Mel Tucker

From Infogalactic: the planetary knowledge core
Jump to: navigation, search
Mel Tucker
Sport(s) Football
Current position
Title Defensive coordinator
Team Georgia
Conference SEC
Biographical details
Born (1972-01-04) January 4, 1972 (age 53)
Cleveland, Ohio
Playing career
1990–1992, 1994 Wisconsin
Position(s) Defensive back
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
1997–1998 Michigan State (GA)
1999 Miami (OH) (DB)
2000 LSU (DB)
2001–2003 Ohio State (DB)
2004 Ohio State (Co-DC)
2005–2007 Cleveland Browns (DB)
2008 Cleveland Browns (DC)
2009–2011 Jacksonville Jaguars (DC)
2011 Jacksonville Jaguars (interim HC)
2012 Jacksonville Jaguars (AHC/DC)
2013–2014 Chicago Bears (DC)
2015 Alabama (AHC/DB)
2016–present Georgia (DC/DB)
Head coaching record
Overall 2–3

Melvin Tucker (born January 4, 1972) is an American football coach and former player. He currently serves as the defensive coordinator at the University of Georgia. Tucker was the interim head coach for the Jacksonville Jaguars of the National Football League (NFL) for five games in 2011. He has worked as the defensive backs coach at the University of Alabama and as the defensive coordinator for the Chicago Bears of the NFL.[1][2]

Early life

Tucker was born in Cleveland, Ohio. He attended Cleveland Heights High School where he was a football standout. He then attended the University of Wisconsin–Madison, where he played defensive back for the Wisconsin Badgers football team. He graduated in 1995 with a degree in agricultural business management.[3]

Coaching career

Tucker began his coaching career in 1997 as a graduate assistant for the Michigan State University Spartans under head coach Nick Saban.[4] In 1999 he served as a defensive backs coach for the Miami University Redhawks, and then in 2000 followed Saban to Louisiana State University to fill the same position with the LSU Tigers. In 2001 he became defensive backs coach for the Ohio State University Buckeyes under coach Jim Tressel, and in 2004 he was made co-defensive coordinator.[3]

In 2005 Tucker entered the National Football League (NFL) with the Cleveland Browns. He coached defensive backs from 2005–2007 and was promoted to defensive coordinator in the 2008 season following the firing of Todd Grantham.[5][6] Under Tucker, Cleveland consistently ranked fifth in the league, with the defense making 73 interceptions.[3] After the firing of Browns head coach Romeo Crennel, Tucker was replaced by Rob Ryan.[7]

In 2009 Tucker was hired by the Jacksonville Jaguars as the defensive coordinator. In the 2011 season head coach Jack Del Rio put Tucker in charge of defensive play-calling, and the team quickly became the fourth highest rated in the NFL. On November 29, 2011, Tucker was named Jacksonville's interim head coach following the firing of Del Rio. He ran the team for their final five games and was in consideration for the job full-time until Atlanta Falcons offensive coordinator Mike Mularkey was named head coach on January 10, 2012. Tucker got his first victory as a head coach in week 14, a 41–14 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He went 2–3 as interim head coach. On January 12, 2012 he informed the media he would return to his position as defensive coordinator for the Jaguars. On January 13, 2012 it was announced that Tucker would also be the assistant head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars. On January 18, 2013 Tucker was named defensive coordinator of the Chicago Bears.[8]

Following one of the worst defensive seasons in Bears' history in 2013, Tucker criticized by the media.[9] As a result, team fired two of Tucker's assistant coaches, linebackers coach Tim Tibesar and defensive line coach Mike Phair.[10] The Bears replaced them with Paul Pasqualoni as defensive line coach and Reggie Herring as linebackers coach.[11]

On January 20, 2015, following another record-setting low defensive season for the Bears, Tucker was replaced by former San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator Vic Fangio under new head coach John Fox.[12]

Head coaching record

Team Year Regular Season Post Season
Won Lost Ties Win % Finish Won Lost Win % Result
JAC 2011 2 3 0 .400 4th in AFC South - - - -

References

<templatestyles src="Reflist/styles.css" />

Cite error: Invalid <references> tag; parameter "group" is allowed only.

Use <references />, or <references group="..." />

External links

  1. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  2. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  4. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  5. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  6. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  7. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  8. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  9. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  10. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  11. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  12. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
Retrieved from "https://infogalactic.com/w/index.php?title=Mel_Tucker&oldid=713407651"