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).
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