Bill Callahan (American football)

Bill Callahan

Bill Callahan (born July 31 1956, in Chicago, Illinois) is the Assistant Head Coach/Offense for the New York Jets. He was formerly the head coach of the Oakland Raiders for the 2002-2003 seasons and for the University of Nebraska for the 2004-2007 seasons. He was fired from both positions after posting a losing record in his final season with the teams.

Early career

Callahan was a four-year starter at quarterback at Illinois Benedictine College in Lisle, Illinois, where he was an NAIA honorable mention All-American in his final two seasons.

College coaching career

The Chicago native began his college coaching career in 1980 as a graduate assistant at University of Illinois before being promoted to full time assistant in 1981, coaching tight ends, offensive line, quarterbacks and special teams through 1986.

From 1990-1994, Callahan was offensive line coach at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He has been praised by former Wisconsin coach Barry Alvarez as being one of the primary reasons why the Badgers were able to turn their program around and eventually win three Rose Bowls in the 1990s. Alvarez cited Callahan specifically for his strong recruiting abilities. Callahan previously served a two-year stint, 1987-1988, as offensive line coach at Northern Arizona University.

Nebraska Cornhuskers

Nebraska initially pursued Dave Wannstedt, Al Saunders, and Arkansas Head Coach Houston Nutt, but after Nutt refused to come to Lincoln for an interview, the University of Nebraska was forced to look elsewhere. Mike Zimmer, Dallas Cowboys Defensive Coordinator at the time, did go to Lincoln for an interview, but still chose to reject the Cornhuskers. Al Saunders, Kansas City Chief's Offensive Coordinator at the time, also rejected overtures by the Nebraska program. Steve Spurrier was also rumored to have been given an invitation to an interview in Lincoln for the Head Coach position. Nebraska eventually settled on their fifth choice, Bill Callahan, who had recently been fired from the head coaching position at the Oakland Raiders. This would mark the first time in over four decades (since the hiring of Bob Devaney in 1962) that the Nebraska Cornhuskers would be lead by a head coach with no direct ties to the university either as a player or an assistant coach.

In his first season at Nebraska (2004), Callahan finished 5-6, giving the Cornhuskers their first losing season since 1961. He had introduced the West Coast offense to a program that has traditionally relied on a strong running attack.

The Cornhuskers finished 8-4 during his second season and won the 2005 Alamo Bowl by narrowly defeating No. 20 Michigan, 32-28. The 8-4 Wolverines were the highest-ranked opponent that Nebraska had beaten since a 20-10 win over No. 2 Oklahoma in October 2001. The Wolverines also were the highest-ranked opponent beaten by Nebraska outside the Cornhuskers' home field in Lincoln since a 66-17 win over Northwestern in the 2000 Alamo Bowl.

In 2006, Nebraska finished 9-5 (including the regular season, the Big 12 Championship loss and a 17-14 loss to Auburn in the Cotton Bowl) and won the Big 12 North for the first time since 1999. The win over then No. 24-ranked Texas A&M marked Nebraska's first ever road win over a ranked Big 12 South team (though the 1999 Cornhuskers did defeat then No. 12-ranked Texas in San Antonio to win the Big 12 Championship).

In 2007, a season many expected would be a breakthrough year for NU, the once proud program endured new lows. Beginning the year with wins against Nevada and Wake Forest, Nebraska was beaten by Southern California on September 15th , being outrushed by a 313 to 31 margin . The team had five consecutive losses against Missouri, Oklahoma State, Texas A&M, Texas and Kansas. It was the first time since 1958 that Nebraska had lost 5 consecutive games. On October 15, 2007, Steve Pedersen, the athletic director who hired Callahan, was fired by the University, a possible indicator that Callahan's position was in jeopardy. He was replaced on an interim basis by Nebraska's legendary former head coach, Tom Osborne. On November 3, the Cornhuskers gave up 76 points to Kansas, the most points ever scored against the Cornhuskers in their 117-year football history. The loss supplanted the previous record for most points allowed in a game, 70, by Texas Tech in 2004, Bill Callahan's first season.

