Lovie Smith

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Lovie Lee Smith (born May 8, 1958) is an American football coach.

He is the head football coach at the University of Illinois.

He was previously the head coach of the Chicago Bears of the National Football League (NFL) from 2004 to 2012, and the NFL's Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 2014 to 2015.

Smith has been to the Super Bowl twice, as the defensive coordinator for the St. Louis Rams and as the head coach for the Bears in 2006.

Early life

Smith was raised in Big Sandy, Texas. He was named after his great aunt, Lavana.

Personal life

Lovie and his wife, MaryAnne, have three sons.

Smith, whose mother is blind because of diabetes, is an active supporter of the American Diabetes Association. He and his wife are also the founders of the Lovie and MaryAnne Smith Foundation, a program which provides educational and life skill opportunities to worthy young people who otherwise face barriers in reaching their educational goals. He was the Grand Marshal for the USG Sheetrock 400 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series race at Chicagoland Speedway on July 15, 2007.

Smith is a devout Christian and has contributed every month to Brown's Chapel, his former Methodist church in Texas. In 2012, Smith was inducted into the Texas Sports Hall of Fame, along with Bubba Smith, Dave Parks, Andre Ware, Mack Brown and Fred Couples.

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Playing career

Smith earned all-state recognition for three years as a defensive end and linebacker during his three years as a high school student at Big Sandy. From 1973 to 1975, his team earned three straight state championships, including a 0–0 draw against G. A. Moore's Celina. Big Sandy's defense allowed only 15 points (11 shutouts) all season, while the offense, which featured former Miami Dolphins running back David Overstreet, earned a then-national record 824 points.

Under new head coach John Cooper, Smith played college football at University of Tulsa. He was a two-time All-American at linebacker and defensive back.

Coaching career

After graduating from college, he immediately began to work in teaching. In 1980, he was hired as a defensive coordinator at his Big Sandy alma mater. He graduated from Cascia Hall Preparatory School in Tulsa in 1981 and 1982, coaching defensive backs and wide receivers.

Smith began teaching linebackers on the college level in 1983, first at University of Tulsa (1983–86), then at University of Wisconsin–Madison (1987), and the University of Kentucky (1992). He has also served as a defensive backs coach at the University of Tennessee (1993–94), and 1992 for Ohio State University (1995).

Smith began his NFL coaching career as a linebacker coach for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He was involved in the creation of the Tampa 2 defense under Tony Dungy's direction. Smith was hired as the defensive coordinator of the St. Louis Rams after five years with Buccaneers under head coach Mike Martz. While in St. Louis, Smith improved the Rams' defense, going from giving up a league-worst 29.4 points per game to a league-average of 17.1 points in 2001. The Rams won the 2001 NFC Championship and advanced to Super Bowl XXXVI. In one of the biggest Super Bowl upsets of all time, the team eventually lost to the New England Patriots.

Following Dick Jauron's dismissal, the Chicago Bears hired Smith as head coach in 2004. Smith said he had three goals upon arriving in Chicago: beat the Green Bay Packers; win the NFC North; and win a Super Bowl. He struggled with the Bears' first season, as the introduction of new offensive and defensive equipment as well as a string of injuries, including a season-ending knee injury to starting quarterback Rex Grossman, led to a 5–11 record. Despite their poor offense, the Bears' defense saw some significant improvements, rising from 22nd in 2003 to 13th in 2004.

When quarterback Rex Grossman sustained a serious injury during the preseason and missed a majority of the season, it repeated itself. Smith and Ron Rivera beat Grossman's death but still held a 1–3 record and a solid defense. In terms of yardage, the Bears came in second, while still allowing the fewest points in the league.

Smith was honoured by the Bears' spectacular turn around in the 2005 season, earning him national attention. He received the Associated Press NFL Coach of the Year Award last year. The Bears defeated the Carolina Panthers after returning to action after being cutoff in the first round bye. Both the Bears' offense and defense struggled to keep up with the Panthers, losing 29–21.

In April 2006, Smith and the Bears' leadership sparked backlash by withsending their first round pick and drafting five defensive players. Grossman, who struggled to move the Bears' offense during the preseason, was the subject of a growing preseason criticism. Grossman led the Bears to seven straight victories, but the team faltered during the season's later portion of the season. When asked by the media, Smith stood by Grossman, saying, "Rex is our quarterback." The Bears posted a 13-3 record in 2006, securing the NFC's top playoff seed. The Bears completed the season with the NFL's second-ranked scoring offense and fifth-ranked overall defense.

During the 2006 Divisional Playoffs, Smith led the Bears to a 27-24 victory over the Seattle Seahawks, the defending NFC champions. The New Orleans Saints defeated the New Orleans Saints at 39–14, the NFC Championship's second successive victory. Smith, the first Black head coach (and second minority coach behind Tom Flores), was hired by Smith to lead his team in a Super Bowl just hours before Indianapolis Colts head coach Tony Dungy, his faithful friend and mentor, became the second. They were the first two African head coaches to oppose each other in a Super Bowl together. The Bears lost Super Bowl XLI, 29-17.

Smith demanded a pay raise following Chicago's fruitful season. Smith, the lowest-paid coach in the NFL in 2006 at $1.35 million, would have made $1.45 million in the final season of a four-year deal. Following a stalemate in labor talks, the Bears agreed Smith to a new four-year contract worth $22 million on March 1. However, he sacked defensive coordinator Ron Rivera, who was not fired after his deal was ended. In addition, four other members of Smith's coaching staff also left the team.

