Thomas Chandler Gailey Jr. (born January 5, 1952) is a former American football coach. Most recently in 2020, he was the offensive coordinator for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League (NFL). Gailey has previously served as the head coach of the Dallas Cowboys, Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, and Buffalo Bills from 1998 to 2012.
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born: | January 5, 1952 Gainesville, Georgia, U.S. |
| Career information | |
| High school: | Americus (Americus, Georgia) |
| College: | Florida |
| Career history | |
| As a coach: | |
| |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
| Head coaching record | |
| Regular season: | NFL: 34–46 (.425) |
| Postseason: | NFL: 0–2 (.000) |
| Career: | NFL: 34–48 (.415) NCAA: 68–41 (.624) WLAF: 12–7 (.632) |
| Record at Pro Football Reference | |
In a coaching career spanning 46 years, Gailey began his NFL career as part of Dan Reeves' coaching staff on the Denver Broncos from 1985 to 1990, appearing in Super Bowls XXI, XXII, and XXIV with the Broncos. Gailey was on the Pittsburgh Steelers staff from 1994 to 1997 when the Steelers won four straight AFC Central titles and coached in one Super Bowl (XXX). He held his first professional head coach position in 1998, when he became the new head coach of the Dallas Cowboys, and led the Cowboys to playoff appearances in each of his 2 seasons in Dallas. Gailey served as offensive coordinator for the Miami Dolphins in 2000 and 2001, when the Dolphins posted consecutive 11–5 records, and was part of the 2000 Dolphins squad which was the last time the team had won a playoff game. Gailey served as the offensive coordinator for the Kansas City Chiefs in 2008 and three games of the 2009 preseason.[1] In 2010, he was hired as the new head coach of the Buffalo Bills, where he coached until 2012. Three years after his firing from the Bills, he served as the offensive coordinator for the New York Jets from 2015 to 2016. In 2020, Gailey came out of retirement to again serve as the offensive coordinator for the Miami Dolphins, where he would last for only a season before resigning on January 6, 2021.
Early life and education
Gailey was born in Gainesville, Georgia, in 1952.[2] He attended Americus High School in Americus, Georgia, where he earned Eagle Scout honors,[3][4] and a letterman in high school football, basketball, baseball, and golf. In football, he was an all-state selection as quarterback. Gailey graduated from Americus High School in 1970.
Gailey attended the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida, where he was a three-year letterman for coach Doug Dickey's Florida Gators football team as a quarterback from 1971 to 1973.[5] Gailey graduated from Florida with a bachelor's degree in physical education in 1974.[2]
Coaching career
Troy, Air Force, and back to Troy
Gailey stayed with Florida as a graduate assistant for two years before taking his first actual coaching job as the secondary coach for the Troy Trojans of Troy University (then known as Troy State University) in Troy, Alabama. After two seasons there, he spent four seasons with the U.S. Air Force Academy, including two as defensive coordinator under head coach Ken Hatfield.[6]
In 1983, Gailey made his way back to Troy, taking over the head coaching duties at Troy University. In his first season as head coach, he led the Trojans to a 7–4 overall record. In his second season at the helm in 1984, he led his #3-ranked Trojans to a 12–1 record en route to the NCAA Division II national championship, defeating #1-ranked North Dakota State, 18–17 to win the title.[7]
Professional leagues (1984–1992, 1994–2001)
Gailey moved to the NFL the next year, when the Denver Broncos signed him as an offensive assistant and special teams coach. The team made three Super Bowl appearances during his six-year tenure and coached quarterbacks John Elway and Gary Kubiak during his lone year as quarterbacks coach in 1988. In 1991, Gailey left the NFL to become the head coach of the Birmingham Fire of the World League of American Football, where the team made the playoffs in both years that he was coach.
After a one-year stint as head coach at Samford University, he returned to the NFL with the Pittsburgh Steelers. After starting off as coach for the wide receivers, then moved up to offensive coordinator for the 1996 and 1997 NFL seasons. The Steelers won their division all four years, and made one Super Bowl appearance.
