Kevin Gilbride life and biography

Kevin Gilbride is an American football coach. Gilbride served as the San Diego Chargers head coach from 1997-1998. He went to Southern Connecticut State University, where he played both quarterback and tight end. He would later coach at his alma mater for five seasons starting in 1980 and compiled a 35-14-2 overall record. He is currently the offensive coordinator for the , with whom he earned a Super Bowl ring. He was an assistant coach at American International College (AIC) in Springfield, Massachusetts.

Kevin Gilbride is in his fourth full season as the Giants' offensive coordinator after serving the previous three years as the team's quarterbacks coach. Gilbride assumed play-calling duties from former coordinator John Hufnagel prior to the 2006 regular season finale in Washington.

With Gilbride devising game plans and calling plays, the Giants won four games, including Super Bowl XLII, in the 2007 postseason and the offense has ranked among the NFL's top eight in each of the last two seasons. In 2009, the Giants were eighth in the league, averaging 366.0 yards per game. They scored 402 points after scoring 425 in 2008, marking the first time franchise history the Giants scored at least 400 points in consecutive seasons. The Giants gained 5,856 yards, the second-highest total in franchise history and just 28 yards less than the franchise record set in 1985. In addition, they set a franchise record with 4,019 net passing yards, the first 4,000-yard season in team history. The old record of 3,951 was set in 2002. The Giants' 323 first downs tied for the fourth-highest total in franchise history. They had 62 pass plays of 20 or more yards, which left them tied for fifth in the NFL.

Under Gilbride, the offense posted many impressive numbers in 2008, when it ranked seventh in the NFL with an average of 355.9 yards a game. The Giants' 427 points and 338 first downs were both the second-highest totals in franchise history. They rushed for NFL-leading and franchise record numbers of 2,518 yards and 5.0 yards per carry. The previous records were 2,451 yards in 1985 and 4.7 yards an attempt in 2005 and 2006. The Giants rushed for 301 yards in an overtime victory over Carolina on Dec. 21 was the fifth-highest total in team history and their highest total in 49 years.

That season, Brandon Jacobs rushed for 1,089 yards and Derrick Ward ran for 1,025 to become the fourth pair of backs from the same team - and the fifth set of teammates - to run for at least 1,000 yards in the same season.

Gilbride has worked closely with Eli Manning throughout the quarterback's career. In 2009, Manning completed 317 of 509 passes attempts (62.3 percent) for 4,021 yards, 27 touchdowns, 14 interceptions and a passer rating of 93.1. The completions, percentage, yards, touchdowns and rating were all career highs. Manning is the only quarterback in Giants history with five consecutive 3,000-yard seasons and five consecutive seasons with 20 touchdown passes. Manning is one of four quarterbacks to throw for at least 3,000 yards every season from 2005-09. The others are Drew Brees, Brett Favre and Peyton Manning. He is one of three quarterbacks with at least 20 touchdown passes in each of the last five seasons, joining Brees and Peyton Manning.

Gilbride joined the Giants as the team's quarterbacks coach on Jan. 26, 2004. He was reunited with Tom Coughlin, for whom he worked as the Jacksonville Jaguars' first offensive coordinator in 1995 and 96. Gilbride has also coordinated offenses for the Houston Oilers, Pittsburgh Steelers and Buffalo Bills. The 2010 season is Gilbride's 36th in coaching and 21st in the National Football League.

As quarterbacks coach, Gilbride was at the forefront of the development of Manning, the No. 1 selection in the 2004 NFL Draft. In 2005, under Gilbride's guidance, Manning led the Giants to the NFC East title while throwing 557 passes, the third-highest total in the league and the second-highest total in team history. Manning's 294 completions tied for ninth in the NFL and placed him fourth on the Giants' single-season list. His 3,762 yards were fifth in the NFL and fifth on the franchise's single-season list. Manning threw 24 touchdown passes, the most by a Giant since Fran Tarkenton had 29 in 1967.

In 2006, Gilbride's last as quarterbacks coach, Manning threw 522 passes, the sixth-highest total in Giants history. He completed 301 of those throws to become just the second quarterback in franchise history to top 300 completions in a season. Manning threw 24 touchdown passes, matching his 2005 total and leaving him tied for fourth in the NFL with St. Louis Pro Bowler Marc Bulger. Manning became the first Giants quarterback to throw at least 20 touchdown passes in consecutive seasons since Phil Simms did it three years in a row from 1984-86.

Manning's development under Gilbride became evident in the latter part of the quarterback's rookie season in 2004. In the last three games of the year, Manning completed 53 of 87 passes (61 percent) for 527 yards, five touchdowns and three interceptions. In the season-ending victory over Dallas, Manning threw three touchdown passes and led a 66-yard drive in the final two minutes for the winning score.

Prior to joining the Giants, Gilbride spent two years as the Bills' offensive coordinator. In his first season in Buffalo, the Bills set seven offensive team records, including most net passing yards (3,995). Quarterback Drew Bledsoe set 10 team records. That year, Buffalo had the fifth-best passing offense in the NFL and was 11th overall while averaging 23.7 points, 22.2 first downs, and 349.4 yards per game. That offense featured the franchise's first 4,000-yard passer in Bledsoe, two 1,200-yard receivers (Eric Moulds and Peerless Price) and a 1,400-yard rusher (Travis Henry).

Gilbride entered the NFL as the quarterbacks coach of the Oilers in 1989. He was promoted to offensive coordinator from 1990-93 and then to assistant head coach/offense in 1994. Houston ranked first in the NFL in passing yards in 1990, 1991, 1992 and 1993. The Oilers also ranked first in the league in total offense in 1990, second in 1991, third in 1992 and second in 1993.

Gilbride's first stint with Coughlin began in 1995, when Gilbride took over as the offensive coordinator of the expansion Jacksonville Jaguars. The following year, the Jaguars led the NFL with 259.7 passing yards per game and were second in total offense with 360.2 yards per contest, a performance that helped Jacksonville to the AFC Championship Game in just its second year of existence.

After two years in Jacksonville, Gilbride was named the 10th head coach in San Diego Chargers history on Jan. 19, 1997 and posted a 6-16 record over the course of the 1997-98 seasons. He spent the 1999 and 2000 seasons as offensive coordinator with the Pittsburgh Steelers. In 2001, Gilbride was an analyst with ESPN.

Prior to joining the NFL, Gilbride spent two seasons (1985-86) in the Canadian Football League as an assistant with the Ottawa Rough Riders.

Gilbride began his career as the linebackers coach at Idaho State in 1974-75. He held the same position at Tufts University in 1976-77. Gilbride was the defensive coordinator at American International and the head coach at his alma mater, Southern Connecticut State University, from 1980-84. He compiled a 35-14-2 record, a .706 winning percentage that is the best in school history.

Gilbride was born in New Haven, Con., and earned a degree in physical education from Southern Connecticut State, where he also played quarterback and tight end. He received his master's in athletic administration from Idaho State. He and his wife, Deborah, have three children - daughters Kelly and Kristen and son, Kevin. Kelly is a 1998 graduate of Harvard University, Kristen graduated from the University of Connecticut in 1999 and Kevin graduated from the University of Hawaii in 2003 and is currently the Giants' offensive quality control coach.