Mark Whipple

Last updated
Mark Whipple
Mark Whipple Brandon Weeden 2012.jpg
Whipple (left) with Brandon Weeden, 2012
Biographical details
Born (1957-04-01) April 1, 1957 (age 66)
Tarrytown, New York, U.S.
Playing career
1976–1979 Brown
Position(s) Quarterback
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
1980 St. Lawrence (Assistant)
1981–1982 Union (OC)
1983 Brown (WR)
1984 Arizona Wranglers (OQC/QB)
1986–1987 New Hampshire (OC)
1988–1993 New Haven
1994–1997Brown
1998–2003 UMass
2004–2006 Pittsburgh Steelers (QB)
2008 Philadelphia Eagles (assistant)
2009–2010 Miami (FL) (AHC/OC/QB)
2011–2012 Cleveland Browns (QB)
2014–2018UMass
2019–2021 Pittsburgh (OC/QB)
2022 Nebraska (OC/QB)
Head coaching record
Overall137–103
Tournaments3–2 (NCAA D-II playoffs)
5–2 (NCAA D-I-AA playoffs)
Accomplishments and honors
Championships
Super Bowl champion (XL) (As QB coach)
NCAA Division I-AA National Champion (1998)
3× A-10 (1998, 1999, 2003)
Awards
AFCA Division I-AA Coach of the Year (1998)
Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year (2003)

Mark John Whipple (born April 1, 1957) is an American football coach, who most recently served as offensive coordinator at Nebraska in 2022. Whipple was the head football coach at University of New Haven from 1988 to 1993, Brown University from 1994 to 1997, and stints as the University of Massachusetts Amherst (UMass), from 1998 to 2003 and 2014 to 2018. His 1998 UMass team won the NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship. He was the quarterbacks coach for the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League (NFL) in 2011 and 2012. Before joining the Browns in January 2011, Whipple worked for two seasons as the offensive coordinator at the University of Miami. He previously coached in the NFL, working as a quarterback coach with the Pittsburgh Steelers from 2004 to 2006 and as an offensive assistant coach with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2007 and 2008. On January 14, 2014, Whipple returned to UMass as head coach. [1]

Contents

Early life and playing career

Whipple was born in Tarrytown, New York before moving to Phoenix, Arizona at the age of nine. He is a graduate of Camelback High School, where he was an All-State performer in both football and baseball. Whipple was named the Arizona Scholar-Athlete of the Year in 1975. [2]

Whipple went on to play football at Brown University, where he was a 1979 graduate with a bachelor's degree in political science. Whipple was the starting quarterback for the Bears in 1977 and 1978, leading Brown to a 13–5 record and a pair of second-place Ivy League finishes. He was a member of the Bears' 1976 Ivy League championship team, the first Ivy football championship in school history. During his three-year varsity career, he completed 175 of 340 passes for 2,365 yards and 13 touchdowns, while running for 518 yards and 10 touchdowns. A two-time honorable mention All-Ivy pick in football, Whipple also earned four varsity letters on the baseball diamond as Brown's starting shortstop. He was inducted into the Brown Athletic Hall of Fame in 1996. [2]

Coaching career

Whipple began his coaching career as an assistant coach at St. Lawrence University in 1980, before serving as the offensive coordinator at Union College for next two seasons. In 1984, Whipple was hired as an assistant coach at his alma mater (Brown) where he worked with the wide receivers. The following season, Whipple spent as a member of the coaching staff for the United States Football League's Arizona Wranglers under George Allen, assisting with the quarterbacks.

Whipple served as the offensive coordinator at the University of New Hampshire for two years before receiving his first head coaching opportunity, as the new head coach of the University of New Haven Chargers in 1988. While at New Haven, his 1992 squad finished 12–1 and ranked No. 5 nationally. The team led all NCAA divisions in scoring offense (50.5 points per game) and total offense (587.7 yards per game). His 1993 New Haven team was named Sports Illustrated's "Best Offense in College Football" while averaging 52.5 points and 557.6 yards of total offense per game. His 1993 squad ranked as high as No. 2 nationally.