On February 13, 1998, Gailey was hired to take over a struggling Dallas Cowboys squad (as operated by Jerry Jones), one that had faltered under Barry Switzer during his last season. Other candidates considered in the course of five weeks were George Seifert, Sherman Lewis, and Terry Donahue, with the latter being the closest to being hired before disagreeing with Jones abojt contract language that opened the door for Gailey.[8] Gailey's Cowboys won the NFC East in 1998, and made the playoffs under his two years at the reins, although they failed to win a playoff game. He was fired on January 12, 2000, three days after the season ended for Dallas. Gailey is the only Cowboys coach to have never missed the playoffs with his team. Gailey is also sometimes referred to by fans as "the forgotten coach" of Dallas. Jones later stated his regret at firing Gailey after two seasons.[9][10]
Gailey returned to the offensive coordinator role, this time with the Miami Dolphins for the 2000 and 2001 seasons.[11]
Georgia Tech (2002–2007)
Gailey was hired by the Yellow Jackets in 2002 to replace George O'Leary, who left to become head coach at the University of Notre Dame (O'Leary infamously resigned at Notre Dame after only 5 days).[12] In his first five years at Georgia Tech, he had compiled a 37–27 record. Georgia Tech went to bowl games each year under Gailey, and won two: the 2003 Humanitarian Bowl (a 52–10 win over the University of Tulsa), and the 2004 Champs Sports Bowl (a 51–14 victory over Syracuse University). Gailey compiled six winning seasons in six years at the helm. However, he never defeated Tech's biggest rival, the University of Georgia, never won the ACC, never went to a BCS bowl, never won more than nine games, and never finished in the top 25. The 2006 season was his most successful at Georgia Tech, winning the ACC Coastal Division, but losing his last three games to rival UGA, Wake Forest in the ACC Championship Game, and West Virginia in the Gator Bowl.[13]
Gailey's name was mentioned for both the Pittsburgh Steelers and Miami Dolphins head-coaching jobs following the 2006 season, two teams for which he was offensive coordinator.[14] Gailey got neither job. On January 19, 2007, Gailey announced he would return to Georgia Tech.[15]
After a 7–5 2007 regular season and losing to the Georgia Bulldogs football team for the sixth straight year, it was announced on November 26, 2007, that Gailey had been dismissed and his $1 million/year contract bought out.[16][17][18][19]
Kansas City Chiefs (2008)
Gailey was hired on January 16, 2008, to become the offensive coordinator of the Kansas City Chiefs. He inherited a Chiefs offense that ranked at the bottom of the league in almost every category the previous season.[20] Under his coaching, the Chiefs finished with the 24th-ranked offense in the league.[21] He was demoted after three pre-season games in 2009 and relieved of play-calling duties by head coach Todd Haley.[22] He spent the 2009 season out of football.
Buffalo Bills (2010–2012)
Gailey was introduced as the 15th head coach of the Buffalo Bills on January 19, 2010, replacing interim head coach Perry Fewell and becoming their fifth head coach in 10 years.[23] The Bills went 4–12 in his first season, with the 25th-ranked offense and 24th-ranked defense in the league.[24] The following year, Buffalo ranked 14th in offense and 26th in defense as the Bills improved slightly to finish with a 6–10 record despite starting the season with a 5–2 record.[25] In 2012, the Bills finished 19th in offense and 22nd in defense as they once again finished 6–10.[26]
On December 31, 2012, Gailey was relieved of his duties as the Bills' head coach. He amassed a career 16–32 record in Buffalo.[27]
New York Jets (2015–2016)
Gailey was named offensive coordinator by the New York Jets on January 20, 2015, under new head coach Todd Bowles.[28] He was reunited with former Bills quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick.
