Andy Reid


Andrew Walter "Andy" Reid is an American football coach who is the head coach of the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League. Reid was previously the head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles, a position he held from 1999 to 2012. From 2001 to 2012, he was also the Eagles' executive vice president of football operations, effectively making him the team's general manager. He began his professional coaching career as an assistant coach for the Green Bay Packers from 1992 to 1998, with whom he won a Super Bowl title in Super Bowl XXXI.
Reid's tenure in Green Bay helped him secure his first head coaching position with the Eagles, who became perennial postseason contenders under his leadership. He led the Eagles to nine playoff runs, six division titles, five National Football Conference championship games, and one Super Bowl appearance. Despite his success, Reid was unable to lead the Eagles to victory in the Super Bowl, and he left the team in 2012 following a decline in fortunes.
Shortly after his departure from Philadelphia, Reid was hired as the head coach of the Chiefs in 2013 and helped revitalize the struggling franchise, including ending the Chiefs eight-game playoff losing streak that had stood since 1993. In his seven seasons with Kansas City, he has led the Chiefs to six postseason appearances, four division titles and two American Football Conference championship games. In 2019, he led the Chiefs to a victory in Super Bowl LIV, the franchise's first Super Bowl victory in 50 years and his first as a head coach.

Early life

Born in Los Angeles, California, Reid attended John Marshall High School and worked as a vendor at Dodger Stadium as a teenager. He also played youth sports in East Hollywood at , and among his coaches was Pete Arbogast, who is the radio announcer for the USC football team, and formerly the radio play-by-play man for the Cincinnati Bengals. In 1971, at age 13, Reid appeared live on Monday Night Football during the Punt, Pass, and Kick competition; he was already so large that he wore the jersey of Les Josephson. Reid played offensive tackle at Glendale Community College in Glendale, California, then at Brigham Young University from 1978 to 1980 where he was a teammate of Jim McMahon and Tom Holmoe.

Coaching career

College

After graduating from BYU in 1981, he spent one year as a graduate assistant on the school's football coaching staff. He spent the next nine years as an offensive line coach with four colleges, including in 1986 with Northern Arizona University when he coached Frank Pollack, who went on to play for six seasons with the San Francisco 49ers.

Green Bay Packers

Reid was hired as an assistant coach by the Green Bay Packers in 1992, the same year quarterback Brett Favre became a member of that team. In 1995, he became the assistant offensive line and tight ends coach, where he helped lead the 1996 team to a Super Bowl XXXI win over the New England Patriots. Reid was named the Packers' quarterbacks coach in 1997, replacing Marty Mornhinweg, who left to be the offensive coordinator for his predecessor in Green Bay, Steve Mariucci. Mariucci originally wanted Reid to be his offensive coordinator in San Francisco, but Packers head coach Mike Holmgren prevented the move.

Philadelphia Eagles

When looking for a new head coach, Philadelphia Eagles president Joe Banner asked other teams' general managers for names of coaches that players complained about for being detail-obsessed. Reid arrived at his interview with a five inches-thick book on how he would run the team. The Eagles hired Reid on January 11, 1999; he was the second-youngest head coach in the league after Jon Gruden and the first to get the job while quarterbacks coach without any coordinator experience.
Many in the Philadelphia news media criticized the hiring, citing the availability of other candidates who had records of success as head coaches. Originally, the Eagles considered hiring Mike Holmgren, Reid's boss in Green Bay, as head coach to replace Ray Rhodes, who was fired after leading the Eagles to a league-worst 3–13 season. Holmgren opted to join the Seattle Seahawks instead, but advised Eagles owner Jeff Lurie to hire Reid.
In 2001, Reid was named executive vice president of football operations of the Eagles, effectively making him the team's general manager. Although the Eagles have had someone with the title of general manager since 2005, Reid had the final say on football matters.

