Chan Gailey life and biography

COACHING EXPERIENCE

The Bills entered a new era on January 19th of this year when Chan Gailey was named the 15th Head Coach in franchise history. Now in his 16th season in the NFL coaching ranks, Gailey is recognized league-wide for his successful offenses, though he has coached all three phases of the game during his vast coaching career.

Gailey has over three decades of coaching experience, including head coaching experience in college, World League and the NFL. Gailey served as head coach of the Dallas Cowboys from 1998-99, leading the Cowboys to playoff berths in each season and compiling an 18-14 regular season record. Gailey also has four stints as offensive coordinator in the NFL with Denver (1989-90), Pittsburgh (1996-97), Miami (2000-01) and Kansas City (2008).

With the Cowboys in 1998, Gailey became the first coach in NFC Eastern Division history to lead his team to a perfect 8-0 record in division play and a 10-6 overall record. Also in 1998, his Dallas squad ranked in the NFL’s top 10 in total offense (eighth – 340.6 ypg), rushing (eighth – 125.9 ypg), scoring (ninth- 23.8 ppg) and passing (ninth – 214.8 ypg). He followed that with an 8-8 campaign in 1999 and his second consecutive playoff appearance.

In his two seasons as the Cowboys head coach, Dallas scored 37 rushing touchdowns, the fourth-highest total in the NFL over the two year timeframe.

Gailey’s resume speaks for itself, he has spent nine of his previous 15 NFL seasons as either a head coach or offensive coordinator. During those nine seasons, his teams have made the playoffs seven times and boasted a 1,000-yard rusher on seven different occasions. In total, he has made playoff appearances in 11 of his 15 seasons in NFL coaching. His resume also boasts four Super Bowl berths, including one with Pittsburgh (XXX) and three with Denver (XXI, XXII and XXIV).

Gailey served as the head coach at Georgia Tech from 2002-07, becoming the first coach in school history to lead the Yellow Jackets to bowl appearance in his first six seasons. He compiled a 44-33 overall record and his squad averaged 199.3 rushing ypg, which led the Atlantic Coast Conference in 2007 and finished third in the conference in total offense with 384.9 ypg that season.

In 2006, the Yellow Jackets featured the 2006 Biletnikoff Award winner and number two overall draft pick in the 2007 NFL Draft in WR Calvin Johnson (Detroit). The ACC Player of the Year caught 78 passes for a single-season record 1,202 yards with 15 touchdown receptions, tying for second-most in the country.

A total of 46 Yellow Jackets coached by Gailey in his six seasons at Georgia Tech were either selected in the NFL’s annual Draft Selection or were signed to a free-agent contract with an NFL team.

In 2008, Gailey returned to the NFL as the offensive coordinator with the Kansas City Chiefs. The Chiefs had a duo of 1,000-yard receivers - TE Tony Gonzalez and WR Dwayne Bowe - marking the third time in team history.

His coaching experience is so wide-ranging that it includes stints coaching defense and special teams, in addition to his success on the offensive side of the ball. In fact, he owns the distinction of serving as both a head coach and defensive coordinator on the collegiate level, as well as stints as a head coach and offensive coordinator in the NFL ranks.

Gailey began his NFL career as an assistant with the Denver Broncos from 1985-90 under head coach Dan Reeves. He served as offensive coordinator/wide receivers coach (1989-90), quarterbacks/wide receivers coach (1988), tight ends/special teams coach (1986-87) and defensive assistant/special teams coach (1985). During his six years in Denver, the Broncos developed into one of the league’s most potent passing attacks centering around Hall of Fame signal-caller John Elway. With Gailey as the team’s offensive coordinator/wide receivers coach in 1989, the Broncos advanced to Super Bowl XXIV.

In 1991, Gailey left the NFL to become the head coach of the Birmingham Fire of the World League of American Football, where his team made the playoffs in both years with him at the helm.

After a one-year stint as the head coach at Samford University, Gailey returned to the NFL as wide receivers coach for the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1994-95, before being promoted to offensive coordinator (1996-97). During that four-year run alongside head coach Bill Cowher, the Steelers won four straight AFC Central crowns, appeared in three AFC Championship Games and earned a berth in Super Bowl XXX following the 1995 campaign.

During his tenure in Pittsburgh, he was credited with implementing the “Slash” offense that featured the skills of multi-talented QB Kordell Stewart. In 1996, Gailey’s first season as offensive coordinator, Pittsburgh ranked second in the NFL in rushing, averaging 143.7 ypg. The following season the Steelers led the league in rushing with 154.9 ypg on the ground. During the 1997 season, Pittsburgh ranked sixth in the NFL in total offense (346.4 ypg) and was seventh in scoring (23.3 ppg). RB Jerome Bettis enjoyed the two most productive seasons of his career with Gailey as his offensive coordinator. Bettis tallied 1,431 rushing yards in 1996 and followed that up with a career-high 1,665 rushing yards in 1997.

The Americus, Georgia native served as offensive coordinator in Miami under head coach Dave Wannstedt from 2000-2001, when the Dolphins posted back-to-back 11-5 records and earned playoff berths each season. The Dolphins averaged 118.4 rushing ypg in 2000, the team’s best output since 1984.

In total, Gailey has 13 years of head coaching experience, nine seasons in college, two seasons in the World League and two seasons in the NFL. His overall regular season record as a head coach is 98-65-1.

Prior to joining the NFL ranks, he served as the head coach at Troy State for two seasons (1983-84), where he led the Trojans to the NCAA Division II National Championship in 1984.

A former collegiate quarterback at the University of Florida, Gailey was a three-year letterwinner for the Gators. He began his coaching as a graduate assistant at Florida (1974-75) before coaching defensive backs at Troy State. Gailey also spent four years at Air Force, serving as a defensive assistant (1979-80) and defensive coordinator (1981-82). Gailey was an all-state quarterback at Americus High School in Americus, Georgia. Gailey and his wife, Laurie, have two sons, Tate and Andrew. The Gailey’s also have four grandchildren.

Read more