In his first season, the Jets finished with the 10th-ranked offense in the league. They finished 13th in the league in passing and 10th in rushing.[29] Through Week 14 of the 2016 season, the Jets had the 24th-ranked offense in the league.[30] Following the 2016 season in which the Jets ranked near the bottom of the league in offense and finished 5–11, Gailey retired on January 3, 2017.[31]
Return to the Miami Dolphins
On January 20, 2020, Gailey was hired by the Miami Dolphins as their offensive coordinator under head coach Brian Flores, also Gailey's first time in Miami in 19 years. Gailey was again reunited with former Bills and Jets quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick, whom Gailey served as head coach of the Bills from 2010 to 2012, and as offensive coordinator for the Jets from 2015 to 2016. On January 6, 2021, Gailey resigned from the offensive coordinator position.
Head coaching record
College
| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Troy State Trojans (Gulf South Conference) (1983–1984) | |||||||||
| 1983 | Troy State | 7–4 | 4–3 | T–2nd[32] | |||||
| 1984 | Troy State | 12–1 | 6–1 | 1st | W NCAA Division II Championship | ||||
| Troy State: | 19–5 | 10–4 | |||||||
| Samford Bulldogs (NCAA Division I-AA independent) (1993) | |||||||||
| 1993 | Samford | 5–6 | |||||||
| Samford: | 5–6 | ||||||||
| Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (Atlantic Coast Conference) (2002–2007) | |||||||||
| 2002 | Georgia Tech | 7–6 | 4–4 | T–5th | L Silicon Valley | ||||
| 2003 | Georgia Tech | 7–6 | 4–4 | T–4th | W Humanitarian | ||||
| 2004 | Georgia Tech | 7–5 | 4–4 | T–6th | W Champs Sports | ||||
| 2005 | Georgia Tech | 7–5 | 5–3 | 3rd (Coastal) | L Emerald | ||||
| 2006 | Georgia Tech | 9–5 | 7–1 | 1st (Coastal) | L Gator | ||||
| 2007 | Georgia Tech | 7–5 | 4–4 | 3rd (Coastal) | Humanitarian | ||||
| Georgia Tech: | 44–32 | 28–20 | |||||||
| Total: | 68–43 | ||||||||
| National championship Conference title Conference division title or championship game berth | |||||||||
National Football League
| Team | Year | Regular season | Postseason | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Won | Lost | Ties | Win % | Finish | Won | Lost | Win % | Result | ||
| DAL | 1998 | 10 | 6 | 0 | .625 | 1st in NFC East | 0 | 1 | .000 | Lost to Arizona Cardinals in NFC Wild Card Game |
| DAL | 1999 | 8 | 8 | 0 | .500 | 2nd in NFC East | 0 | 1 | .000 | Lost to Minnesota Vikings in NFC Wild Card Game |
| DAL total | 18 | 14 | 0 | .563 | 0 | 2 | .000 | |||
| BUF | 2010 | 4 | 12 | 0 | .250 | 4th in AFC East | – | – | – | – |
| BUF | 2011 | 6 | 10 | 0 | .375 | 4th in AFC East | – | – | – | – |
| BUF | 2012 | 6 | 10 | 0 | .375 | 4th in AFC East | – | – | – | – |
| BUF total | 16 | 32 | 0 | .333 | 0 | 0 | .000 | |||
| Total | 34 | 46 | 0 | .425 | 0 | 2 | .000 | |||
World League of American Football
Record with Birmingham Fire
| Season | W | L | T | Finish | Playoff results |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 1st North American West | Lost Semifinals (Dragons) |
| 1992 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 2nd North American West | Lost Semifinals (Thunder) |
| Totals | 12 | 7 | 1 | (excluding playoffs) | |
See also
References
- ^ Associated Press. Former Cowboys head coach hopes to revive Chiefs' sputtering offense ESPN.com, January 16, 2008.
- ^ a b Chan Gailey (November 18, 2006). "Chan Gailey Bio - Georgia Tech Official Athletic Site". Ramblinwreck.com. Archived from the original on February 8, 2012. Retrieved April 22, 2013.
- ^ Townley, Alvin (2007). Legacy of Honor: The Values and Influence of America's Eagle Scouts. New York: St. Martin's Press. ISBN 978-0-312-36653-7. Archived from the original on May 29, 2008. Retrieved December 29, 2006.
