Time to bring the hammer down.

This is a post I started writing over the last month or so. As a Redskins fan this has been a crazy season. It’s been a battle between the Vikings and Redskins on who has had a stranger season. One team has something strange happen and the other one responds. Just look at the latest. Roof to the Metrodome collapses. Washington responds by benching McNabb and bumping him down to 3rd string a few weeks after giving him a mid-season extension. At least the weather was out of the Vikings hands.

I recently bought a Redskins jacket from the NFL website, they had a clearance sale. Not the best purchase decision I’ve made this year. Once the story broke about McNabb I was on Twitter. Made the same comment about the purchse to Bonnie Bernstein who is on ESPN. She had the correct response.

http://twitter.com/#!/BonnieB_ESPN/status/15919505582592001

BonnieB_ESPN Bonnie Bernstein
@robertcarnell put it in moths balls. It’ll come in handy… someday… eventually, lol.

Ouch. Completely true though. 1992 wasn’t that long ago was it? Then you realize someone who was born after that SuperBowl would have just graduated high school. It has been a while.

Now we have Mike “The Ultimate Leader” Shanahan who I’ve heard a lot of people over the years described as arrogant and egotistical. If we needed proof this has been the season. Albert Haynesworth is an entirely different issue. Horrible signing, by different people. Although his handling this season was strange as well.

This coach traded for McNabb then benches him against Detroit. Mike changes his story as to why he got benched that week. After that incident, the team gives McNabb $3.5 Million a few weeks ago when you didn’t need to. Now he’s bumped down to third string and Mike says there was nothing he could in the last 3 weeks to change his mind. They are run by the Keystone Cops.

The nickname of “Ultimate Leader” isn’t a sarcastic joke from a fan. It is has become that. The term however originated on Mike’s old Broncos.com bio. Gregg Easterbook of ESPN.com pointed it out in 2008. Got so much flack they removed “Ultimate Leader” from the bio.

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=easterbrook/080819

Few weeks ago on Twitter I asked who is a dumber coach this season, Childress or Shanahan? Producer Tim from TSN http://twitter.com/TSNProducerTim and I both agreed. Shanahan. One of those coaches is thankfully gone.

That lead me to this project. Showing how arrogant and egotistical the coach is. What contains more words?

1. The current Redskins.com bio of Mike Shanahan.

2. The combined bios of all the Sportscentre anchors from TSN.ca :

Holly Horton

Kate Beirness

Brian Mudryk http://twitter.com/bryanmudryk

Jay Onrait http://twitter.com/jayonrait

Dan O’Toole http://twitter.com/tsnotoole

Rod Smith

Cory Woron

Jennifer Hedger

Darren Dutchyshen

James Cybulski http://twitter.com/jamescybulski

Vic Rauter. Vic comes off the bench sometimes so I even threw him in.

Since none of the women at SportsCentre have Twitter accounts I’ll add some women in sports TV who are on there.

Jody Vance http://twitter.com/jodyvance

Sara Orlesky http://twitter.com/saraorlesky

Julie Stewart-Binks http://twitter.com/jstewartbinks CFRC Alumni and just began at LeafsTV.

Back to the wacky Redskins. In the battle of words the winner by 290 words is of course, Mike Shanahan. One football coach defeated 11 anchors.

Mike’s bio on the Redskins website is 2355 words, combined word count for the SportsCentre gang is 2065. So Mike had a good cushion. To fully understand the insanity you really have to glance at them both. First TSN. I hope you have the “cardiovascular endurance” to read this.

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Holly Horton joined SportsCentre as Toronto anchor and reporter for the network’s flagship news and information program on July 16, 2004.

A native of Scarborough, Ontario, Horton’s responsibilities include anchoring the 2 a.m. ET weekend editions of the program, as well as reporting on sports stories from around the Toronto area.

Prior to joining TSN, Horton spent two years as sports director and sports anchor for Global Television in Lethbridge, Alta. (2002-2004).

