controversy after Art Modell, then owner of the Cleveland Browns, announced his...
(2008–present) - Mike McCarthy, Green Bay PackersGreen Bay PackersThe Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions...
(2006–present) - Marty MornhinwegMarty MornhinwegMarty Mornhinweg is the offensive coordinator with the Philadelphia Eagles, having joined the Eagles in 2003 as the assistant head coach. He was named offensive coordinator on January 6, 2006, after the Eagles previous offensive coordinator Brad Childress was hired as the head coach of the...
, Detroit LionsDetroit LionsThe Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League , and play their home games at Ford Field in Downtown Detroit.Originally based in Portsmouth, Ohio and...
(2001–2002) - Sean PaytonSean PaytonPatrick Sean Payton is the current head coach of the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League. Payton was a quarterback at Naperville Central High School and Eastern Illinois University and played professionally in 1987 and 1988...
, New Orleans SaintsNew Orleans SaintsThe 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 ....
(2006–present) - Emmitt ThomasEmmitt ThomasEmmitt Earl Thomas is currently the secondary coach of the National Football League's Kansas City Chiefs. He is a former college and professional football player who played for the American Football League's Kansas City Chiefs from 1966 to 1969, and then for the Chiefs in the NFL from 1970 to 1978...
, Atlanta FalconsAtlanta FalconsThe Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta, Georgia. They are a member of the South Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
(2007, interim)
Personal life
While in Philadelphia, Rhodes spent a lot of time enjoying his favorite hobby, horse racing. He appeared regularly on Courier-Post's "Dusty Nathan's Winner's Circle" radio show.Additionally, Rhodes had his own TV and radio shows in the Philadelphia market before moving to the Green Bay Packers in 1999 and deciding to end his foray into on-air media talent.
In September 2005, Rhodes suffered a stroke while at his suburban Seattle home. During the 2006 season, Rhodes suffered from stroke-like symptoms while on the Seahawks' team flight home from a game at Chicago; the plane made an emergency landing in South Dakota due to the incident.