Smith, who was confident in Grossman's abilities, named him as the team's starting quarterback over Kyle Orton and Brian Griese. Smith revealed that Griese would replace Grossman after the team began the season with a 1–2 record. Griese led the Bears to a 23-5 record, but he suffered an injury in a game against the Oakland Raiders, which allowed Grossman to play as the team's starting quarterback once more. However, Grossman was later injured in the season and briefly suspended by Griese. Kyle Orton, the Bears' longest player, was able to complete the season in a 2–1 record. The team's inconsistency at the quarterback position as well as the inability of establishing a good running game contributed to the team's 7-9% finish. Smith was delighted that the team came to an end by winning their last two games despite finishing last in the NFC North. Bob Babich, the team's defensive coordinator, was also chastised for his play calling.

Smith and the Bears parted with Cedric Benson, passer Griese, and receiver Bernard Berrian early this year. Kyle Orton was the team's starting quarterback, after an upset victory over the Indianapolis Colts earlier this season. With two overtime losses, the Bears went 2–2. The team managed to stay below.500 for the remainder of the season, but the Houston Texans missed the playoffs after losing their season finale. Smith was pleased with rookie running back Matt Forte and quarterback Kyle Orton, who finished the season with a 79.6 quarterback rating. Smith demoted Babich and took over defensive play calling duties after the season ended. Rod Marinelli, a long-time friend, who had lost his head coaching job with the Detroit Lions, was also reunited with him.

Smith and general manager Jerry Angelo disagreed on the team's quarterback's future. Although Smith was content with Orton, Angelo was more interested in finding a long-term solution to the situation. For Jay Cutler of the Denver Broncos, Angelo traded Orton and the Bears' 2009 and 2010 first-round draft picks. The Bears faltered in the month of November, losing four out of five games. The team's high hopes were quickly grounded. The Bears were disqualified from the playoff race for the third year in a row after losing to the Green Bay Packers during a Week 14 matchup. The Bears lost their first game to Green Bay in a single season under Lovie Smith.

Smith would remain the team's head coach a week after the loss to Green Bay, despite rumors of departures. When speaking to the media the next Sunday, Jerry Angelo, the team's general manager, refused to confirm these reports. Smith won consecutive games against the Minnesota Vikings and the Detroit Lions, marking a close season on record. His victory over Detroit was his 100th game as the team's head coach.

Smith will return in 2010 after the season's end, according to the Bears' organization. However, Ron Turner, the company's offensive coordinator, was fired along with three other offensive coaches. Turner was fired by Mike Martz, who had been the head coach of the St. Louis Rams when Smith was their defensive coordinator when Smith was fired. Smith was relieved of his defensive play-calling duties, while Babich was officially named as the team's defensive coordinator. In the NFC Championship Game, the Bears would go 11-5, but the Packers would defeat the Packers.

The Bears went 7-3 in 2011, but after losing quarterback Jay Cutler to a broken thumb, the Bears lost five straight, first in Smith's career, and finished 8-8. Jerry Angelo, the season's general manager, was fired, and offensive coordinator Mike Martz resigned. Phil Emery, who served for Smith as an area scout for the Bears during the 2004 season, has been hired as the Bears' general manager. Mike Tice, the Bears' offensive line coach, was fired from Martz as the offensive coordinator. The Bears took home their 300th takeaway under Smith in Week 13 of the 2012 season.

With a 7–1 record, the Bears began the 2012 season on a promising note. The team's defense finished first in takeaways, third in points allowed, and fifth in yards allowed. However, the team lost five of its next eight games. The Bears had a 10-6 record on the season, but they missed the playoffs for the fifth time in six years. Smith was fired as head coach of the Chicago Bears on December 31, 2012. Smith retired from the Bears after nine years of service, three playoff appearances, one Coach of the Year award, and one Super Bowl appearance. Smith spoke with the Philadelphia Eagles and Bills about their head coaching openings prior to being forced to postponed in the 2013 season.

On Monday, January 7, 2014, Smith was hired as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' 10th head coach in franchise history. Smith said of his first time with the Buccaneers, "We did lay a foundation for Tampa Bay Buccaneer football, but there is a particular brand of football that we should expect from us." You'll be hard, physically fit, but there's a brand of football you could not get from us every week at Raymond James Stadium. Opponents were compelled to come in and win." Prior to joining the Buccaneers, Smith interviewed for the head coaching positions held by the Houston Texans and Detroit Lions.

Smith was fired by the Buccaneers on January 6, 2016, breaking a record of 8–24 in his two years, including a 6–10 record in the 2015 season.

Smith was appointed head coach for the University of Illinois on March 7, 2016, agreeing to a six-year deal worth $21 million. The university has sold over 2000 new season tickets and more than 400 new student season tickets in 48 hours after the announcement of the Smith hire.

When Smith's deal was accepted by the university's Board of Trustees at their September 2016 meeting, $2 million of the salary was transferred from the last two years of the employment and made payable in earlier years. In addition, the deal paid for up to $8 million in performance compensation.

The Fighting Illini won by 24–23 over then #6 Wisconsin on October 19, 2019, their most significant win since Smith took over as head coach. Smith led the Fighting Illini to a 6–6 record and their first bowl game since 2014. Smith was fired on December 13, 2020, after Illinois started the season with a 2-5 record. In five seasons at Illinois, he had an overall record of 17–39, including a 10–33 record in Big Ten Conference play.

Smith was hired by the Houston Texans on March 10, 2021, as their associate head coach and defensive coordinator under head coach David Culley, marking Smith's first appearance in the league since 2015, when he served as head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers since 2015. Houston finished 25 total takeaways, tied for 10th in the NFL, in Smith's first season as the Texans' defense leader, while intercepting 3.2 percent of opponent passing attempts, the fifth-highest rate in the league.

On February 7, 2022, he was named head coach. Smith worked with the Texans' head coaching job back in December 2013, before they hired Penn State head coach and former New England Patriots assistant Bill O'Brien on January 3, 2014.

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