Ken Whisenhunt
Ken Whisenhunt was born in Georgia on February 28th, 1962 and is the Football Coach. At the age of 62, Ken Whisenhunt biography, profession, age, height, weight, eye color, hair color, build, measurements, education, career, dating/affair, family, news updates, and networth are available.
At 62 years old, Ken Whisenhunt has this physical status:
Kenneth Moore Whisenhunt (born February 28, 1962) is an American football coach.
Whisenhunt was head coach of the Arizona Cardinals from 2007 to 2012 and Tennessee Titans from 2014 to 2015.
He led the Cardinals to their first Super Bowl appearance in franchise history during the 2008 season, as well as their first home playoff games in 60 years.
However, following the retirement of Kurt Warner, Whisenhunt posted three straight non-winning seasons and was fired by the Cardinals.
He was fired by the Titans after compiling a record of 3-20 through one and a half years.
Previously, he was known for his offensive background, including the success he had with the Pittsburgh Steelers in his three years as their offensive coordinator under Bill Cowher and winning Super Bowl XL over the Seattle Seahawks during the 2005 season.
Most recently, Whisenhunt served as the offensive coordinator for the Los Angeles Chargers for four seasons before being fired on October 28, 2019.
Personal life
Ken and his wife, Alice, have two children: a son Kenneth Jr., and daughter Mary Ashley.
Whisenhunt earned the rank of Eagle Scout as a boy.
Whisenhunt is an avid golfer. A native of Augusta, Georgia., he worked the 18th hole manual scoreboard as a teenager at the Masters golf tournament, the PGA’s first major of the year. He’s played the course on a number of occasions, including May 2008 when he shot an even par 72 that included an eagle on the par-4 11th hole. Whisenhunt contemplated a career in professional golf and after retiring as a player in 1993, he spent a year away from football and played golf extensively, including competing in the ’94 U.S. Mid-Amateur at the Hazeltine National Golf Club in Chaska, Minn. Whishenhunt’s best career score is a 65 and he has made two holes in one during his lifetime. He also unofficially has a third, but it went for a three on his scorecard after his original tee shot went in the water for a penalty.
College career
Whisenhunt played college football at Georgia Tech (1980–84), where he earned a degree in civil engineering after attending the Academy of Richmond County in Augusta, Georgia for high school. He received an honorable mention All-American during his senior season. In his last two college seasons, he was voted first-team all-ACC.
NFL playing career
His time as a player spanned four years (1985–88) as a tough end for the Atlanta Falcons, who drafted him in the twelfth round, followed by brief stints with the Washington Redskins and New York Jets. After nine seasons in which he was primarily known as a blocking back, he was forced to leave the league in 1993. He had 5 catches for 503 yards with 5 TD from 1986 to 1988 with Atlanta.
Coaching career
Whisenhunt began his teaching career at Vanderbilt University, where he worked with special teams, tight ends, and running backs for the Commodores from 1995 to 1996. In 1997, he returned to the National Football League as the Baltimore Ravens' tight ends coach. Whisenhunt was a transient in his early years in the league, progressing from the Cleveland Browns staff in 1999 to the New York Jets the following season.
Whisenhunt was hired by the Steelers in 2001 to help their tight ends. He was able to turn players like Mark Bruener and Jay Riemersma, who were both aged at the time, into excellent tight ends. Heath Miller, a tight end who has had a fruitful tight end in the league, was also oversaw early development.
Since Mike Mularkey became the head coach of the Buffalo Bills, Whisenhunt took over the role of offensive coordinator in Pittsburgh for the 2004 season. Whisenhunt's predecessor, Mularkey, was known for inventing flashy trick plays, but Whisenhunt's well-timed trick plays contrasted the conservative Steelers' running game.
The trick play he called in Super Bowl XL is one of Whisenhunt's most memorable performances as a Steeler. Whisenhunt called a wide receiver reverse pass (Antwaan Randle El to Hines Ward, the only TD pass throw by a WR in Super Bowl history) that extended Pittsburgh's advantage over the Seahawks with Pittsburgh leading 14-10.