In 1994, he was hired by his alma mater to serve as head football coach at Brown University, where he spent the next four seasons. While at Brown, his 1997 squad set Ivy League and school records for total offense (474.3 yards per game) which included a single-game record of 629 yards against Yale. His 1995 team set several single-season records including most points (282), total offense (4,165 yards), passing offense (2,502 yards) and first downs (227).

In his first stint as coach of UMass from 1998 to 2003, [3] he won the NCAA Division I-AA national title in his first season at the school. [3] His UMass teams rewrote the record books, setting more than 40 team records. In 1998 his national championship team posted school records in points scored (524), touchdowns (73), total yards (7,074), passing yards (4,050), completions (306), and first downs (354).

Whipple left college football for a position as an assistant coach with the Pittsburgh Steelers of the NFL in 2004 where he was instrumental in the development of Ben Roethlisberger, who in his rookie season became the first NFL quarterback to finish a season undefeated with a 13–0 record in games he started. Roethlisberger later became the youngest starting quarterback to win a Super Bowl. On January 25, 2007, Whipple was let go by new Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin and replaced with Ken Anderson. The next day, Whipple was hired by the Philadelphia Eagles.

On January 7, 2009, Whipple was named the offensive coordinator at Miami. [4] Whipple was fired along with head coach Randy Shannon, following the end of the season loss to South Florida on November 27, 2010. After coach Tom O'Brien left Boston College to coach North Carolina State, it was reported that Mark Whipple was the leading candidate to replace him. That job eventually went to Jeff Jagodzinski. He was reported to be the leading candidate for the Connecticut Huskies head football coach, an opening created when Randy Edsall left to replace Ralph Friedgen as the head coach at the University of Maryland, College Park following the 2010 season. However, Connecticut hired Paul Pasqualoni on January 13, 2011.

Whipple signed a contract with the Cleveland Browns on January 30, 2011 to be their quarterback coach. He was fired along with the rest of the Browns coach staff at the end of the 2012 season.

Head coaching record

YearTeamOverallConferenceStandingBowl/playoffs Coaches#AP°
New Haven Chargers (NCAA Division II independent)(1988–1993)
1988 New Haven7–3
1989 New Haven8–212
1990 New Haven7–319
1991 New Haven3–7
1992 New Haven12–1L NCAA Division II Semifinal 5
1993 New Haven11–1L NCAA Division II Quarterfinal 2
New Haven:48–17
Brown Bears (Ivy League)(1994–1997)
1994 Brown 7–34–3T–2nd
1995 Brown 5–52–5T–6th
1996 Brown 5–54–3T–3rd
1997 Brown 7–34–3T–3rd
Brown:24–1614–14
UMass Minutemen (Atlantic 10 Conference)(1998–2003)
1998 UMass 12–36–2T–1st (New England)W NCAA Division I-AA Championship 1
1999 UMass 9–47–1T–1stL NCAA Division I-AA Quarterfinal 7
2000 UMass 7–45–33rd
2001 UMass 3–83–6T–8th
2002 UMass 8–46–3T–3rd
2003 UMass 10–38–1T–1stL NCAA Division I-AA First Round 11
UMass Minutemen (Mid-American Conference)(2014–2015)
2014 UMass 3–93–5T–4th (East)
2015 UMass 3–92–6T–5th (East)
UMass Minutemen (NCAA Division I FBS independent)(2016–2018)
2016 UMass 2–10
2017 UMass 4–8
2018 UMass 4–8
UMass:65–7040–27
Total:137–103
      National championship        Conference title        Conference division title or championship game berth

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Byron Leftwich</span> American football coach and former player (born 1980)

Byron Antron Leftwich is an American former football coach and quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 10 seasons. He played college football for the Marshall Thundering Herd, twice receiving MAC Most Valuable Player honors, and was selected seventh overall by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the 2003 NFL Draft. Leftwich held a starting role with the Jaguars during his first four seasons and spent the remainder of his career as a backup for the Atlanta Falcons, Pittsburgh Steelers, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. With the Steelers, he was a member of the team that won Super Bowl XLIII.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alex Van Pelt</span> American football player and coach (born 1970)

