Ted Cottrell facts for kids

Theodore John Cottrell (born June 13, 1947) is an American football coach and former player. He is well-known for being a defensive coordinator for several teams in the National Football League (NFL). These teams include the Buffalo Bills, New York Jets, Minnesota Vikings, and San Diego Chargers. He also served as a head coach for the New York Sentinels in the United Football League (UFL). Later, he coached linebackers for the Birmingham Iron and was a defensive coordinator for the Houston Roughnecks.

Ted Cottrell's Football Journey

Ted Cottrell has had a long and successful career in American football. He started as a player and then became a highly respected coach.

Playing Days

Ted Cottrell played college football at Delaware Valley College from 1965 to 1968. In 1969, he was chosen by the Atlanta Falcons in the seventh round of the 1969 NFL/AFL draft. He played as a linebacker for the Falcons for two seasons. He was the first Black linebacker to play for the Atlanta Falcons. After his time with the Falcons, he played one more year for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the Canadian Football League.

Starting His Coaching Career

After his playing career, Cottrell began coaching at Rutgers University. He worked there as an assistant coach for eight years. In 1981, he got his first coaching job in the NFL. Marv Levy hired him to coach linebackers for the Kansas City Chiefs.

Coaching in the NFL

Ted Cottrell is known for his smart ideas about defense in football. He was especially good at using a strategy called the 3–4 defense.

Buffalo Bills Success

Cottrell was an assistant coach for the Buffalo Bills from 1995 to 2000. For the last three of those seasons, he was the defensive coordinator. This means he was in charge of the team's defense. From 1998 to 2000, the Bills' defense was one of the best in the league. In 1999, their defense was ranked number one in the entire league.

New York Jets and Beyond

In 2001, Cottrell joined the New York Jets as assistant head coach and defensive coordinator. He worked with head coach Herman Edwards and used a different defensive strategy called the 4–3 defense. He stayed with the Jets for three seasons.

In 2003, Cottrell was considered for the head coach position for the San Francisco 49ers. However, Dennis Erickson got the job instead.

Cottrell then spent two seasons (2004–2005) as the defensive coordinator for the Minnesota Vikings. In 2005, the Vikings' defense was very good at getting the ball back from opponents. They even made it to the playoffs and won a game against the Green Bay Packers. After this season, Cottrell and the rest of the coaching staff, including Head Coach Mike Tice, moved on from the team. Cottrell then announced he was retiring.

San Diego Chargers

In 2007, Cottrell returned to coaching. He became the defensive coordinator for the San Diego Chargers under new head coach Norv Turner. That season, the Chargers' defense was excellent. They led the NFL in getting the ball back from opponents (called "takeaways") and in interceptions. This was the first time the Chargers had led in these categories.

However, in 2008, the Chargers' defense struggled. Many fans were unhappy with the team's performance, especially in defending against passes. On October 28, 2008, Cottrell left his position with the Chargers.

Coaching in Other Leagues

After his time in the NFL, Cottrell became the head coach for the New York Sentinels in the UFL in 2009. The team did not win any games that season, and Cottrell left the team afterward.

In 2018, Cottrell coached linebackers for the Birmingham Iron in the Alliance of American Football. The next year, he became the defensive coordinator for the Houston Roughnecks in the XFL. On October 15, 2020, he was named head coach of the Blues in The Spring League.

Personal Life

Ted Cottrell's son, T. J. Cottrell, also played professional football. Interestingly, T. J. played for the Vikings, Chargers, and Sentinels, and in each of those teams, his father was one of his coaches.

Head Coaching Record