Whisenhunt was fired as the Arizona Cardinals' next head coach on January 14, 2007, with a salary that would average $2.5 million per year. Whisenhunt had previously been interviewed for the head coaching position with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Atlanta Falcons, and Miami Dolphins. He had been expected to lead the Oakland Raiders back in February 2006, but he had to cancel meetings before a bid could be made.
The Cardinals made strides in Whisenhunt's first season, finishing 8-8 after losing 10 or more games in seven of the previous eight seasons. It was their first non-losing season since 1998, but the Reds nevertheless failed to make the playoffs.
Whisenhunt made the decision to keep veteran quarterback Kurt Warner as his starter as his starter going into his second season in 2008. Warner played with the team's younger quarterback Matt Leinart in previous seasons, but after Leinart sustained a season-ending injury, the team's final 11 games of the 2007 season were played. This move paid off as Warner led the Cardinals to a 9-7 regular season record in 2008 and the NFC West Division championship, the Cardinals' first division title since 1975, and the Cardinals' first playoff appearance since 1998. It also allowed the Cardinals to play in only their second home playoff game since winning the NFL championship in 1947, the first since winning the NFL championship in 1947, while the team was still in Chicago (they never played a home playoff game in St. Louis despite winning two division championships there). The Cardinals defeated the Atlanta Falcons and the Carolina Panthers in the first two rounds of the NFC playoffs on January 18, 2009, and the Steelers won the Super Bowl for the first time in franchise history. The Cardinals, who lost Super Bowl XLIII by Whisenhunt, defeated the Cardinals 27-23.
Whisenhunt led the Cardinals to a 10-6 record and their second NFC West championship in the following season. The Cardinals defeated the Green Bay Packers 51-45 in a thrilling overtime victory before losing to the eventual Super Bowl champion New Orleans Saints 45-14 in the next round.
The Cardinals were not expected to do well during the 2010 season following Warner's retirement and several other injuries at other positions. Leinart had been hoping to regain his starting quarterback position. Rather, Whisenhunt used free agent pickup Derek Anderson as the starter, made rookie Max Hall the backup, and released Leinart. The Cardinals finished 5-11, last in the division, and last in the standings. Despite continuing quarterback woes, Whisenhunt and team's leadership put together a strong young roster that finished with an 8-8 record in 2011.
In 2012, Whisenhunt led the Cardinals to their first 4-0 start since 1974, when the Cardinals were coached by Don Coryell in St. Louis. In week 14, the Cardinals lost 9 straight games and were blown out 58-0 by the Seattle Seahawks. With a 38-10 win over the Detroit Lions, the losing streak came to an end next week.
Whisenhunt was fired after three seasons as a result of non-playoff seasons on December 31, 2012. Rod Graves, the time's general manager, had been fired from his position.
He was hired as offensive coordinator for the San Diego Chargers on January 17, 2013, under new head coach Mike McCoy. The Chargers finished fifth in total offense under Whisenhunt in 2013 compared to 31st the season ago.
Whisenhunt was hired as the Tennessee Titans' new head coach on January 13, 2014. Whisenhunt had been considered for head coaching jobs with the Detroit Lions and the Cleveland Browns. The Titans regressed sharply from their 2013 record of 7–9. Tennessee ended the 2014 season with a 2–14 record, tying the Buccaneers for the most offensive record in the NFL.
The Titans fired Whisenhunt and named Mike Mularkey as the interim head coach on November 3, 2015, after starting the season 1–6. Whisenhunt held a 3–20 record during his time with the team.
The Chargers recalled Whisenhunt as their offensive coordinator on January 13, 2016.
Whisenhunt was rumored that he'd take over teaching at Georgia Tech, where he and AD Todd Stansbury played football at Tech together on December 4, 2018. However, he ultimately turned down the bid and the Chargers would remain on the Chargers.
Whisenhunt was shot by the Chargers on October 28, 2019. The Chicago Bears were defeated by the Chargers the day before. At the time, the Chargers were 17th in total yards and 24th in points scored, with some players failing to score more than 20 points in October.
In 2021, Whisenhunt joined Penn State as an offensive analyst.