Early years

The Eagles hired Reid as their head coach in 1999. The team drafted dual-threat quarterback Donovan McNabb in the first round with the second overall pick, although Reid started former Packers backup Doug Pederson for the first nine games of the season. They improved their record by two games in 1999 to finish at 5–11. Among the five wins was the team's first road victory in 19 games, a 20–16 road victory over the Chicago Bears on October 17. In 2000, the Eagles posted an 11–5 regular-season record and won their first playoff game since the 1995 season, beating the Tampa Bay Buccaneeers in Philadelphia on New Year's Eve.
In 2001, Reid's Eagles won the first of four consecutive National Football Conference's Eastern Division titles, the longest such streak in franchise history, and advanced to the conference championship game in,, and, losing this game on the first three occasions. The 2003 team qualified for postseason play after opening the season with two losses, both at home, and was also the first NFL team ever to reach the conference title round of the playoffs after having been shut out at home on opening day. The 2004 team was the second NFC East squad to defeat all of its division rivals twice during the same regular season. The 2004 Eagles clinched the NFC #1-seed with a 13–1 record and proceeded to rest their starters for the final two games. After three straight NFC Championship losses, the team beat the Atlanta Falcons by a score of 27–10 and made it to Super Bowl XXXIX but fell to the New England Patriots 24–21.

2005–2006

The 2005 season was difficult for Reid, as he was unprepared to deal with wide receiver Terrell Owens' flamboyant persona, which forced Reid to permanently deactivate him midway through the season. A couple of weeks later quarterback Donovan McNabb suffered a season-ending injury, leaving the Eagles without the services of two of their star players. The Eagles lost eight of their last ten games and finished 6–10. On the bright side, with their third win of the season – a 23–20 win over the Oakland Raiders – Reid passed Greasy Neale to become the winningest coach in franchise history.
The Eagles enjoyed a rollercoaster campaign under Reid in 2006. The season appeared to be lost by October with another season-ending injury to McNabb, turning a 4–1 start into a mid-season breakdown which left the team 5–5. After an embarrassing 45–21 defeat at the hands of the Indianapolis Colts, the Eagles were on the verge of elimination from the playoffs. Reid coached backup quarterback, Jeff Garcia, and the 5–6 Eagles, to victories over a slew of NFC rivals including the Carolina Panthers, Washington Redskins, New York Giants, and Dallas Cowboys. The Eagles, at 10–6, won the NFC East division title, as well as an NFC Wild Card game against the New York Giants. Their season ended at the hands of an opportune New Orleans Saints team in the NFC Divisional Round.

2007–2011

In the 2007 season, Reid led the Eagles to an 8–8 season with no appearance in the postseason.
In the 2008 season, Reid's 9–6–1 Eagles managed to knock off the defending Super Bowl Champions, the New York Giants, in the divisional game, leading the Eagles to a fifth NFC Championship game, where they lost to the Arizona Cardinals by a score of 32–25. He coached the NFC to a 30–21 win in the 2009 Pro Bowl. However, the team was devastated by the loss of Jim Johnson, who had been the defensive coordinator for Reid's entire career and had helped turn the Eagles into one of the NFL's elite defenses.
In the 2009 season, Reid failed to win a first-round post-season game for the first time in his career, with his 11–5 Eagles being eliminated by the first place Dallas Cowboys by a score of 34–14 in the Wild Card Round. Over the offseason, the Eagles traded longtime starting quarterback Donovan McNabb to the Redskins. After Week 2 of the 2010 season, Reid named Michael Vick the starting quarterback of the Eagles.
In the 2010 season, Reid led the Eagles to 10–6 record in the regular season and qualified for the playoffs. In the Wild Card Round against the Green Bay Packers, the Eagles fell 21–16.
Reid was named the Earle "Greasy" Neale Award winner for the third time in 2010.
In the 2011 season, Reid led the Eagles to an 8–8 season with no appearance in the postseason.