Horton’s broadcasting resume also includes an earlier stint with Global Television in Lethbridge as sports anchor and producer (2000-2001), and two years with A-Channel in Edmonton as sports reporter and weekend sports anchor (2001-2002). Horton began her broadcasting career in 1998 as an editor and writer with Global Television in Toronto (1998-2000).

Horton’s previous career highlights include reporting on Team Canada’s gold medal victory in men’s hockey at the 2002 Olympic Winter Games and covering the Calgary Flames’ impressive playoff run in 2004.

Horton is a graduate of the Radio and Television Arts program at Ryerson University in Toronto. She also has a degree in Psychology from the University of Western Ontario.

Kate Beirness joins TSN as the newest anchor and Toronto reporter for SportsCentre, TSN’s flagship news and information show.
Beirness comes to TSN from the network’s sister station, A Barrie, where she was the sports anchor and videographer. Prior to joining the CTVglobemedia family, Beirness was the sports anchor at Rogers TV Durham.

Born and raised in Port Perry, ON, Beirness is a graduate of the University of Ontario. Beirness played competitive basketball throughout high school and had hopes of playing point guard at the CIS level until a torn ACL forced her to abandon her dream. She then refocused her energy on a career in sports broadcasting.

Bryan Mudryk co-hosts the 10 p.m. and 2 a.m. ET weekend editions of SportsCentre alongside Holly Horton, bringing viewers a complete overview of the world of sports with highlights and comprehensive game reports. In addition to hosting SportsCentre, Mudryk does play-by-play as part of TSN’s curling broadcast team.

Mudryk was born in Athabasca, AB, and raised in nearby Boyle, AB (population 850). With more than 10 years experience as a broadcaster, Mudryk’s career began in Lloydminster, AB, at CKSA TV and Radio as a reporter, covering a wide range of topics (1998 to 1999). From there, he moved to Winnipeg to anchor the weekend and late night sports segments for A-Channel (1999 to 2001). Mudryk spent four years at CTV Edmonton anchoring and reporting on sports before making the move to TSN in 2005.

Mudryk, a cancer survivor, was instrumental in launching a charity golf tournament to raise funds for Edmonton’s Cross Cancer Institute. Over the past seven years, the annual Bryan Mudryk Golf Classic has raised close to $400,000 for cancer treatment equipment. For his efforts, Mudryk was nominated in 2008 for Canada’s Top 40 Under 40 award.

In 2009, Mudryk launched a special scholarship for post-secondary students currently undergoing treatment for cancer.

Mudryk is a graduate of the Radio and Television Arts program at the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology.

Jay Onrait co-hosts the 2 a.m. ET weekday edition of SportsCentre alongside Dan O’Toole, delivering a complete summary of the day‘s events to viewers, with highlights and post-game reports from the world of sports. Viewers can also catch Onrait and O’Toole each morning as the 2 a.m. ET broadcast repeats on a loop until 12 noon ET the following day.

A native of Athabasca, Alta., Onrait first joined TSN in 1996 as an editorial assistant while still in school. After graduating from Ryerson University in 1998 with a bachelor’s degree in Radio and Television Arts, Onrait went on to become the sports director at a television station in Saskatoon, before spending two years as the host of the Big Breakfast on A-Channel.
Onrait joined NHL Network in 2001, serving as host of the network’s flagship show NHL On The Fly as well as Molson That’s Hockey 2. A year later, Onrait re-joined TSN in his current role on SportsCentre.

Onrait’s work assignments over the years have included coverage of the NHL Trade Deadline, NBA Finals, Vanier Cup and in-studio host of Toronto Raptors broadcasts on TSN. Most recently, Onrait served as co-host of Olympic Morning alongside Bev Thompson during the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games.

Dan O’Toole co-hosts the 2 a.m. ET weekday edition of SportsCentre alongside Jay Onrait, bringing viewers a complete summary of the day’s sports events, including highlights and post-game reports.
Viewers can also catch O’Toole and Onrait each morning as the 2 a.m. ET broadcast repeats on a loop until 12 noon ET the following day.

Prior to joining TSN in 2002, O’Toole was part of Citytv’s launch in Vancouver, where he worked as an anchor and reporter.

