Karl Dorrell facts for kids
| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | December 18, 1963 Alameda, California, U.S. |
| Playing career | |
| 1983–1986 | UCLA |
| Position(s) | Wide receiver |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1989 | UCF (WR) |
| 1990–1991 | Northern Arizona (OC/WR) |
| 1992–1993 | Colorado (WR) |
| 1994 | Arizona State (WR) |
| 1995–1998 | Colorado (OC/WR) |
| 1999 | Washington (OC/WR) |
| 2000–2002 | Denver Broncos (WR) |
| 2003–2007 | UCLA |
| 2008–2010 | Miami Dolphins (WR) |
| 2011 | Miami Dolphins (QB) |
| 2012–2013 | Houston Texans (QB) |
| 2014 | Vanderbilt (OC/QB) |
| 2015–2018 | New York Jets (WR) |
| 2019 | Miami Dolphins (AHC/WR) |
| 2020–2022 | Colorado |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 43–42 |
| Bowls | 1–4 |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Awards | |
| 2× Pac-12 Coach of the Year (2005, 2020) | |
Karl James Dorrell (born December 18, 1963) is a well-known American football coach. He has been the head coach for the UCLA Bruins and Colorado Buffaloes. He even won the Pac-12 Coach of the Year award twice! Karl Dorrell led the UCLA Bruins to five special "bowl" games. He was also the first African American head football coach in UCLA's history.
Contents
Early Life and Playing Football
Karl Dorrell grew up in La Mesa, California. He went to Helix High School and was a star football player. He was chosen as an "all-league" player twice. In 1981, his team almost won the state championship, finishing second.
Playing for UCLA
After high school, Karl played football at UCLA. He was a fantastic wide receiver, catching the ball for 1,517 yards in his college career. That's a lot of running with the ball! He played on UCLA teams that won the Rose Bowl in 1983, 1984, and 1986. He also won the Freedom Bowl in 1986.
In 1983, he played with quarterback Rick Neuheisel. Years later, Rick would become the head coach at UCLA, just like Karl. Karl caught many touchdowns from Rick, including two in the 1984 Rose Bowl.
One famous play happened in 1986 during a game against USC. Karl caught a "Hail Mary" pass right before halftime. This amazing play helped UCLA win the game 45–20.
Short NFL Career
After college, Karl had a short time playing in the NFL. He was with the Dallas Cowboys in 1987 but got injured.
Coaching Career
Karl Dorrell started his coaching journey in 1988. His first job was helping out at UCLA. That year, the UCLA team had a great season, winning 10 games and beating the Arkansas Razorbacks in the Cotton Bowl Classic.
Becoming an Assistant Coach
- UCF (1989): He became a wide receivers coach at UCF.
- Northern Arizona (1990–1991): He was in charge of the offense and coached receivers. His team set a school record for first downs in 1991.
- Colorado (1992–1993): He coached wide receivers. Two of his players, Charles Johnson and Michael Westbrook, each caught over 1,000 yards in a season. This was a rare achievement in college football!
- Arizona State (1994): He coached wide receivers here for one year.
- Return to Colorado (1995–1998): He came back to Colorado as the offensive coordinator and receivers coach.
- Washington (1999): He moved to Washington with his former teammate Rick Neuheisel, coaching offense and receivers.
Karl also spent time learning from the Denver Broncos NFL team in 1993 and 1999. He later joined them as a coach.
Coaching in the NFL
- Denver Broncos (2000–2002): Karl coached wide receivers for the Broncos. He helped players like Rod Smith and Ed McCaffrey become top players. In 2000, Smith and McCaffrey became only the second pair of wide receivers in NFL history to each catch 100 passes in one season.
Head Coach at UCLA
In 2003, Karl Dorrell became the head coach for the UCLA Bruins. He was hired to help the team improve both on and off the field.
First Seasons (2003–2004)
In his first year (2003), UCLA won 6 games and lost 7. They played in the Silicon Valley Bowl. In 2004, they also finished 6–6 and played in the Las Vegas Bowl.
