Rookie HCs in the Super Bowl era

[john van brocklin]

Brian Schottenheimer is the 10th head coach in the Cowboys 65 year history and the 6th Cowboys head coach of the 21st century. He’s the 9th HC Jerry has hired in 36 years as owner of the Cowboys.

Schottenheimer is only the 3rd Cowboys HC who has never been at a HC at any level before becoming an NFL head coach. The two others were Dave Campo and Jason Garrett. (Chan Gailey had been a HC in college before becoming an NFL HC)

In the 57 years of the modern Super Bowl era, there are only two rookie HCs who have ever won a SB:

• Don McAffrey, Baltimore Colts, 1971 won SB V against the Cowboys.
• George Seifert, SF 49ers, 1989 won SB XXIV against the broncos.

There have been 12 rookie HCs in the 57 year modern SB era who have led their teams to a conference championship game. (If I missed someone, let me know) They are:

• 1971 Don McCafferty Baltimore Colts (won Superbowl V over the Cowboys)
• 1977 Red Miller Broncos (lost Superbowl XII to the Cowboys)
• 1989 George Seifert 49ers (won Superbowl XXIV over the Broncos)
• 1994 Barry Switzer Cowboys (lost NFC Championship to 49ers)
• 1997 Steve Mariucci 49ers (Lost NFC Championship to the Packers)
• 2002 Bill Callahan Raiders (Lost Superbowl XXXVII to the Buccaneers)
• 2006 Sean Payton Saints (Lost NFC Championship Game to bears)
• 2008 John Harbaugh Ravens (lost AFC Championship game to Steelers)
• 2009 Rex Ryan Jets (Lost AFC Championship Game to colts)
• 2009 Jim Caldwell Colts (Lost Superbowl XLIV to the Saints)
• 2011 Jim Harbaugh 49ers (lost to giants in NFC Championship Game)
• 2019 Matt Lafleur Packers (lost to niners in NFC Championship Game)

NFL History shows: It’s hard for a rookie HC to have immediate deep playoff success unless they inherit a team with recent playoff success. Brian Schottenheimer will inherit a team that has had recent regular season success but has won two wild card games in the last 7 seasons 2018 and 2021)

I mostly like what we have done this off-season so far. Schotty will have a better hand to work with than Big Mac had in 2024. But history shows being a rookie HC in the NFL has a learning curve.

The odds of shotty going to the SB gotta be something like a billion to one.

 

[Established1971]

Brian Schottenheimer is the 10th head coach in the Cowboys 65 year history and the 6th Cowboys head coach of the 21st century. He’s the 9th HC Jerry has hired in 36 years as owner of the Cowboys.

Schottenheimer is only the 3rd Cowboys HC who has never been at a HC at any level before becoming an NFL head coach. The two others were Dave Campo and Jason Garrett. (Chan Gailey had been a HC in college before becoming an NFL HC)

In the 57 years of the modern Super Bowl era, there are only two rookie HCs who have ever won a SB:

• Don McAffrey, Baltimore Colts, 1971 won SB V against the Cowboys.
• George Seifert, SF 49ers, 1989 won SB XXIV against the broncos.

There have been 12 rookie HCs in the 57 year modern SB era who have led their teams to a conference championship game. (If I missed someone, let me know) They are:

• 1971 Don McCafferty Baltimore Colts (won Superbowl V over the Cowboys)
• 1977 Red Miller Broncos (lost Superbowl XII to the Cowboys)
• 1989 George Seifert 49ers (won Superbowl XXIV over the Broncos)
• 1994 Barry Switzer Cowboys (lost NFC Championship to 49ers)
• 1997 Steve Mariucci 49ers (Lost NFC Championship to the Packers)
• 2002 Bill Callahan Raiders (Lost Superbowl XXXVII to the Buccaneers)
• 2006 Sean Payton Saints (Lost NFC Championship Game to bears)
• 2008 John Harbaugh Ravens (lost AFC Championship game to Steelers)
• 2009 Rex Ryan Jets (Lost AFC Championship Game to colts)
• 2009 Jim Caldwell Colts (Lost Superbowl XLIV to the Saints)
• 2011 Jim Harbaugh 49ers (lost to giants in NFC Championship Game)
• 2019 Matt Lafleur Packers (lost to niners in NFC Championship Game)

NFL History shows: It’s hard for a rookie HC to have immediate deep playoff success unless they inherit a team with recent playoff success. Brian Schottenheimer will inherit a team that has had recent regular season success but has won two wild card games in the last 7 seasons 2018 and 2021)

I mostly like what we have done this off-season so far. Schotty will have a better hand to work with than Big Mac had in 2024. But history shows being a rookie HC in the NFL has a learning curve.

Im many, or even most of the cases a coach was just replacing a winning coach in the middle of an organizations great run (McCafferty. Seifert, Switzer and others). So I am not seeing Schotty having that parallel

 

[Bobhaze]

Im many, or even most of the cases a coach was just replacing a winning coach in the middle of an organizations great run (McCafferty. Seifert, Switzer and others). So I am not seeing Schotty having that parallel

This thread is just about NFL rookie HCs in the 57 yr SB era and what the history shows about their performance as a rookie. Schotty certainly is a rookie HC.

 

[Pass2Run]

I never posted there, my man. Maybe you're thinking of The Ranch back in the day?

I never posted at The Ranch that I recall. Not sure why I thought you used to post there. It was sort of like Twitter in a way. This was way back anyhow. I must be thinking of earlier in the CZ days.