Jay Michael Gruden (born March 4, 1967) is an

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wi ...

coach and former

quarterback The quarterback (commonly abbreviated "QB"), colloquially known as the "signal caller", is a position in gridiron football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive platoon and mostly line up directly behind the offensive line. In modern Am ...

who is an offensive consultant for the

Los Angeles Rams The Los Angeles Rams are a professional American football team based in the Greater Los Angeles, Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Rams compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC Wes ...

of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the majo ...

(NFL). He previously served as the

head coach A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches. In some sports, the head coach is instead called the "manager", as in asso ...

of the

Washington Redskins The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) ...

from

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2019 File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...

and as offensive coordinator for the

Cincinnati Bengals The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional American football team based in Cincinnati. The Bengals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) North division. The club's home ...

and

Jacksonville Jaguars The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida. The Jaguars compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division. The team pla ...

. During his time in the

Arena Football League The Arena Football League (AFL) was a professional arena football league in the United States. It was founded in 1986, but played its first official games in the 1987 season, making it the third longest-running professional football league in ...

(AFL), he won four ArenaBowls as a player and two more as a head coach. Gruden is the younger brother of former NFL head coach

Jon Gruden Jon David Gruden (born August 17, 1963) is a former American professional football coach who was a head coach in the National Football League (NFL) for 15 seasons. He held his first head coaching position with the Raiders franchise during thei ...

and was an assistant coach of the 2002 Buccaneers team that won

Super Bowl XXXVII Super Bowl XXXVII was an American football game between the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Oakland Raiders and the National Football Conference (NFC) champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers to decide the National Football League (NFL) cha ...

Early years

Of Slovene descent, Gruden was born in

Tiffin, Ohio Tiffin is a city in and the county seat of Seneca County, Ohio, United States. Developed along the Sandusky River, which flows to Lake Erie, Tiffin is about 55 miles southeast of Toledo. The population was 17,963 at the 2010 census.Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: * Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD * Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...

. He attended

George D. Chamberlain High School George D. Chamberlain High School is a public high school in Tampa, Florida, United States. It was opened in 1956 on North Boulevard (on the corner of Busch Boulevard). The school is named in honor of George D. Chamberlain, who served for several ...

Tampa, Florida Tampa () is a city on the Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The city's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and the seat of Hillsborough ...

, where he played quarterback for the Chamberlain Chiefs

high school football High school football (french: football au lycée) is gridiron football played by high school teams in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular interscholastic sports in both countries, but its popularity is declining, partl ...

team under head coach Billy Turner.

College career

Gruden attended the

University of Louisville The University of Louisville (UofL) is a public research university in Louisville, Kentucky. It is part of the Kentucky state university system. When founded in 1798, it was the first city-owned public university in the United States and one ...

, where he was a four-year letterman at

Louisville Cardinals football The Louisville Cardinals football team represents the University of Louisville in the sport of American football. The Cardinals compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and compete in ...

team (1985–1988). He finished his collegiate career with 7,024 passing yards (as of 2013, fourth all-time for the school), completing 572 of 1049 passes for 44 touchdowns. All four stats still rank in the top five in Cardinals history. He also ranks in Louisville's top 10 for yards per completion, passing attempts in a season, and completions in a season. He ranks eighth in career completion percentage, seventh in career passing efficiency, and ninth in average yards per game for the Cardinals. Gruden threw for over 300 yards in a game six times at Louisville. Gruden led the team to an 8–3 record as a senior, their first winning season in 10 years.

Professional career

Europe

Gruden played two seasons in the

World League of American Football NFL Europe League (simply called NFL Europe and known in its final season as NFL Europa League) was a professional American football league that functioned as the developmental minor league of the National Football League (NFL). Originally ...

in Spain (with

Barcelona Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...

in 1991 and with the Scottish Claymores in Scotland in 1995).

NFL

He also spent 3 seasons of time in the NFL ( Phoenix) and

CFL The Canadian Football League (CFL; french: Ligue canadienne de football—LCF) is a professional sports league in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football. The league consists of nine teams, each located in a ci ...

(

Sacramento ) , image_map = Sacramento County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Sacramento Highlighted.svg , mapsize = 250x200px , map_caption = Location within Sacramento ...

) on practice squads.

Arena

Gruden won four ArenaBowl titles as the starting quarterback of the Tampa Bay Storm in the

. He was named the league's MVP in 1992. After stepping off the field to coach, Gruden returned to the field in 2002 as a member of the

Orlando Predators The Orlando Predators were a professional arena football team based in Orlando, Florida and member of the Arena Football League (AFL). The team was most recently owned by Orlando Predators LLC, a company owned by David A. Siegel, and played it ...

Honors and awards

*1992: League MVP & First Team All-Arena *1993: ArenaBowl VII MVP *1993: All-Star Game MVP *1995: First Team All-Arena *1996: AFL's 10th Anniversary Team *1999: AFL Hall of Fame & All-ArenaBowl Team *2001: Second Team 15th Team Anniversary *2006: Ranked fourth on the AFL's list of greatest players

Coaching career

Arena Football League

Gruden began his coaching career as the

offensive coordinator An offensive coordinator is a member of the coaching staff of an American football or Canadian football team who is in charge of the team's offense. Generally, along with the defensive coordinator and the special teams coordinator, this coach r ...

for the AFL's Nashville Kats in 1997. In 1998, he became head coach of the

, the main rival of the Storm. With Orlando, he won ArenaBowl titles in 1998 and 2000. He came out of retirement and resumed playing in 2002, this time for the Predators, but retired again and returned to head coaching when his replacement, Fran Papasedero, died after the 2003 season. Gruden has an overall AFL head coaching record of 93–61, including a mark of 11–7 in the playoffs.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

From 2002 to 2008, he served as an offensive assistant for the

Tampa Bay Buccaneers The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. The cl ...

in the

under his brother, head coach

, earning a Super Bowl ring for the Bucs' win in

. He left the team after his brother was fired following the 2008 season.