Originally from Peterborough, Ont., O’Toole graduated from Algonquin College in 1996 with a diploma in broadcasting. While in college, O’Toole called play-by-play for the Ottawa 67s. O’Toole moved to Vancouver in 1997 to work as a traffic reporter for CJJR-FM and CFUN-AM radio stations, reporting from a four-seater plane.

In 1998, O’Toole moved to Fort McMurray, Alta. where he worked as sports director for CJOK-FM and CKYX-FM radio stations for three years. While at the radio stations, O’Toole called play-by-play for the Fort McMurray Oil Barons of the AJHL.

In 2000, O’Toole worked at CTV Edmonton as the Fort McMurray news reporter in the evenings while continuing to work as the radio sports director in the morning.

Rod Smith hosts the 6:30 p.m. ET of SportsCentre, Canada’s most watched sports news and information show.

Smith’s recognizable voice and trusted smooth delivery has been honed over years of broadcast experience. Before his role on SportsCentre, Smith anchored TSN’s studio coverage of CFL football and baseball. A former offensive guard for the Queen’s University Golden Gaels, Smith also served as play-by-play commentator on TSN’s CFL coverage.

Smith joined TSN in 1987 as an editorial assistant for SportsCentre and became a full-time reporter in 1992 before anchoring SportsCentre in 1995.

Rod and his wife Susan have two sons, Benjamin and Noah and a daughter, Madeline.

Cory Woron hosts the weekend edition of SportsCentre, Canada’s most watched sports news and information show.

National viewers were first introduced to Woron as host of the popular Ford That’s Golf before his move to the weekend edition of SportsCentre. Woron’s experience and delivery have made him a viewer favourite. Since joining TSN, Woron has covered The Masters and co-hosted SportsCentre from the International Broadcast Centre alongside Dan O’Toole during the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games.

Previously a sports anchor for Global TV in Winnipeg, Woron is a graduate of the University of Calgary. Before joining Global in 1998, Woron worked as a sports reporter for CKNW radio in Vancouver. Woron also served as a Vancouver correspondent for Sports Radio ESPN for the WFAN all-sports radio station in New York City.

Woron will forever be remembered by fans of the IHL’s Manitoba Moose. He was the club’s public address announcer for the 1999-2000 season.

Jennifer Hedger is the co-host of the 10 p.m. ET edition of SportsCentre alongside Darren Dutchyshen, providing viewers with all the day’s highlights from the world of sports. A mainstay on TSN since 2002, Hedger’s popularity transcends sports and she has quickly become a fan-favourite in both the sports and entertainment communities.

In addition to her duties at TSN, Hedger was the Whistler Host of Olympic Prime Time on CTV during the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games.

Hedger first rose to fame on TSN after making several guest appearances on Off The Record, where she was voted one of the top five guests of the year. She has also filled in for Landsberg and hosted OTR on a few occasions.

In 2004, Hedger pulled double duty co-hosting SportsCentre and working on TSN’s NHL studio show as the Highlights Host, providing in-studio game updates during the network’s NHL telecasts.

A native of London, Ont., Hedger hosted numerous shows on a local cable TV station and also appeared as a ‘lofter’ on the 2001 TV show The Lofters. In 2007, she was rated by Hello! Magazine as one of the Top 10 Most Beautiful Women on Television.

Darren Dutchyshen co-hosts the evening edition of SportsCentre, Canada’s most watched sports news and information show. Dutchyshen is also the host of the popular weekly boxing show, In This Corner with Russ Anber, and provides updates and highlights during NHL on TSN telecasts. In addition, Dutchyshen was the host of Olympic Prime Time on TSN during the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games.

A TSN veteran, Dutchyshen is one of the network’s most popular personalities. He began his TSN career in 1995, hosting weekend editions of SportsCentre and hosting CFL Live. His engaging and unique personality, smooth delivery and sports knowledge have made him a viewer favourite.

Before joining TSN, Dutchyshen, a native of Porcupine Plain, Sask., spent seven years as the host of ITV’s Sports Night, a 30-minute sports news program in Edmonton. While in Edmonton, he also hosted a daily radio sportscast on 630 CHED for more than two years.

