Jim Caldwell (American football) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Jim Caldwell

Caldwell with the Detroit Lions in 2016
Carolina Panthers
Position:	Senior assistant
Personal information
Born:	(1955-01-16) January 16, 1955 (age 70) Beloit, Wisconsin, U.S.
Career information
High school:	Memorial (Beloit, Wisconsin)
College:	Iowa (1973–1976)
Undrafted:	1977
Career history
As coach:
Iowa (1977) Graduate assistant Southern Illinois (1978–1980) Wide receivers coach Northwestern (1981) Offensive assistant Colorado (1982–1984) Wide receivers coach Louisville (1985) Wide receivers coach Penn State (1986–1992) Quarterbacks coach Wake Forest (1993–2000) Head coach Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2001) Quarterbacks coach Indianapolis Colts (2002–2008) Assistant head coach & quarterbacks coach Indianapolis Colts (2009–2011) Head coach Baltimore Ravens (2012) Quarterbacks coach Baltimore Ravens (2012) Interim offensive coordinator & quarterbacks coach Baltimore Ravens (2013) Offensive coordinator Detroit Lions (2014–2017) Head coach Miami Dolphins (2019) Assistant head coach & quarterbacks coach Carolina Panthers (2023–present) Senior assistant
Career highlights and awards
2× Super Bowl champion (XLI, XLVII)
Head coaching record
Regular season:	62–50 (.554)
Postseason:	2–4 (.333)
Career:	NCAA: 26–63 (.292) NFL: 64–54 (.542)
Coaching stats at PFR

James Caldwell (born January 16, 1955) is a well-known American football coach. He is currently a senior assistant for the Carolina Panthers team in the National Football League (NFL). Before this, he was the head coach for the Indianapolis Colts from 2009 to 2011 and the Detroit Lions from 2014 to 2017.

As an assistant coach, Caldwell helped two teams win the Super Bowl. He was the assistant head coach and quarterbacks coach for the Colts when they won Super Bowl XLI. Later, he was the offensive coordinator for the Baltimore Ravens when they won Super Bowl XLVII.

Playing College Football

Jim Caldwell went to the University of Iowa. He was a four-year starter as a defensive back for the Iowa Hawkeyes football team. He played for them from 1973 to 1976.

Coaching Journey

Early College Coaching

Caldwell started his coaching career as an assistant at several universities. These included the University of Iowa, Southern Illinois University, and Northwestern University. He also coached at the University of Colorado at Boulder, University of Louisville, and Pennsylvania State University.

In 1993, he became the head coach at Wake Forest University. He was the first African American head football coach in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). In 1996, he was honored by Omicron Delta Kappa, a national leadership society, at Wake Forest.

During his eight years as head coach, his team's record was 26 wins and 63 losses. He created a strong passing offense that set many school records. However, his teams struggled with running the ball. He had one winning season in 1999, when the Demon Deacons won the Aloha Bowl.

Leading the Indianapolis Colts

In 2001, Caldwell joined Tony Dungy's coaching staff with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as their quarterbacks coach. He then followed Dungy to the Indianapolis Colts in 2002. He stayed with the Colts for Dungy's entire time there, helping them win Super Bowl XLI.

On January 13, 2008, it was announced that Caldwell would take over as head coach after Dungy retired. Dungy announced his retirement on January 12, 2009, and Caldwell officially became the head coach.

Caldwell had an amazing first season as a head coach in the NFL in 2009. The Colts started with a fantastic 14–0 record. After winning the AFC South title and securing the top spot in the AFC playoffs, Caldwell rested his starting players for the last two games. This decision caused some debate.

He won his first playoff game against the Baltimore Ravens on January 16, 2010. On January 24, 2010, Caldwell became only the fifth rookie head coach to lead his team to the Super Bowl. They beat the New York Jets 30–17 in the AFC Championship Game. However, his rookie season ended with a 31–17 loss to the New Orleans Saints in Super Bowl XLIV.

Caldwell holds the NFL record for the best start by a rookie head coach, with 14 wins. George Seifert also achieved 14 wins as a rookie coach in 1989 with the San Francisco 49ers. The 14 wins also tied a Colts team record. Caldwell is the most recent rookie head coach to reach the Super Bowl.

In his second season (2010), the Colts finished with a 10–6 record and won the AFC South division title. They lost their first playoff game to the New York Jets 17–16. This marked the end of the Peyton Manning era in Indianapolis.

The 2011 season was tough for the Colts, as they finished with only 2 wins and 14 losses. Their starting quarterback, Peyton Manning, missed the whole season due to neck surgeries. Without him, the team struggled. Caldwell was fired after this season. However, the team's poor record gave them the No. 1 pick in the 2012 NFL draft, which they used to draft quarterback Andrew Luck.

Super Bowl Win with Baltimore Ravens

Just thirteen days after leaving the Colts, Caldwell was hired by the Baltimore Ravens on January 30, 2012, as their quarterbacks coach. On December 10, 2012, he was promoted to offensive coordinator. After the Ravens defeated the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship game, head coach John Harbaugh announced that Caldwell would be the permanent offensive coordinator for the 2013 season. On February 3, 2013, Caldwell helped lead the Ravens to a 34–31 victory over the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl XLVII.

Coaching the Detroit Lions

On January 14, 2014, the Detroit Lions announced Jim Caldwell as their new head coach. He was the first African American to hold this position for the Lions.

In Caldwell's first season with the Lions in 2014, they had a strong 11–5 record. They made the playoffs as a wild card team. However, they lost in the first round to the Dallas Cowboys by a score of 24–20.

Halfway through the 2015 season, the Lions had a tough 1–7 record. There was talk that Caldwell might be fired. But the team turned things around, winning 6 of their last 8 games to finish the season with a 7–9 record. Caldwell kept his job.

In 2016, Caldwell's third season in Detroit, the Lions improved to a 9–7 record. They lost to the Green Bay Packers in the final week, which decided the winner of the NFC North division. The Lions still made the playoffs as a wild card team but lost in the first round to the Seattle Seahawks 26–6.

The Lions had another 9–7 record in 2017. Despite the winning record, many felt the season was disappointing because the team missed the playoffs. On January 1, 2018, Caldwell was fired by the Lions. He was replaced by Matt Patricia the following month.

Caldwell's record as Lions coach was 36 wins and 28 losses, which is a winning percentage of .563. This made him the first non-interim Lions coach since Joe Schmidt (who coached from 1967 to 1972) to leave the team with a winning record. His winning percentage was also the best for a Lions' head coach since Buddy Parker in the 1950s.

Other Coaching Roles

After leaving the Detroit Lions, Caldwell worked for the XFL as a consultant. He helped with football rules for the league. He also interviewed for head coaching jobs with the Green Bay Packers, New York Jets, and Cleveland Browns.

In 2019, Caldwell joined the Miami Dolphins as assistant head coach and quarterbacks coach. However, he took a leave of absence later that year due to health issues, but he continued to work as a consultant. He was not kept on the Dolphins' staff after the 2019 season.

In 2022, Caldwell interviewed for head coaching positions with the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Chicago Bears.

On February 14, 2023, Caldwell was named a senior assistant for the Carolina Panthers. He works under their new head coach, Frank Reich.

Family Life

Jim Caldwell and his wife, Cheryl, have four children. Their names are Jimmy, Jermaine, Jared, and Natalie.

Coaching Records

College

NFL