Romeo Crennel Is Retiring After 50 Years Of Coaching
After 50 years of coaching football at the NFL and college level, Romeo Crennel has announced his retirement at the age of 74.
“Football has been my entire life and it’s been a dream come true to coach for 50 years,” Crennel said in a statement. “There are so many friends to thank who have helped me and supported me throughout my career. I especially want to thank the fans and owners of the New York Giants, New England Patriots, New York Jets, Cleveland Browns, Kansas City Chiefs and Houston Texans for allowing me to contribute to the game that I have loved so much for so long. I’ll miss everything about coaching and teaching, but the thing I’ll miss the most is being around the guys every day. My goal was to put every player and coach in the best position to succeed and I consider every guy I coached or worked with a part of my family. I would also want to thank my wife Rosemary and my three daughters, Lisa, Tiffany and Kristine, for all of their support over the years. Because of their love and selflessness, I have been able to live out my dream. I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to spend more time with my grandchildren while staying around the game of football.”
Full quote via NFL.com
Crennel’s coaching career began at his alma mater Western Kentucky University in 1970. His move to the NFL came in 1981 when he became the New York Giants’ special teams coach. During his early years in the league, Crennel worked closely with Bill Parcells and was often an assistant on his teams. Crennel won two Super Bowls under Parcells as a part of the Giants coaching staff.
Crennel got his first defensive coordinator job with the New England Patriots. During his four years in this role, he helped the Patriots win three Super Bowls.
Crennel got his first crack at becoming an NFL head coach in 2005 when he was hired by the Cleveland Browns. Crennel spent four years in this role and finished with a record of 24-40. However, in 2007 he led the Browns to a successful 10-6 season. For the 2000 Browns, that is quite impressive.
For the remainder of his career, Crennel worked for the Kansas City Chiefs and Houston Texans. Both teams hired Crennel as their defensive coordinator. Although, he did spend time as the interim head coach in both cities. In Kansas City, he became the permanent head coach after a 2-1 stint as interim coach. However, as the head coach, he only won four games in his first season. In Houston, he coached 12 games with the interim title. After that season he stayed on the staff as a senior advisor.
After 50 years of coaching and 39 years of NFL experience, Crennel has cemented his legacy in the sport. Despite never becoming an elite NFL head coach, Crennel was one of the best defensive minds in the sport. His five Super Bowl rings prove that.
