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 "Jim" Caldwell (born January 16, 1955) is a well-known American football coach. He currently works as a senior assistant for the Carolina Panthers in the National Football League (NFL).

Caldwell has also been a head coach for two NFL teams: the Indianapolis Colts (from 2009 to 2011) and the Detroit Lions (from 2014 to 2017). As an assistant coach, he 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 Football in College

Jim Caldwell went to the University of Iowa. He played defensive back for the Iowa Hawkeyes football team for four years, from 1973 to 1976. A defensive back is a player who tries to stop the other team from catching passes or running with the ball.

In 1973, during his first year, he set a special record for Iowa. He blocked five kicks in one season, which is still a record today!

Jim Caldwell's Coaching Journey

Coaching in College Football

Before becoming a head coach, Jim Caldwell worked as an assistant coach at several colleges. These included Iowa, Southern Illinois, Northwestern, Colorado, Louisville, and Penn State.

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 a leadership society at Wake Forest.

During his eight years at Wake Forest, his team's record was 26 wins and 63 losses. His teams were known for their strong passing game, setting many school records. However, they often struggled with running the ball. He had one winning season in 1999, when his team won the Aloha Bowl.

Coaching in the NFL

Indianapolis Colts Coaching Role

In 2001, Caldwell joined Tony Dungy's coaching staff with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as their quarterbacks coach. A quarterback is the player who throws the ball. In 2002, he followed Coach Dungy to the Indianapolis Colts. He stayed with the Colts for many years, helping them win Super Bowl XLI.

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

Caldwell had an amazing first year as head coach in 2009. The Colts started the season with 14 wins in a row! They finished with a 14–2 record. Because they had already won their division and secured a top spot in the playoffs, Caldwell decided to rest his main players for the last two games. This caused some discussion, but it was a team decision.

He won his first playoff game against the Baltimore Ravens on January 16, 2010. On January 24, 2010, Caldwell led his team to the Super Bowl, becoming only the fifth rookie head coach to do so. The Colts won the AFC Championship Game against the New York Jets with a score of 30–17. However, on February 7, 2010, the Colts lost Super Bowl XLIV to the New Orleans Saints 31–17.

Jim Caldwell shares the NFL record for the best start by a rookie head coach, with 14 wins. This record was also set by George Seifert in 1989 with the San Francisco 49ers. Caldwell is also the most recent rookie head coach to reach the Super Bowl.

In his second season (2010), the Colts had a 10–6 record and won their division again. They lost their first playoff game to the New York Jets 17–16 on January 8, 2011. This game marked the end of the Peyton Manning era for the Colts.

The 2011 season was tough for the Colts, as they finished with only 2 wins and 14 losses. Their star quarterback, Peyton Manning, missed the whole season due to neck surgeries. Without him, the team struggled a lot. Caldwell was fired after this season. However, because the Colts had the worst record in the league, they earned the first pick in the 2012 NFL draft. They used this pick to draft quarterback Andrew Luck.

Baltimore Ravens Coaching Role

Just 13 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. An offensive coordinator is in charge of planning the team's plays when they have the ball.

On January 22, 2013, after the Ravens won the AFC championship game, head coach John Harbaugh announced that Caldwell would stay as 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.

Detroit Lions Coaching Role

On January 14, 2014, the Detroit Lions announced that Jim Caldwell would be 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 (2014), they had a good record of 11 wins and 5 losses. They made it to the playoffs as a wild card team. However, they lost their first playoff game to the Dallas Cowboys by a score of 24–20.

Halfway through the 2015 season, the Lions were struggling with only 1 win and 7 losses. Many people thought Caldwell might be fired. But the team improved greatly in the second half of the season, winning 6 of their last 8 games. They finished the season with a 7–9 record, and Caldwell kept his job.

In 2016, his third season in Detroit, the Lions improved to a 9–7 record. They lost to the Green Bay Packers in the last game of the season, which decided the winner of their 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, the day after the season ended, Caldwell was fired by the Lions.

Caldwell's record as the Lions' coach was 36 wins and 28 losses, which is a winning percentage of .563. This made him the first non-interim Lions coach to leave the team with a winning record since Joe Schmidt in the 1970s. His winning percentage was also the best for a Lions' head coach since the 1950s.

Miami Dolphins Coaching Role

After leaving Detroit, Caldwell was hired by the Miami Dolphins on February 8, 2019. He joined their new head coach, Brian Flores, as an assistant head coach and quarterbacks coach. On July 13, 2019, it was announced that Caldwell would take a break from his duties to focus on his health, but he continued to work as a consultant. He was not kept on the Dolphins' staff after the 2019 season.

Since 2017, Caldwell has been interviewed for several head coaching jobs in the NFL, including with the Green Bay Packers, New York Jets, Cleveland Browns, Jacksonville Jaguars, and Chicago Bears. Discussions about fairness in coaching opportunities within the league have sometimes mentioned Caldwell's situation.

Carolina Panthers Coaching Role

On January 9, 2023, Caldwell was interviewed for the head coach position with the Carolina Panthers. On February 14, 2023, he was named a senior assistant for the Panthers, working under their new head coach, Frank Reich.

Jim Caldwell's Family Life

Jim Caldwell is married to Cheryl, and they have four children: Jimmy, Jermaine, Jared, and Natalie.

Coaching Records

College Head Coaching Record

NFL Head Coaching Record