Jeff Fisher is entering his 12th season as Head Coach of the Tennessee Titans and his seventh as Executive Vice President. Fisher holds the franchise record for wins by a head coach with 102 victories.
In a five-year period between 1999 and 2003 his team’s success is unmatched by any coach in franchise history. Fisher led the Titans to four playoff appearances (1999, 2000, 2002, 2003), two Division titles (2000 & 2002), two AFC Championship Games (1999, 2002) and one Super Bowl berth (XXXIV). He presided over the most victorious (56 regular season wins and 5 postseason wins) and successful five-year period in the franchise’s 46-year history.
Last year with a win over the Houston Texans (10/9/05), he became the 34th NFL coach to reach 100 career wins and 10th among active coaches. He also became just the 17th coach to reach the mark with one team. Since 1999, Fisher ranks fifth in the league in wins with 65, behind Tony Dungy, Andy Reid, Bill Cowher and Mike Shanahan.
The 2005 season was a year of youth, as the Titans field the youngest team in the league and youngest NFL team in over a decade. Escaping from salary cap difficulties in a single season, the team was forced to jettison productive players who provided veteran leadership. The majority (27 players) of the Titans roster was made up of players with two years or less of experience and rookies accounted for 60 starts. This combination of youth and inexperience was the primary reason for the team’s 4-12 record. Fisher will mold these young players along with 10 more draft selections this season and four newly acquired veteran free agents to create the next core group of players for the Titans in years to come.
In 2004, the Titans struggled to overcome an array of injuries that by the end of the season accounted for 135 games missed by starters, including season-ending injuries to 10 starters, and resulted in a 5-11 record. The season did see a number of young players step into starring roles and produce big-time numbers. QB Billy Volek and WR Drew Bennett were a dynamic combination in the final third of the season and RB Chris Brown led the NFL in yards per carry on his way to the 1,000-yard rushing mark.
Also in 2004, he became the fourth youngest coach (46) to win 90 regular season games since 1960. Only John Madden (41), Don Shula (41), and Bill Cowher (44) were faster to 90 wins. He also ranks second, behind Cowher, in seniority among current NFL head coaches.
In 2003, Tennessee reached the Divisional round of the playoffs for the fourth time in five years after earning a Wild Card berth with their 12-4 mark. Tennessee continued a tradition of great play at home, posting a 7-1 record at the Coliseum. While the defense ranked first against the run, the offense scored the second most points in franchise history (435) and QB Steve McNair earned NFL co-MVP honors.
After rising to head coaching duties during the 1994 season, Fisher took over a team that was gutted by salary cap problems and eventually molded them into a consistent winner and yearly Super Bowl contender, overcoming any number of obstacles that were involved with moving the team from Houston to Nashville. His ability to lead and shape a team is achieved through a combination of toughness and insight as a former NFL player.
Hallmarks of a Fisher-led team include stout rushing defense, the ability to possess the ball with a strong running game and poise in the midst of adversity. In nine of the last 11 seasons, the Titans defense has ranked in the top 10 against the run and overall rank third in rushing defense over that period (Pittsburgh & Baltimore). In 2003, the Titans finished first in the NFL in rushing defense for only the second time in franchise history (1993).
Fisher believes in the philosophy that a strong running game helps control the clock and keeps your defense fresh. In eight of the last 10 seasons, the Titans have finished in the top half of the NFL in rushing offense including four top 10 finishes. Additionally, in each of Fisher’s 11 years as a head coach, the Titans have finished with an average time of possession number more than 31:00 minutes for the season. With a mature Steve McNair at the helm in 2003, Fisher allowed the offense to become more diverse and the result was the second highest point total (435) in franchise history and becoming just the third franchise since 1970 to score 30 or more points in six consecutive games.
The difficulties involved in moving the franchise from Houston to Tennessee and the circumstances that surrounded the team between 1995 and 1998 helped bond the team and form an identity of strength and the ability to overcome. Fisher’s teams are mentally strong, flourishing on the road where many teams will wilt. Since 1995, the Titans/Oilers have amassed the second best road record in the NFL with a 46-43 mark during that time.
In 1997 (8-8) and 1998 (8-8), Fisher guided a team that was in a state of transition and laid the groundwork for the success that was to come. As the team arrived in Tennessee, two young stars began to take control of the team as third-year quarterback Steve McNair took over a starting role and second-year running back Eddie George became a workhorse.
After years of fluidity and change, a fresh start and stability finally arrived in 1999 with a new name and the opening of the Coliseum; and in this new environment, the new Titans would flourish with the foundation that had been laid. Fisher, the Titans and Middle Tennesseans will fondly remember the accomplishments of the 1999 season, which brought the team its first AFC Championship and appearance in Super Bowl XXXIV.
Fisher and the Titans defeated AFC Central champion Jacksonville three times in 1999, handing the Jaguars their only losses. As a Wild Card team, the Titans had the most difficult route to the Super Bowl. Fisher earned his first postseason victory by defeating Buffalo 22-16, and erased a 16-0 deficit against the Rams in one of the biggest displays of heart in any second half of Super Bowl history. The Titans became only the sixth Wild Card team to earn a trip to the Super Bowl since the NFL added the Wild Card playoff team in 1978. Fisher guided the Titans to a streak of 13 consecutive wins against AFC Central Division opponents dating back to 1998. It marked the longest streak in the history of the Central Division and the third longest in the NFL since the 1970 merger.