Gregory Alexander Van Pelt is an American professional football coach and former quarterback who is the offensive coordinator for the New England Patriots of the National Football League (NFL). He played in the NFL primarily with the Buffalo Bills. Van Pelt previously served as an assistant coach for the Bills, Cincinnati Bengals, Green Bay Packers, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Cleveland Browns.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ken Dorsey</span> American football player and coach (born 1981)

Kenneth Simon Dorsey is an American football coach and former quarterback who is the offensive coordinator for the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Miami Hurricanes, where he won the national championship and the Maxwell Award in 2001. He was selected by the San Francisco 49ers in the seventh round of the 2003 NFL Draft, later playing for the Cleveland Browns and the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League (CFL), before retiring in 2010.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Major Applewhite</span> American football player and coach (born 1978)

Major Lee Applewhite is an American football coach and former player who is currently the head coach for the South Alabama Jaguars. He served as head coach at the University of Houston from 2017 to 2018, where he previously served as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. In 2013, he was the co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at the University of Texas under his head coach as a player, Mack Brown. Prior to Texas, Applewhite served as offensive coordinator at Rice University under Todd Graham in 2006 and at Alabama under Nick Saban in 2007. He was the youngest offensive coordinator among Division I-A schools at that time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jim Zorn</span> American football player and coach (born 1953)

James Arthur Zorn is an American former professional football player and coach. Zorn was a left-handed quarterback, and is best known as the starting quarterback of the Seattle Seahawks for their first eight seasons. He was the quarterback coach for the Seattle Seahawks from 2001 until the 2007 season. Before the 2008 season Zorn was originally hired by the Washington Redskins to serve as offensive coordinator. Two weeks after being hired, he was promoted as the team's head coach.

Chris Palmer is an American former football coach and college athletics administrator. Palmer served as the head coach for Cleveland Browns of the National Football League (NFL) from 1999 to 2000 and in the same capacity with the Hartford Colonials of the United Football League (UFL) in 2010. He was the head football coach at the University of New Haven from 1986 to 1987 and at Boston University from 1988 to 1989. Palmer has also served as an assistant coach with the Dallas Cowboys, Houston Texans, Jacksonville Jaguars, New England Patriots, New York Giants, San Francisco 49ers, Houston Oilers, Tennessee Titans and the Buffalo Bills of the NFL. He later returned to the University of New Haven and served as the athletic director from 2018 to 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Terry Robiskie</span> American football player and coach (born 1954)

Terrance Joseph Robiskie is a former American football coach and player. He previously served as an assistant coach for the Buffalo Bills, Tennessee Titans, Atlanta Falcons, Miami Dolphins, Cleveland Browns, Washington Redskins, Los Angeles Raiders, and Jacksonville Jaguars.

William Scott Musgrave is an American football coach and former player who is the senior offensive assistant for the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League (NFL). He is a former quarterback, offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for multiple NFL teams. He played college football for the Oregon Ducks, earning all-conference honors in the Pac-10. He is also the uncle of Green Bay Packers tight end Luke Musgrave.

Shane Montgomery is an American college football coach and former player. He is an offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for the University of Massachusetts Amherst, positions he has held since 2024. He was as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at the University at Buffalo. Montgomery served as the head football coach at Miami University from 2005 to 2008, compiling a record of 17–31.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hue Jackson</span> American football coach (born 1965)

Hue Jackson is an American football coach who was most recently the head football coach at Grambling State University. An offensive assistant at both the collegiate and professional levels, he held coordinator positions in the National Football League (NFL) with the Washington Redskins in 2003, the Atlanta Falcons in 2007, the Oakland Raiders in 2010, and the Cincinnati Bengals from 2014 to 2015. He also served as the head coach of the Raiders in 2011 and Cleveland Browns from 2016 to 2018. Jackson compiled a 3–36–1 record with the Browns, including a winless season in 2017, which is the worst record among coaches who presided over an NFL team for at least 40 games.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pat Shurmur</span> American football player and coach (born 1965)

