Romeo Crennel facts for kids
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Crennel in 2005
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| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born: | June 18, 1947 Lynchburg, Virginia, U.S. |
| Career information | |
| High school: | Fort Knox (KY) |
| College: | Western Kentucky |
| Undrafted: | 1970 |
| Career history | |
| As coach: | |
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| Career highlights and awards | |
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| Head coaching record | |
| Regular season: | 32–63 (.337) |
| Coaching stats at PFR | |
Romeo Ashbey Crennel (born June 18, 1947) is a famous American football coach who is now retired. He coached for over 50 years! He worked with many teams in the NFL and in college.
Romeo Crennel was a head coach for the Cleveland Browns and the Kansas City Chiefs. He also helped coach six NFL teams and four college teams. He won five Super Bowl championships as an assistant coach. Two of these wins were with the New York Giants and three with the New England Patriots.
In 2020, he became the interim head coach for the Houston Texans. At 73 years old, he became the oldest person ever to be a head coach in the NFL. He was also the first Black head coach for both the Texans and the Browns. He retired from coaching in June 2022.
Playing Football in College
Romeo Crennel played both baseball and football when he was in high school. He went to Fort Knox High School and Amherst County High School. After high school, he played college football at Western Kentucky.
He was a strong player on the defensive line for four years. In his last year, he switched to play on the offensive line. This change helped him understand the game better from both sides. He was even named his team's most valuable player that year!
Romeo Crennel earned a bachelor's degree in physical education from Western Kentucky University. He later got a master's degree while working as a graduate assistant coach there in 1970.
Coaching Journey
Romeo Crennel's coaching career started in college football. He then moved on to coach in the NFL for many years.
Early College Coaching
After being a graduate assistant at Western Kentucky in 1970, Crennel became the defensive line coach there. He held this position for three seasons, from 1971 to 1974.
He then joined Texas Tech for three seasons (1975–1977). There, he worked as an assistant coach for defensive coordinator Bill Parcells.
Crennel finished his college coaching career with two seasons at Ole Miss (1978–1979). He coached the defensive ends there. Then, he spent one season (1980) as the defensive line coach for Georgia Tech.
Coaching in the NFL
Romeo Crennel spent many years coaching in the NFL. He worked with several teams and helped them win big games.
New York Giants Coaching
Crennel joined the New York Giants in 1981. He started as an assistant special teams coach. From 1983 to 1989, he was the special teams coach. He then coached the defensive line for three seasons (1990–1992).
During this time, he reunited with Bill Parcells, who became the Giants' head coach in 1983. Crennel stayed with the Giants even after Parcells left.
New England Patriots and New York Jets
After leaving the Giants in 1992, Crennel became the defensive line coach for the New England Patriots. He coached there for four seasons (1993–1996).
He then moved to the New York Jets and coached their defensive line for three seasons (1997–1999). In both places, he worked again with Bill Parcells, who was the head coach.
Cleveland Browns Defensive Coordinator
In 2000, Romeo Crennel was hired as the defensive coordinator for the Cleveland Browns.
Return to New England Patriots
After one season with the Browns, Crennel went back to the Patriots. He was their defensive coordinator for four seasons (2001–2004). He worked with his long-time friend Bill Belichick.
Crennel helped the Patriots win three Super Bowls during this time: Super Bowl XXXVI, Super Bowl XXXVIII, and Super Bowl XXXIX.
Head Coach of the Cleveland Browns
On February 8, 2005, Romeo Crennel became the head coach of the Cleveland Browns. In his first two seasons, the team had a record of 6 wins and 10 losses, and then 4 wins and 12 losses.
However, in 2007, the Browns had a great season with 10 wins and 6 losses. They just missed making the playoffs. This was one of the best seasons for the Browns since they returned to the NFL in 1999. Because of this success, Crennel received a two-year contract extension in January 2008.
After a tough 2008 season with only 4 wins and 12 losses, Crennel was fired by the Browns on December 29, 2008.
Kansas City Chiefs Coaching
On January 13, 2010, Crennel became the defensive coordinator for the Kansas City Chiefs. He worked again with Scott Pioli, who was the general manager.
In the 2011 season, the Chiefs' head coach was fired. Crennel was named the interim head coach for the last three games. In his first game as interim coach, on December 18, 2011, the Chiefs beat the undefeated Green Bay Packers 19–14. This win stopped the Packers' 19-game winning streak. Crennel finished his interim coaching period with 2 wins and 1 loss.
On January 9, 2012, Crennel was named the full-time head coach of the Chiefs. He also continued to be the defensive coordinator for a while.
In December 2012, a tragic event happened involving a player. Romeo Crennel tried to help the player and then coached the team to a 27–21 victory over the Carolina Panthers. This showed his strength during a very difficult time.
On December 31, 2012, Crennel was fired as head coach of the Chiefs.
Houston Texans Coaching
On January 20, 2014, Crennel signed a three-year deal with the Houston Texans as their new defensive coordinator. He worked under head coach Bill O'Brien.
In 2016, the Texans had the number one ranked defense in the NFL. In January 2017, Crennel was promoted to assistant head coach. He returned to his role as defensive coordinator in January 2018.
On October 5, 2020, Crennel was named the interim head coach for the Texans. This happened after Bill O'Brien was fired. In his first game as interim head coach, at 73 years old, he became the oldest head coach in NFL history. The Texans won that game 30–14 against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Crennel also became the Texans' first African American head coach.
In 2021, Crennel stayed with the Texans as a senior advisor for football performance. His last game as an NFL coach was on January 9, 2022. He announced his retirement from coaching on June 6, 2022.
Head Coaching Record
| Team | Year | Regular season | Postseason | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Won | Lost | Ties | Win % | Finish | Won | Lost | Win % | Result | ||
| CLE | 2005 | 6 | 10 | 0 | .375 | 3rd in AFC North | — | — | — | — |
| CLE | 2006 | 4 | 12 | 0 | .250 | 4th in AFC North | — | — | — | — |
| CLE | 2007 | 10 | 6 | 0 | .625 | 2nd in AFC North | — | — | — | — |
| CLE | 2008 | 4 | 12 | 0 | .250 | 4th in AFC North | — | — | — | — |
| CLE total | 24 | 40 | 0 | .375 | 0 | 0 | .000 | |||
| KC* | 2011 | 2 | 1 | 0 | .667 | 4th in AFC West | — | — | — | — |
| KC | 2012 | 2 | 14 | 0 | .125 | 4th in AFC West | — | — | — | — |
| KC total | 4 | 15 | 0 | .211 | 0 | 0 | .000 | |||
| HOU* | 2020 | 4 | 8 | 0 | .333 | 3rd in AFC South | — | — | — | — |
| HOU total | 4 | 8 | 0 | .333 | 0 | 0 | .000 | |||
| Total | 32 | 63 | 0 | .337 | 0 | 0 | .000 | |||
* – Interim head coach
Personal Life
In early 2009, Romeo Crennel had hip replacement surgery. He decided to take the 2009 football season off to recover.
See also
In Spanish: Romeo Crennel para niños
