School of Civil and Environmental Engineering alumnus Ken Whisenhunt has joined the Tennessee Titans as their new head coach. The Titans officially announced Whisenhunt's hiring earlier this month:
“I have a lot of respect for Ken as a coach and as an offensive mind,” Titans general manager Ruston Webster said in a release. “The traits that stand out to me when identifying him as our next coach – he is intelligent, has a track record with quality offenses and head coaching success. I really enjoyed our meeting on Friday night in San Diego and we share similar philosophies about the game. Additionally, we have several mutual colleagues that have spoken highly to me about Ken both as a coach and as a person. I am excited about Ken joining us and the future of the Titans.”
Whisenhunt has a long record of excellence in playing--and coaching--football throughout the United States.
The Augusta, Georgia native played tight end for Georgia Tech from 1980 to 1984 while a student in the civil engineering program. Upon graduation, he was selected by the Atlanta Falcons in the 1985 NFL Draft and went on to play nine seasons for the Falcons, Redskins and Jets.
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In 1995, Whisenhunt began his coaching career as the Vanderbilt special teams and tight ends coach before taking on assistant coaching positions for the Baltimore Ravens, Cleveland Browns, New York Jets and Pittsburgh Steelers. Whisenhunt's tenure with the Steelers included their Super Bowl XL win. In 2007, he became head coach of the Arizona Cardinals, leading the team to a record 12 wins during the 2008 season, a Super Bowl XLIII appearance, and 49 total game wins--the most of any coach in the history of that franchise. He spent the last season as the San Diego Chargers' offensive coordinator.
He was recently named 2013 Assistant Coach of the Year by the Pro Football Writers of America.
What will be Whisenhunt's first moves as head coach? ESPN has a few ideas and thoughts on the subject.
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