Florida Tuskers

In 2009, while the Predators were on hiatus during the bankruptcy reorganization of the AFL, he was selected to be head coach Jim Haslett's offensive coordinator for the

Florida Tuskers Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to th ...

of the United Football League. As part of his contract, he was not permitted to remain head coach of the Predators. Instead, former Orlando quarterback

Pat O'Hara Patrick O'Hara (born September 27, 1968) is an American football coach and former quarterback who is the Pass game analyst for the Tennessee Titans of the National Football League (NFL). He previously served as the head coach of the New Orleans ...

, who led the team to its two ArenaBowl titles when Gruden was head coach, was hired in his place. On February 20, 2010, Gruden was named head coach of the Tuskers following Haslett's departure to join

Mike Shanahan Michael Edward Shanahan (born August 24, 1952) is a former American football coach, best known as the head coach of the Denver Broncos of the National Football League (NFL) from 1995 to 2008. During his fourteen seasons with the Broncos, he le ...

's staff with the NFL's

Cincinnati Bengals

On February 3, 2011, Gruden was hired as the offensive coordinator for the

. On January 13, 2012, Gruden signed a three-year extension with the Bengals at the position, even after being asked to interview for at least three NFL head coaching jobs (with the

, St. Louis Rams, and later turning down the

Indianapolis Colts The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) South division. Since the 2008 ...

). In January 2013, Gruden was interviewed by the NFL's

Arizona Cardinals The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) West division, and play th ...

Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team play ...

, and

San Diego Chargers The San Diego Chargers were a professional American football team that played in San Diego from 1961 until the end of the 2016 season, before relocating to Los Angeles, where the franchise had played its inaugural 1960 season. The team is now ...

for their vacant head coaching positions. Gruden's offense helped lead the Bengals to three straight Wild Card playoff appearances, including the AFC North title in 2013.

Washington Redskins

On January 9, 2014, Gruden was hired as the new head coach of the

, succeeding Mike Shanahan. Since Gruden was a highly sought after coach, Redskins owner Dan Snyder gave him a fully guaranteed, 5-year contract worth $20 million. In the 2015 season, Gruden led the Redskins to their first playoff appearance since

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gat ...

. The Redskins would go on a 4-game winning streak to finish the season, and win the NFC East with a 9–7 record. However, the Redskins lost to the

Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division. It is the t ...

in the Wild Card round 35–18, ending their season. In

2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the Impeachment of Dilma Rousseff, impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses duri ...

, the Redskins finished 8–7–1, but missed the playoffs. This marked the first time the Redskins posted back-to-back winning seasons since the 1996 and 1997 seasons. On March 4, 2017, Jay Gruden signed a two-year contract extension with the team. On October 7, 2019, Gruden was fired after starting the season 0–5, finishing his overall tenure as head coach at 35–49–1.

Jacksonville Jaguars

On January 22, 2020, Gruden was hired by the

as their

under head coach Doug Marrone. Alongside Doug Marrone and the rest of the team's coaches, he was let go following the season after the team finished with a franchise-worst 1–15 record.

Los Angeles Rams

Prior to the 2022 season, Rams head coach

Sean McVay Sean McVay (born January 24, 1986) is an American football coach who is the head coach for the Los Angeles Rams of the National Football League (NFL). He became the youngest NFL head coach in the modern era when he was hired by the Rams in 20 ...

announced that Gruden had been hired as an offensive consultant and would work remotely for the team. McVay and Gruden had a long partnership going back to when both coached with the

and the UFL's

, before both joined the

staff in

2010 File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...

. When Gruden was the Redskins' head coach, McVay had served as both tight ends coach and later offensive coordinator prior to leaving in 2017 to become the Rams head coach.

Head coaching record

AFL

UFL

NFL

Personal life

Gruden's father, Jim, a long-time college and NFL assistant coach, was a former regional scout for the

San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's Nationa ...

. His brother

Jon Jon is a shortened form of the common given name Jonathan, derived from "YHWH has given", and an alternate spelling of John, derived from "YHWH has pardoned".Las Vegas Raiders The Las Vegas Raiders are a professional American football team based in the Las Vegas metropolitan area. The Raiders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West div ...

. His other brother, James, is a

radiologist Radiology ( ) is the medical discipline that uses medical imaging to diagnose diseases and guide their treatment, within the bodies of humans and other animals. It began with radiography (which is why its name has a root referring to radiati ...

at the Weill Cornell Medical Center in New York.

References

External links

AFL player bio

AFL coach bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gruden, Jay 1967 births Living people People from Tiffin, Ohio American Roman Catholics Players of American football from Tampa, Florida American football quarterbacks George D. Chamberlain High School alumni Louisville Cardinals football players Barcelona Dragons players Tampa Bay Storm players Orlando Predators players Coaches of American football from Florida Nashville Kats coaches Orlando Predators coaches Tampa Bay Buccaneers coaches Florida Tuskers coaches United Football League (2009–2012) head coaches Cincinnati Bengals coaches National Football League offensive coordinators Washington Redskins head coaches Jacksonville Jaguars coaches American expatriate players of American football