Kevin Ross (American football) facts for kids

Kevin Lesley Ross (born January 16, 1962) is an American football coach and a former player. He currently coaches the cornerbacks for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, a team in the National Football League (NFL). During his playing days, he was a talented cornerback and safety.

Ross was picked by the Kansas City Chiefs in the seventh round of the 1984 NFL draft. He was the 173rd player chosen overall. He played his first 10 seasons with the Chiefs. Later, he also played two seasons with the Atlanta Falcons and one year with the San Diego Chargers. He then returned to the Chiefs for one more season in 1997.

Playing Football

Early Life and College

Kevin Ross played high school football at Paulsboro High School in Paulsboro, New Jersey. After high school, he went on to attend Temple University.

NFL Career Highlights

When the Chiefs drafted him in 1984, Kevin Ross quickly became a starter in his first year. He was known for his "bump-and-run" coverage style, which made him very difficult for opposing players to get past.

During his time with the Kansas City Chiefs, he caught 30 passes from the other team (called interceptions). He also scored 5 touchdowns for the team. In total, Ross played in 156 games for the Chiefs. He later joined the Atlanta Falcons as a free agent before the 1994 season. He returned to play five more games for the Chiefs in 1997.

In July 2008, the NFL Network recognized Kevin Ross and his former teammate Albert Lewis as one of the top 10 cornerback duos of all time in the NFL.

Ross was chosen to play in two NFL Pro Bowl games. These games feature the best players from the league. In 2011, he was honored by being inducted into the Kansas City Chiefs Hall of Fame. He is one of only three players in the Chiefs' history to score a touchdown in at least four different ways. This includes scoring from interceptions, blocked field goal returns, a fumble recovery, and a blocked punt.

Coaching Career

Coaching Teams

Kevin Ross began his coaching career as an assistant secondary and quality control coach for the San Diego Chargers. He held this position from 2007 to 2009. After the Chargers lost a playoff game in 2009, his contract was not renewed.

On March 5, 2010, Ross was hired by the Oakland Raiders as their defensive backs coach. He coached there until the end of the 2011 season.

In 2013, Ross joined the Arizona Cardinals as their cornerbacks coach. He stayed with the Cardinals until 2017.

In 2019, Kevin Ross was hired by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. This move reunited him with coach Bruce Arians. As the cornerbacks coach for the Buccaneers, he achieved a major victory. He won Super Bowl LV when the Buccaneers defeated his former team, the Chiefs, with a score of 31–9. This was his first Super Bowl championship as either a player or a coach.