- ^ Hydrick, Robert (May 2006). "Gailey looking forward to spring practice". WALB News 10. Archived from the original on March 21, 2006. Retrieved November 8, 2006.
- ^ 2011 Florida Gators Football Media Guide Archived April 2, 2012, at the Wayback Machine, University Athletic Association, Gainesville, Florida, pp. 174 & 181 (2011). Retrieved August 29, 2011.
- ^ Van Brimmer, Adam (October 18, 2007). "Army life different, say Tech coaches". The Telegraph. macon.com. Retrieved October 23, 2007. [dead link]
- ^ [1][dead link]
- ^ https://www.wfaa.com/article/sports/nfl/cowboys/memory-lane-the-cowboys-made-chan-gailey-the-fourth-coach-in-team-history/287-308a7d63-f7f2-4a7f-933b-8c975d7f26c4
- ^ Dallas Cowboys History
- ^ https://www.espn.com/blog/dallas-cowboys/post/_/id/4748113/chan-gailey-jerry-jones-horror-stories-not-true
- ^ "Winning Style". Tech Topics. Georgia Tech Alumni Association. Spring 2002. Archived from the original on November 30, 2007. Retrieved September 17, 2007.
- ^ Clarke, Michael (November 18, 2005). "Gailey signs new five-year contract, will coach through 2010 campaign". The Technique. Archived from the original on September 29, 2007. Retrieved May 16, 2007.
- ^ "Skinner, Swank lift Wake to ACC title; next stop: Orange Bowl". ESPN. go.com. Associated Press. December 2, 2006. Archived from the original on July 14, 2012. Retrieved September 17, 2007.
- ^ "Miami interviews Gailey". The Technique. January 19, 2007. Archived from the original on September 29, 2007. Retrieved March 22, 2007.
- ^ "Gailey to Remain at Tech". Ramblinwreck.com. Georgia Tech Athletic Association. January 19, 2007. Archived from the original on November 30, 2007. Retrieved March 22, 2007.
- ^ Knobler, Mike (November 26, 2007). "Georgia Tech fires Gailey after six seasons". Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved November 26, 2007.
- ^ "Sources: Gailey fired at Tech after six seasons". ESPN. go.com. November 26, 2007. Retrieved November 26, 2007.
- ^ Knobler, Mike (November 26, 2007). "Tech owes Gailey $4 million". Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved November 26, 2007.
- ^ "Gailey Relieved of Duties As Georgia Tech Head Coach". RamblinWreck.com. Georgia Tech Athletic Association. November 26, 2007. Archived from the original on November 28, 2007. Retrieved November 26, 2007.
- ^ Gregg Rosenthal. "Source: Chiefs chop Chan Gailey". NBCSports.com. Retrieved August 31, 2009.
- ^ "2008 NFL Team Total Offense Postseason Stats".
- ^ John Clayton (August 31, 2009). "Gailey no longer running Chiefs offense". ESPN.com. Retrieved August 31, 2009.
- ^ "Bills hire Gailey as coach". Associated Press. Retrieved September 12, 2011.
- ^ "2010 NFL Team Total Offense Postseason Stats".
- ^ "2011 NFL Team Total Offense Postseason Stats".
- ^ "2012 NFL Team Total Offense Postseason Stats".
- ^ "Chan Gailey fired by Buffalo Bills". Associated Press. Retrieved December 31, 2012.
- ^ Jets Staff (January 20, 2015). "Jets Tab Chan Gailey as Offensive Coordinator". New York Jets. Archived from the original on January 24, 2015. Retrieved January 22, 2015.
- ^ "2015 NFL Team Total Offense Postseason Stats".
- ^ "2021 NFL Team Total Offense Stats".
- ^ Orr, Conor (January 3, 2017). "Jets offensive coordinator Chan Gailey retires". NFL.com. Retrieved January 3, 2017.
- ^ "2014 GSC Football Media Guide (PDF) - Gulf South Conference" (PDF).