Hired as the 34th head coach of the Arizona Cardinals on Jan. 14, 2007. The 44-year-old Whisenhunt has spent the last three seasons as the offensive coordinator for the Pittsburgh Steelers and helped the team win Super Bowl XL a year ago. In all, he has spent 10 years as NFL assistant coach and also played nine seasons in the league as a tight end.

 

Whisenhunt served as an assistant on Bill Cowher’s staff with the Pittsburgh Steelers for the last six years, the first three as tight ends coach and the last three as offensive coordinator.

 

In his first year as coordinator, the Steelers rushing attack improved from 31st to 2nd and the overall offense ranked 16th behind rookie QB Ben Roethlisberger. His second year ended with an NFL title after the Steelers offense averaged 26.8 points per game in the playoffs. This past season, Pittsburgh’s offense ranked 7th overall (9th passing and 10th rushing).

 

Whisenhunt took over as Pittsburgh’s offensive coordinator in 2004, the same year the team drafted Roethlisberger. The rookie QB set an NFL record with wins in his first 13 career starts en route to Offensive Rookie of the Year honors. The next season he became the youngest QB in NFL history to win a Super Bowl and finished third in the league in passer rating (98.6).

 

He previously coached at the pro level with the New York Jets (tight ends, 2000), Cleveland Browns (special teams, 1999) and Baltimore Ravens (tight ends, 1997-98). He began his coaching career in the collegiate ranks with Vanderbilt for two seasons (1995-96).

 

A native of Atlanta, Ga., and a graduate of Georgia Tech, Whisenhunt played nine NFL seasons with the Falcons (1985-88), Redskins (1989-90), and Jets (1991-93). He finished his college playing career ranked second on Georgia Tech’s receiving yardage list (1,264 yards) and fourth in career receptions (82).