Patrick Carl Shurmur is an American football coach who serves as the offensive coordinator at the University of Colorado Boulder. Prior to joining the staff at Colorado, he most recently served as the offensive coordinator for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League (NFL) from 2020 to 2021. A 32-year coaching veteran, Shurmur has 21 seasons of NFL experience, including the last 11 years as a head coach or offensive coordinator. Shurmur has four years of experience as a head coach, working in that role with the New York Giants from 2018 to 2019 and with the Cleveland Browns from 2011 to 2012. He also served as interim head coach for Philadelphia Eagles at the end of the 2015 season. He has been an offensive coordinator for seven seasons, previously coaching in that role with the Minnesota Vikings (2016–2017), Philadelphia Eagles (2013–2015) and the St. Louis Rams (2009–2010).

Gregor Alan Olson is an American football coach who is the quarterbacks coach for the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League (NFL). He has been an offensive coordinator for the Detroit Lions, St. Louis Rams, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Oakland Raiders, Jacksonville Jaguars, and the Oakland / Las Vegas Raiders.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bill O'Brien (American football)</span> American football coach (born 1969)

William James O'Brien, nicknamed "the Teapot", is an American football coach. He is the head football coach at Boston College, a position he has held since 2024. Previously, he was the head coach of the Houston Texans from 2014 to 2020, and at Penn State from 2012 to 2013. Prior to Boston College, O’Brien was the offensive coordinator for the New England Patriots. After the Patriots parted ways with longtime head coach, Bill Belichick, O’Brien was not retained by the Patriots.

The Bryant Bulldogs football program represents Bryant University in college football. As of the upcoming 2024 season, the Bulldogs will be members of CAA Football, an NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) league operated by, but legally separate from, the multi-sports Coastal Athletic Association. Bryant had played the 2023 season in the Big South–OVC Football Association, formed in that season as a football-only alliance also operating at the FCS level between the Big South Conference and Ohio Valley Conference. The team has played its home games at Beirne Stadium in Smithfield, Rhode Island, which opened in 1999 as Bulldog Stadium and received its current name in 2016.

Scott Stewart Milanovich is an American professional football coach and former player who is the head coach for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He was also the head coach of the Toronto Argonauts and Edmonton Football Team of the CFL. Milanovich has also held positional coaching roles in the NFL Europe and the National Football League (NFL).

The 2004 Pittsburgh Steelers season was the franchise's 72nd season as a professional sports franchise and as a member of the National Football League. It would be the first season the franchise would have under quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. He would play 18 seasons as a Steeler, a franchise record.

Charley Molnar Jr. is an American college football coach. Molnar served head football coach at the University of Massachusetts Amherst (UMass), for two seasons, from 2012 to 2013, compiling a record of 2–22. Molnar had previously been the offensive coordinator at the University of Notre Dame.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shane Steichen</span> American football coach (born 1985)

Shane Steichen is an American football and head coach for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League (NFL). He previously served as an assistant coach for the San Diego / Los Angeles Chargers from 2014 to 2020 and offensive coordinator in 2020, and offensive coordinator for the Philadelphia Eagles in 2021 and 2022. Steichen also previously served previously as an assistant coach for the Cleveland Browns.

Spencer Whipple is an American football coach who is the pass game specialist for the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League (NFL). He previously coached five seasons at UMass.

Liam Coen is an American football coach who is the offensive coordinator for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League (NFL). He previously served as the offensive coordinator at the University of Kentucky in the 2021 and 2023 seasons, as well as in 2022 for the Los Angeles Rams. Before that, Coen served as an assistant coach at the University of Maine, UMass, University of Rhode Island, and Brown University.

References

  1. ↑ "Mark Whipple to return to UMass". 11 January 2014.
  2. 1 2 "Mark Whipple Bio". University of Massachusetts. Archived from the original on December 16, 2013. Retrieved September 4, 2014.
  3. 1 2 Miami Herald [ dead link ]
  4. ↑ Mark Whipple Named Hurricanes' Offensive Coordinator Archived March 2, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.