Mike Holmgren

At 76 years old, Mike Holmgren has this physical status:

Michael George Holmgren (born June 15, 1948) is a retired American football coach and executive.

He began his NFL career as a quarterbacks' coach and then as an offensive coordinator for the San Francisco 49ers, where they won Super Bowls XXIII and XXIV.

He served as the head coach of the Green Bay Packers from 1992 to 1998, where he won Super Bowl XXI and the Seattle Seahawks from 1999 to 2008.

He spent his time in football as the Cleveland Browns' team president from 2010 to 2012.

Holmgren coached football at both the high school and collegiate levels prior to his NFL careers. During his time in San Francisco, Green Bay, and Seattle, Holmgren was renowned for his role in molding quarterbacks such as Steve Young, Brett Favre, and Matt Hasselbeck.

In 1989 and 1990, Joe Montana received his two MVP awards under Holmgren's direction.

The Green Bay Packers were consistent winners and never lost a single season under Holmgren's leadership and play-calling.

Many fellow coaches and players have rated him as one of the best coaches in the NFL.

He led the Packers to their 12th league championship in Super Bowl XXI, a 35-21 victory over the New England Patriots, and then to Super Bowl XXII, losing to the Denver Broncos.

The Seahawks also became a regular playoff team under Holmgren, winning five division titles and the franchise's first Super Bowl appearance in Super Bowl XL.

Holmgren, the president of the Cleveland Browns, struggled to improve the team, which had a record of 5-11 years before his arrival, and 14-34 during his tenure.

Despite Holmgren's fame as a quarterback, the Browns fielded three different opening-day starters in his three years with the team.

He was released by the Browns in November 2012 after much skepticism in the media.

Personal life

Holmgren and his partner, Kathy, married at the age of 12 and have been married since June 15, 1971; they married on his birthday so he would not forget the date. Holmgren first suggested marriage to Kathy when he was 15, but she replied, "Nope." They have four children: Calla and Jenny (born 1973), Emily (1977), and Gretchen (1981). They also have four grandchildren, Emma, Emerson, Mary and Isabell, as well as three grandsons — Luke, Michael, and Samuel. Holmgren and his wife now live in Seattle, Washington.

The Holmgren family is heavily involved in the Evangelical Covenant Church and the denomination's North Park University in Chicago. They pioneered the fundraising effort to build the university's Holmgren Athletic Complex in 2004.

Jens Bugge, Holmgren's grandfather, who served briefly as a commandant at West Point and penned a book on military strategy, was eulogized by Gen. Douglas MacArthur. Both of Holmgren's parents were soldiers in the Salvation Army.

Holmgren is a brother of the Sigma Chi fraternity.

Holmgren Way is a street named for the coach and is located in Green Bay, Wisconsin.

In the 2020 presidential race, Holmgren supported Joe Biden. Mandela Barnes endorsed and will campaign for him in the 2022 U.S. Senate election.

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Career

Holmgren began as a student at Abraham Lincoln High School in San Francisco before being named "Prep Athlete of the Year" in 1965 and 1966.

Holmgren lived as a quarterback at the University of Southern California from 1966 to 1969, and was a member of Sigma Chi fraternity. He spent 1967 on the national championship team for the United StatesC. In 1967 and 1968, Holmgren worked alongside starter Steve Sogge. In 1969, he fell behind sophomore Jimmy Jones; he obtained his bachelor's degree in 1970.

Holmgren, a back-up quarterback for the 1970 NFL Draft, was chosen by the St. Louis Cardinals in the eighth round (201st overall), and he spent time with both the Cardinals and the New York Jets.

Holmgren's teaching career began in 1971 at Abraham Lincoln High School in San Francisco, where he also taught history. He arrived as a teacher and assistant coach at Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory in San Francisco one year ago. He has taught at Oak Grove High School in San Jose, California, from 1975 to 1980, winning one Central Coast Section title.

Holmgren, a 1981 graduate from the San Francisco State Gators, became the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, working with Vic Rowen.

Holmgren, the quarterbacks coach at Brigham Young University from 1982 to 1985, was a quarterback for the Cardinals. Holmgren's four-year tenure at BYU included not only helped guide the team's explosive offense to a national championship in 1984, but also developed two of BYU's future NFL quarterbacks, Steve Young and Robbie Bosco, and Andy Reid, one of the team's future NFL head coach.

Bosco will make it to Green Bay many years before Holmgren, but his eventual appointment as Packers head coach would bring him right back to contact with Andy Reid and Steve Young.

Bosco, under Holmgren, led the Cougars to a national championship in 1984, finished third in Heisman Trophy balloting, and was drafted by the Green Bay Packers in 1985. Bosco's football career was cut short by an arm injury, and he returned to BYU as a quarterbacks coach.

Holmgren, who at the time was a graduate assistant, served with Reid in addition to coaching quarterbacks at BYU. Reid went on to serve as an offensive line coach at Holmgren's previous school, San Francisco State, and he rejoined Holmgren in Green Bay in 1992 as an offensive assistant coach. Reid was named head coach and assistant coach in 1998 and 1999 respectively, before being named head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles in 1999.