2012

In the 2012 season, Reid and the Eagles struggled to a 4–12 record, the worst of his head coaching tenure. The year also marked the first time the Eagles missed the postseason in consecutive years under Reid. On December 31, 2012, Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie announced that Reid's contract would not be renewed, allowing Reid to pursue other coaching jobs, the day after the season ended with an embarrassing 42–7 loss to the New York Giants. Reid was the longest-tenured head coach in the NFL prior to his release. Reid provided encouragement to his successor as Eagles head coach, Chip Kelly.
Lurie said that Reid's induction into the Philadelphia Eagles Hall of Fame was inevitable, and players gave their former coach a standing ovation during his last meeting with them. During his 14-year tenure with the Eagles, Reid compiled the best win total, winning percentage and playoff victory total in team history. He captured six division titles and five trips to the NFC Championship game. During this period, no other franchise earned more divisional playoff round appearances and only Bill Belichick's New England Patriots exceeded Philadelphia's conference championship game appearances with. Despite his success, however, Reid was ultimately unable to lead the Eagles to a Super Bowl title.
Reid sent 19 players to 44 Pro Bowl appearances, the highest total for any team in the NFL during that period. None of these players had ever appeared in a Pro Bowl before Reid was hired.
Since 1990, only thirteen first-time head coaches remained with their original team for eight or more years: Reid, Tennessee's Jeff Fisher, Brian Billick, Bill Cowher, Dennis Green, Tom Coughlin, Jack Del Rio, Cincinnati's Marvin Lewis, Green Bay's Mike McCarthy, New Orleans's Sean Payton, Pittsburgh's Mike Tomlin, Baltimore's John Harbaugh, and Dallas's Jason Garrett.

Kansas City Chiefs

2013–2015

Reid expected the Eagles to not extend him, and was already preparing to hire a new coaching staff. Three teams reportedly had airplanes in Philadelphia to fly him to interviews. On January 4, 2013, Reid reached a five-year contract agreement to become the head coach of the Chiefs. On the same day, the Chiefs fired general manager Scott Pioli. Originally, Reid's contract made him the final authority in football matters, the same power he had in Philadelphia. A week later, however, the Chiefs hired John Dorsey, who had previously worked with Reid as an assistant in Green Bay, as general manager. Reid and Chiefs owner Clark Hunt announced that Dorsey will have the final say in personnel matters. On the same day, Hunt announced that Reid and Dorsey would report to him on an equal basis; in the past Chiefs coaches reported to the general manager.
In Reid's first game as head coach, the Chiefs beat the Jacksonville Jaguars by a score of 28–2. It was the widest margin of victory for the Chiefs on opening day since they defeated the Denver Broncos in 1963 by a score of 59–7.
In Week 3, Reid returned to Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia for a Thursday Night Football game between the Chiefs and his former team, the Philadelphia Eagles. As Reid walked out onto the field before the game started, the crowd gave him a standing ovation. The Chiefs went on to win 26–16 and Reid received a Gatorade shower from his team.
Reid went on to lead the Chiefs to a 9–0 record at the start of the season, tied for the best start in franchise history. Despite losing five of their last seven games, the Chiefs finished with an 11–5 record to clinch a Wild Card spot in the AFC playoffs. In the Wild Card Round, they were defeated by the Indianapolis Colts 45–44 after surrendering a 28-point lead in the third quarter.
Under Reid, the Chiefs would again obtain a winning record in the 2014 season, finishing 9–7. However, they failed to qualify for the playoffs.
In 2015, the Chiefs were in danger of missing the playoffs for a second consecutive year after they lost five straight games and began the season 1–5. Reid accepted the blame for his team's poor start and his future with the Chiefs was called into question. However, the Chiefs rebounded and proceeded to win every remaining regular-season game, finishing with an 11–5 record and a Wild Card spot in the AFC playoffs. Reid would go on to lead the Chiefs to their first playoff win since the 1993–94 season in a 30–0 shutout of the Houston Texans, but the team was defeated by a score of 27–20 in their subsequent Divisional Round game against the New England Patriots. Prior to the loss, the Chiefs posted an eleven-game winning streak, which is the best in franchise history. Reid was criticized for his clock management near the end of the game, calling no timeouts in a late fourth-quarter drive that cut the Patriots' 27–13 lead down to a touchdown, but took the Chiefs 5 minutes and 16 seconds to score and left them with only a minute and 13 seconds to tie the game.

