# NFL: Has a rookie head coach ever gone to the playoffs? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 31, 2007, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-has-a-rookie-head-coach-ever-gone-to-the-playoffs/413875 "2007-07-31T21:04:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2007, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-has-a-rookie-head-coach-ever-gone-to-the-playoffs/413875/1 "2007-07-31T21:04:53Z")
Steelers have a new head coach. Which makes me need to ask: Has a rookie head coach ever gone to the playoffs? Superbowl? ---
**Author:** ![Stringer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Stringer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stringer)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2007, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-has-a-rookie-head-coach-ever-gone-to-the-playoffs/413875/2 "2007-07-31T21:14:08Z")
Off the top of my head, Jim Haslett went to the playoffs in 2000 as a rookie coach with the Saints. They won the NFC west and one playoff game. I don’t think a rookie coach has won the super bowl, but I’m pretty sure there have been other rookies who made the playoffs. ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2007, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-has-a-rookie-head-coach-ever-gone-to-the-playoffs/413875/3 "2007-07-31T21:14:59Z")
[Jim Mora, Jr.](http://www.pro-football-reference.com/coaches/MoraJi1.htm) took the Falcons to the NFC Championship game in his first year. ---
**Author:** ![OneCentStamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/13edae/32.png) [@OneCentStamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OneCentStamp)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2007, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-has-a-rookie-head-coach-ever-gone-to-the-playoffs/413875/4 "2007-07-31T21:17:35Z")
Didn’t George Seifert win the Super Bowl the year he took over the 49ers from Bill Walsh (R.I.P.)? ---
**Author:** ![Stringer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Stringer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stringer)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2007, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-has-a-rookie-head-coach-ever-gone-to-the-playoffs/413875/5 "2007-07-31T21:18:39Z")
[QUOTE=OneCentStamp] Didn’t George Seifert win the Super Bowl the year he took over the 49ers from Bill Walsh (R.I.P.)? [/QUOTE] You’re right, I forgot about that. ---
**Author:** ![Wee\_Bairn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/90db22/32.png) [@Wee\_Bairn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wee_Bairn)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2007, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-has-a-rookie-head-coach-ever-gone-to-the-playoffs/413875/6 "2007-07-31T21:26:19Z")
Barry Switzer did, and won the Super Bowl in his second year. I think its fairly common. ---
**Author:** ![zamboniracer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e9a140/32.png) [@zamboniracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zamboniracer)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2007, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-has-a-rookie-head-coach-ever-gone-to-the-playoffs/413875/7 "2007-07-31T21:28:19Z")
Marty Schottenheimer took the Browns to the AFC Central title his first full year, 1985. Their record was only 8-8 and they lost in the first round of the playoffs (to Miami, after blowing a late game lead, thus setting the course for all future Martyball disappointments), but they were in the playoffs. ---
**Author:** ![Contrapuntal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e274bd/32.png) [@Contrapuntal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contrapuntal)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2007, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-has-a-rookie-head-coach-ever-gone-to-the-playoffs/413875/8 "2007-07-31T21:28:56Z")
[QUOTE=spoke-] [Jim Mora, Jr.](http://www.pro-football-reference.com/coaches/MoraJi1.htm) took the Falcons to the NFC Championship game in his first year. [/QUOTE] Jim Mora? Playoffs? [You kidding me? PLAYOFFS?](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C3NDiMorX-o) ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2007, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-has-a-rookie-head-coach-ever-gone-to-the-playoffs/413875/9 "2007-07-31T21:30:42Z")
[QUOTE=Contrapuntal] Jim Mora? Playoffs? [You kidding me? PLAYOFFS?](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C3NDiMorX-o) [/QUOTE] [Jim Mora, **_JR_.**](http://onlineathens.com/images/101004/11213_512.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![zamboniracer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e9a140/32.png) [@zamboniracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zamboniracer)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2007, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-has-a-rookie-head-coach-ever-gone-to-the-playoffs/413875/10 "2007-07-31T21:30:43Z")
Another one is Jim Fassell, 1997 NYG. ---
**Author:** ![zamboniracer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e9a140/32.png) [@zamboniracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zamboniracer)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2007, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-has-a-rookie-head-coach-ever-gone-to-the-playoffs/413875/11 "2007-07-31T21:32:23Z")
Another one is Bill Cowher, 1992 Steelers. ---
**Author:** ![Contrapuntal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e274bd/32.png) [@Contrapuntal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contrapuntal)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2007, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-has-a-rookie-head-coach-ever-gone-to-the-playoffs/413875/12 "2007-07-31T21:36:28Z")
[QUOTE=spoke-] [Jim Mora, **_JR_.**](http://onlineathens.com/images/101004/11213_512.jpg) [/QUOTE] Dammit! Sorry. ---
**Author:** ![EllisDee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellisdee/32/4531_2.png) [@EllisDee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EllisDee)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2007, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-has-a-rookie-head-coach-ever-gone-to-the-playoffs/413875/13 "2007-07-31T22:06:21Z")
Two did it just last year. Eric Mangini and Sean Payton – both first-time head coaches – led the Jets and Saints to the playoffs respectively. The Saints made it all the way to the NFC Championship game. ---
**Author:** ![kidchameleon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/898d66/32.png) [@kidchameleon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kidchameleon)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2007, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-has-a-rookie-head-coach-ever-gone-to-the-playoffs/413875/14 "2007-07-31T22:08:53Z")
Was Gruden’s replacement in Oakland a rookie head coach? He took that team to the Superbowl only to lose to Gruden. ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2007, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-has-a-rookie-head-coach-ever-gone-to-the-playoffs/413875/15 "2007-07-31T22:14:46Z")
[QUOTE=spoke-] [Jim Mora, **_JR_.**](http://onlineathens.com/images/101004/11213_512.jpg) [/QUOTE] [nitpick]He’s not a “junior;” they have different middle names.[/nitpick] ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2007, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-has-a-rookie-head-coach-ever-gone-to-the-playoffs/413875/16 "2007-07-31T22:23:58Z")
[QUOTE=kidchameleon] Was Gruden’s replacement in Oakland a rookie head coach? He took that team to the Superbowl only to lose to Gruden. [/QUOTE] Yup. Bill Callahan. He was only the fourth rookie head coach to go to the Super Bowl, in 2002.