On November 24, 2007, a day after a 65-51 loss to rival Colorado, Callahan arrived to the team's practice facility at 6:30 a.m. He met briefly with Osborne, who fired him. As he left the complex, he waved to reporters gathered outside. Osborne announced during a press conference held at the school that Bill's "contract would not be renewed the following season", but due to a contract extension given to him by Steve Pederson earlier in the year Callahan will still earn $3.1 million as part of his buyout. Despite a 27-22 record in Lincoln (five games over .500), Callahan was 0-10 against teams ranked higher than 20th, 25-21 against Division I opponents and 15-18 against the Big 12, and coached the program to its only losing seasons in 45 years. Osborne revealed that he'd told Callahan soon after returning to the school that unless Callahan finished with a winning record, he probably wouldn't keep his job.

College head coaching record

Year	Team	Overall	Conference	Standing	Bowl/playoffs	Coaches#	AP°
Nebraska Cornhuskers (Big 12 Conference) (2004–2007)
2004	Nebraska	5-6	3-5	3 *		NR	NR
2005	Nebraska	8-4	4-4	2T *	W 32-28 Alamo Bowl	24	24
2006	Nebraska	9-5	6-2	1 *	L 17-14 Cotton Bowl	NR	NR
2007	Nebraska	5-7	2-6	5T *		NR	NR
Nebraska:		27-22	15-17	* Big 12 North Division
Total:		27-22
National championship         Conference title         Conference division title or championship game berth
†Indicates Bowl Coalition, Bowl Alliance, BCS, or CFP / New Years' Six bowl. #Rankings from final Coaches Poll. °Rankings from final AP Poll.

Professional coaching career

During the 2002 and 2003 seasons, he was the head coach of the Oakland Raiders of the NFL. Callahan had spent four seasons as the Raiders offensive coordinator before being named the franchise's 13th head coach prior to the 2002 season.

Callahan led the Raiders to the 2002 AFC Championship Game and a berth in Super Bowl XXXVII in his first season as a head coach, making him just the fourth rookie head coach in NFL history to do so. The Raiders suffered a lopsided defeat, losing 48-21 to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers coached by his former boss Jon Gruden. The Raiders finished with a 13-6 record in Callahan's first season.

Callahan is the third Raiders head coach to win an AFC West title and lead his team into the conference championship game in his first full season. Only Art Shell (1990) and John Madden (1969) had accomplished this feat.

Under Callahan's guidance, the Raiders led the NFL in passing for the first time in team history and led the league in total offense for just the second time in team history.

During his tenure as not only head coach but also offensive coordinator for the Raiders, Callahan earned a reputation as one of the finest offensive minds in the NFL. The Raider offense led the league in rushing in 2000 and led the league in passing in 2002. In 2002, the Raiders became the first team to win games in the same season while rushing at least 60 times (against Kansas City in a 24-0 win) and passing at least 60 times (against Pittsburgh in a 30-17 win). The Raider offense also set many franchise records during this period, including fewest sacks allowed (28) in 2000, a mark that was broken the following year (27).

Despite the success of his 2002 team, the 2003 Raiders had a losing record. After his team got off to a 2-5 start, many of his players, in particular Charles Woodson, publicly demonized the coach, even suggesting that Callahan was deliberately trying to sabotage the season. Apparently, his accusations of strife and mutiny within the clubhouse were corroborated by others, including veteran receiver Tim Brown. Callahan, his supporters claim, had recognized that the team was aging and needed younger talent. To get it, he would have to cut existing salaries, an assertion that did not sit well with many of the team's veterans. On Nov. 31, after a 22-8 loss to the Denver Broncos, Callahan said the Raiders must have been "the dumbest team in America in terms of playing the game." After a lackluster 4-12 season, despite having led the Raiders to a Super Bowl a year earlier, Callahan was fired. This may have seemed surprising, but owner Al Davis is not known for being patient with coaches.

Prior to joining the Raiders, Callahan coached the offensive line for the Philadelphia Eagles from 1995 to 1997.

On January 18, 2008, following his firing from the Cornhuskers, Callahan was hired as Assistant Head Coach of the New York Jets.

External links

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