Amazing 2005 Season
The 2005 season was a big one for Karl Dorrell.
- He got his first win against a highly ranked team, beating No. 21 Oklahoma.
- He coached in the first Pac-10 game where two African American head coaches faced each other. UCLA beat Washington 47–40.
- His team earned the nickname "The Cardiac Kids" because they made amazing comebacks. They came back from being 21 points behind to win in overtime twice!
- In the 2005 Sun Bowl, they came back from 22 points down to win 50–38 against the Northwestern Wildcats.
- UCLA finished the season with a great 10–2 record. Karl was named Pac-10 co-coach of the year!
2006 Season Highlights
In 2006, UCLA had a 7–6 record. The most exciting win was a 13–9 victory over No. 2-ranked USC. This win stopped USC from playing for the national championship and broke UCLA's losing streak against their rival. It was a huge moment for the team and fans!
Final Season at UCLA (2007)
In 2007, hopes were high for UCLA. They started well but then had some tough losses. After a 6–6 season, Karl Dorrell was no longer the head coach. His former teammate, Rick Neuheisel, took over the job.
Back to Assistant Coaching
Miami Dolphins (2008–2011)
After leaving UCLA, Karl Dorrell became the wide receivers coach for the Miami Dolphins in the NFL. In 2011, he became their quarterbacks coach.
Houston Texans (2012–2013)
He then coached quarterbacks for the Houston Texans. He helped quarterback Matt Schaub have a great season in 2012.
Vanderbilt (2014)
In 2014, Karl became the offensive coordinator for Vanderbilt University. He worked with head coach Derek Mason, who he knew from earlier in his career.
New York Jets (2015–2018)
From 2015 to 2018, Karl was the wide receivers coach for the New York Jets. He helped Brandon Marshall and Eric Decker become a fantastic duo. In 2015, they combined for an NFL record 26 touchdowns! Even when the team struggled in 2016, his receivers like Quincy Enunwa and Robby Anderson still played very well.
Second Time with Miami Dolphins (2019)
In 2019, Karl Dorrell returned to the Miami Dolphins as their wide receivers coach.
Head Coach at Colorado
On February 23, 2020, Karl Dorrell became the head coach for the University of Colorado. He signed a five-year contract.
2020 Season Success
In the 2020 season, which was shorter due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Colorado had a winning record of 4–2. This was their first winning season since 2016. Because of this success, Karl Dorrell was named Pac-12 Coach of the Year for the second time!
Later Seasons and Departure
In October 2021, after a tough loss, Karl Dorrell apologized for an incident with a photojournalist. On October 2, 2022, after an 0–5 start to the season, Colorado decided to make a change, and Karl Dorrell was no longer their head coach.
Family Life
Karl Dorrell is married to Kim, and they have two children, Chandler and Lauren.
Coaching Record
| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | Coaches# | AP° | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UCLA Bruins (Pacific-10 Conference) (2003–2007) | |||||||||
| 2003 | UCLA | 6–7 | 4–4 | T–5th | L Silicon Valley | ||||
| 2004 | UCLA | 6–6 | 4–4 | T–5th | L Las Vegas | ||||
| 2005 | UCLA | 10–2 | 6–2 | 3rd | W Sun | 13 | 16 | ||
| 2006 | UCLA | 7–6 | 5–4 | 4th | L Emerald | ||||
| 2007 | UCLA | 6–6 | 5–4 | T–4th | Las Vegas | ||||
| UCLA: | 35–27 | 24–18 | |||||||
| Colorado Buffaloes (Pac-12 Conference) (2020–present) | |||||||||
| 2020 | Colorado | 4–2 | 3–1 | 2nd (South) | L Alamo | ||||
| 2021 | Colorado | 4–8 | 3–6 | 5th (South) | |||||
| 2022 | Colorado | 0–5 | 0–2 | ||||||
| Colorado: | 8–15 | 6–9 | |||||||
| Total: | 43–42 | ||||||||
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