Holmgren started his NFL coaching career as an assistant coach for the San Francisco 49ers from 1986 to 1991. Bill Walsh, the 49ers' quarterback from 1986 to 1988, worked with Steve Young, who had been coached at BYU and Joe Montana. Holmgren took over as head coach from George Seifert in 1991. Joe Montana won his two MVP awards and had his best season in 1989. The 49ers had a 71-23–1 (74.7%) regular season record during his time in San Francisco, beating 1991. San Francisco won Super Bowl XXIII over the Cincinnati Bengals 20–16 and Super Bowl XXIV, setting new records for most points, most offensive points, and a margin of victory in a Super Bowl. Holmgren's 49er offense in 1989 was ranked number one in the NFL as offensive coordinator. Walsh and Seifert descended on him, and his years with the 49ers resulted in later success mentoring other young assistants and Holmgren.

Holmgren was the head coach of the Green Bay Packers from 1992 to 1998, one of the NFL's most lucrative coaching stints. Holmgren, the Packers' head coach, set a 7–37–0 (67.0%) record, a 9–5 (64.3%) record, and two Super Bowl appearances, including a 35–21 victory over the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XXI. Holmgren, John Madden (1973–1977), John Harbaugh (2008–2017), Bill Belichick (2011–2016), and Pete Carroll (2012–2016) as the first coaches in league history to win at least one game in five consecutive postseasons (1993–1997). Holmgren's Packers finished first in the NFC Central Division three times and second once, and set a 7-three record in the playoffs between 1995 and 1998. Holmgren set a franchise record for a team that had just two winning seasons in the 19 years before he was hired. Holmgren has been known for molding quarterback Brett Favre from a wild gun slinger to a three-time MVP from 1995-1997.

Many of Holmgren's 1992 coaches, including Andy Reid, Steve Mariucci, Dick Jauron, Ray Rhodes, and Jon Gruden, will continue to work in coaching. Marty Mornhinweg, an assistant hired later in Holmgren's career, later became an NFL head coach and served as an offensive coordinator under Reid with the Philadelphia Eagles from 2006 to 2012. Doug Pederson, a backup quarterback for Holmgren's Packers from 1996 to 1998, will also serve as an assistant under Reid in both Philadelphia and the Kansas City Chiefs, eventually winning Super Bowl LII as the Eagles' head coach in 2018.

Holmgren resigned from the Green Bay Packers after the 1998 season to take a nine-year head coach job with the Seattle Seahawks. Holmgren was the Seahawks' Executive Vice President/General Manager and Head Coach. Holmgren was fired as the Seahawks' General Manager after the 2002 season.

During his first season with the Seahawks in 1999, Holmgren led the Seahawks to their first postseason since 1988, snaping a 10-year playoff drought. Holmgren's record was 7-56 (56.3%) on the regular season and a 4–6 postseason record, as well as an AFC Wildcard berth (1999), four consecutive NFC West Division titles (2004, 2005, and 2007), and the Seahawks' first-ever appearance in a Super Bowl.

2005 was Holmgren (and the Seahawks) until they won the Super Bowl in 2013; the Seahawks' best season to date was 2005. The team won their first playoff game since 1984, breaking a franchise record 13–3 (81.3%). In the 2005 NFL season, Holmgren converted former Green Bay backup quarterback Matt Hasselbeck into a Pro Bowl and Super Bowl quarterback, as he did with Favre in the 1990s), and coached Shaun Alexander to the NFL's MVP, a 2005 rushing title, and an NFL record 28 touchdowns in a single season.

Holmgren became the fifth member of a small coaching family with two different NFL franchises to the Super Bowl, including Bill Parcells, Dan Reeves, Don Shula, Dick Vermeil, and later John Fox and Andy Reid with the 2005 NFC Championship victory. If the Seahawks had won Super Bowl XL, they would have become the first head coach in NFL history to win a Super Bowl with two separate franchises, but the Pittsburgh Steelers fell short, losing 21–10.

Holmgren announced on January 22, 2008 that he would complete his year as a head coach of the Seattle Seahawks before retiring as a lame duck coach. Following Holmgren's resignation, Jim L. Mora, the defensive backs coach, took over.

Holmgren received the Steve Largent Award on December 19, 2008, becoming the first Seahawks coach to win the award.

Holmgren served as an analyst for NBC's coverage of Super Bowl XLIII on February 1, 2009. He has been an analyst with Seattle Sports station KJR 950AM and as a color analyst for Westwood One's radio broadcast of Super Bowl LI since 2012.

Holmgren accepted the Cleveland Browns' president on December 21, 2009. After a disappointing 5–11 record, Holmgren fired Browns coach Eric Mangini on January 3, 2011. Holmgren's owner Jimmy Haslam revealed on October 16, 2012, that the team will have to leave the team at the end of the 2012 season.

He was selected as a mentor for the Pro Football Hall of Fame's "Centennial Slate" in 2020. He was back in 2021 for the class of 2021, but he was not among the final cut's coaches.

On October 31, 2021, he was inducted into the Seahawks Ring of Honor.

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