Building on the success the Titans had during the 1999 season would be tough to accomplish, but Fisher followed the team’s first AFC championship in 1999 with an AFC Central crown and the league’s best record in 2000. It was the first time in franchise history that the Titans/Oilers owned the NFL’s best record (13-3) and only the third time the club won the AFC Central.
In 2000, Fisher became only the fifth coach in NFL history to lead his team to
consecutive 13-win seasons, joining Mike Ditka (Chicago Bears, 1985-86), George Seifert (San Francisco, 1989-90), Marv Levy (Buffalo Bills, 1990-91) and Mike Holmgren (Green Bay Packers, 1996-97). The defense reached a new level of success in 2000, earning the number one ranking in the NFL for yards allowed and surrendering the third lowest point total in the league since 1977.
Maybe his best coaching job came in 2002. The Titans were poised to rebound from a disappointing 2001 which was plagued by injury. Tennessee got off to a 1-4 start and people on the outside began to doubt, but Fisher kept the team on an even keel and rallied the players to win 11 of the next 12 games, capture the AFC South title and earn a place in the AFC Championship Game. Fisher recognized that it would take time for the team to come together as nine new starters became familiar with the "Titans Way" of football. The Titans thrived in 2002 against the best teams, posting an NFL-best (tied with Oakland) 6-2 mark against teams with a winning record during the regular season. For his accomplishments, he was named NFL Coach of the Year by Football Digest and AFC Coach of the Year by the 101 Awards in Kansas City.
Fisher originally joined the Oilers’ coaching staff on Feb. 9, 1994, after spending two seasons as the defensive backs coach for the San Francisco 49ers. Fisher was a perfect fit for the Oilers, who were looking for a young, aggressive coach with experience in the "46" defense. Fisher had worked with the "46" for many years with former Oilers Defensive Coordinator Buddy Ryan. Fisher took over a defense that achieved dominant status in 1993, but had lost several key components to free agency. He was elevated to head coach on Nov. 14, 1994, replacing Jack Pardee, for the final six games of the season.
Fisher officially began his coaching career as an assistant for Ryan and the Philadelphia Eagles in 1986, tutoring the defensive backs for three seasons before becoming the NFL’s youngest defensive coordinator in 1988. One year later, under Fisher’s tutelage, the Eagles’ defense led the NFL in interceptions (30) and quarterback sacks (62). In 1990, Philadelphia’s defense paced the league in rushing defense and ranked second in QB sacks.
In 1991, Fisher headed west to be reunited with his college coach John Robinson, serving as the Los Angeles Rams’ defensive coordinator before joining the 49ers one year later.
A former defensive back in college at the University of Southern California, Fisher played for Robinson in a star-studded defensive backfield that included future NFL stars Ronnie Lott, Dennis Smith and Joey Browner. Former Titans offensive lineman Bruce Matthews also was one of Fisher’s USC teammates. Fisher’s career statistics included five interceptions and 108 tackles. The versatile Fisher also served as the Trojans’ backup kicker and earned PAC-10 All-Academic honors in 1980.
Originally a seventh-round draft selection of the Chicago Bears in 1981, Fisher appeared in 49 games as a defensive back and return specialist in five seasons. He earned a Super Bowl ring after Chicago’s 1985 Super Bowl season, despite spending the year on injured reserve with an ankle injury that prematurely ended his playing career. During that season, Fisher began his post-playing career by assisting Ryan as an "unofficial" coach while the Bears ultimately defeated the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XX. He left Chicago in 1985 holding a number of team records including: number of punt return yards for a season with 509 yards in 1981, number of punt returns in a season with 58 in 1984, and number of punt returns in one game with eight on Dec. 16, 1984, at Detroit. He also recorded the longest punt return by a Bear in 39 years with an 88-yard return for a TD on Sept. 20, 1981, against Tampa Bay.
A native of Southern California, Fisher was a high school All-America wide receiver for the Toreadors of Taft High School in Woodland Hills, Calif. Fisher is an avid fisherman and golfer. He also does considerable work off the field with little accolade. He generously donates time and money to a number of different charities, including the hosting of a celebrity softball game that raises money for local charities, a coach’s clinic for youth/high school coaches in the Mid-South and lending his name and time to a golf tournament in Southern California that raises money for youth football.
He also gives back to the NFL, serving on the NFL Competition Committee since 2000 and has been Co-Chairman of the Committee since 2001. The committee is instrumental in guiding the league through rule changes and ways to improve the game.
In 2001, Fisher was named the winner of the Horrigan Award, given by the Pro Football Writers of America to the NFL representative that is the most cooperative with the media. Additionally, Fisher was named the 2000 Tennessean of the Year by Nashville’s Tennessean and 1999 Sports Person of the year by the Nashville Sports Council.
Fisher (born 2/25/58) has three children: sons Brandon (age 19) and Trent (age 14), and daughter Tara (age 17).