2016–2017

Reid improved in the regular season with the Chiefs in 2016, who finished with a 12–4 record and clinched their division for the first time since 2010, as well as the first time under Reid. The Chiefs also went undefeated against their AFC West rivals to secure the division on a tiebreaker with the 12–4 Oakland Raiders and obtain a first-round bye as the AFC's second seed. The bye was the Chiefs' first since 2003.
Despite the team's regular-season success, the Chiefs wereeliminated in the Divisional Round for a second consecutive year in an 18–16 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Although the Chiefs were able to prevent the Steelers from scoring any touchdowns, they were unable to match the six field goals that Pittsburgh converted.
The Chiefs started strong during the 2017 season, winning their first five games to become the NFL's last remaining undefeated team, including a victory against defending Super Bowl champions New England Patriots in the kickoff game. After their strong start, the Chiefs subsequently lost six of their next seven games, resulting in Reid conceding play-calling duties to offensive coordinator Matt Nagy. Nevertheless, the Chiefs won their last four games to finish 10–6 and clinch the AFC West for a second consecutive year, the first back-to-back division title in franchise history. However, the team ultimately suffered a sixth consecutive home playoff loss in a 22–21 defeat against the Tennessee Titans in the Wild Card Round. Despite holding a 21–3 lead at halftime, the Chiefs were shut out during the second half as the Titans scored 19 unanswered points to win the game.

2018–present

2018 saw new success for Reid and the Chiefs. Aided by the MVP season of quarterback Patrick Mahomes in his first year as the primary starter, the Chiefs finished the regular season as AFC's top seed for the first time since 1997 and the first time with Reid as head coach by matching 2016's 12–4 record. Reid extended the franchise record for consecutive division titles through clinching the AFC West for a third straight year. The Chiefs subsequently ended their home playoff losing streak by defeating the Indianapolis Colts 31–13 in the Divisional Round, the first postseason win at home since 1994. With the victory, the Chiefs hosted the AFC Championship for the first time in franchise history, which they lost 37–31 to the eventual Super Bowl LIII champion New England Patriots in overtime.
During the season, Reid recorded his 200th victory to become one of only nine NFL head coaches to win 200 games. With his 206th win at the end of the regular season, Reid also surpassed Marty Schottenheimer for the most wins of an NFL head coach to not win a championship.
The Chiefs again finished 12–4 in 2019 to win the AFC West for a fourth consecutive year and after defeating the Houston Texans 51–31 in the Divisional Round, hosted the AFC Championship for a second consecutive year. Upon securing an appearance in Super Bowl LIV with their 35–24 victory over the Tennessee Titans, Reid became one of only seven head coaches to lead two different franchises to a Super Bowl and the Chiefs made their first Super Bowl appearance since Super Bowl IV in 1969. The 15-year gap between Reid's first and second Super Bowls is the second longest after Dick Vermeil's 19 years. The Chiefs went on to defeat the San Francisco 49ers 31–20, earning the franchise their first Super Bowl victory in 50 years and Reid's first as a head coach.

Head coaching record

Coaching tree

NFL head coaches under whom Reid has served:
As of 2020, ten of Reid's assistants have become head coaches, and two have won the Super Bowl.
Reid and his wife Tammy have been married since 1981. They had five children, three sons, and two daughters. Reid and his family are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Reid converting from Lutheranism after meeting his wife.
Reid's oldest son, Garrett, who had suffered from drug addiction for several years and served time in prison for various crimes, was found dead August 5, 2012, in his room at training camp at Lehigh University from an accidental heroin overdose. His son Britt is the Chiefs linebackers and outside linebackers coach.