Dutchyshen’s first job as a sportscaster was with STV in Saskatoon for one year, followed by a stint with IMTV in Dauphin, Man.
Viewers can watch Dutchyshen along with co-host Jennifer Hedger weeknights at 10pm et/7pm pt.

James Cybulski is an anchor and Toronto reporter for SportsCentre, TSN’s flagship news and information show, and can be seen regularly behind the desk or filing reports on major sports stories in the GTA, including the Toronto Maple Leafs, Toronto Raptors and Toronto Argonauts.

Cybulski is no stranger to the world of sports, having spent more than a decade in the industry, covering a wide range of major events including numerous Olympic Games and World Junior Hockey Championships. Cybulski’s resume also includes coverage of several Grey Cup championships and numerous Stanley Cup playoffs, World Series and World Figure Skating Championships.

A native of Ottawa, Cybulski graduated from Algonquin College in 1995 from the Radio Broadcasting program, where he began his broadcasting career doing play-by-play and colour commentary for his hometown Ottawa 67’s. After graduation, Cybulski accepted his first job in the industry as weekend news anchor and weekday reporter at CHEZ 106 Classic Rock.

Shortly after joining CHEZ, Cybulski pulled double-duty, hosting Overtime, a weekly program about the Ottawa Senators, on Rogers Television. In 1998, Cybulski moved to CFRA News Talk as its afternoon sports anchor, and continued to multi-task also working as the public address announcer for 67’s games.

In 1998, Cybulski joined The Score where he remained until May 2006.

Vic Rauter brings a wealth of experience and professionalism to every broadcast. Having worked at TSN since 1985, Rauter has covered a variety of news and events.

Known as the ‘voice of curling’ in Canada, Rauter has anchored TSN’s curling coverage for more than 20 years. He, along with broadcast partners Linda Moore and Ray Turnbull, are the face of curling on TSN, and have won the hearts of fans across the country, becoming household names along the way. Rauter provides the play-by-play commentary for TSN’s highly acclaimed coverage of Season of Champions curling, including events such as the Brier, Tournament of Hearts and the World Curling Championships.

In addition, Rauter handled play-by-play duties for Canada’s Olympic Broadcast Media Consortium during the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games. Rauter is no stranger to Olympic competition, having first worked on the 1984 Summer Games in Los Angeles. Since joining TSN in 1985, Rauter has covered Calgary 1988, Barcelona 1992, Sydney 2000, Salt Lake City 2002, Athens 2004, Beijing 2008 and Vancouver 2010.

Off the ice, Rauter was the key player in TSN’s soccer coverage since 1986, providing commentary for the Canadian Olympic and World Cup qualifying bids, Toronto Blizzard and TSN’s coverage of the 1986, 1990, 1994, 1998, 2002 and 2006 World Cup. He has also covered auto racing and hosted TSN’s coverage of the 2009 Canada Games.

In 1999, Rauter was nominated for a Gemini Award as Canada’s top sports broadcaster.

Prior to joining TSN, Rauter spent four years as a sportscaster with CBC in Toronto, covering various Olympics including Los Angeles in 1984, Calgary in 1988, and Barcelona in 1992.

A Toronto native, Rauter began his broadcasting career with CFTR Radio in Toronto as a news/sports reporter before joining Toronto’s Global Television Network where he spent four years.
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Thought that was a long read? Oh, you’ve seen nothing yet. At least that was about 11 different people.

Strangely Mike’s bio doesn’t say that he has only one playoff win since John Elway retired. Does mention his one year as a backfield coach with the Lumberjacks of Northern Arizona. That should give you a taste of how long winded this is going to be. I wouldn’t recommend reading the whole thing. You can glance and get a feel for the length of this.  Ready?

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http://www.redskins.com/gen/coaches/Mike_Shanahan.jsp

Mike Shanahan was hired as the Washington Redskins Executive Vice President/Head Coach on Jan. 6, 2010. He is the 28th head coach in franchise history.

Shanahan’s 146 regular season wins as an NFL head coach are the 17th-most in history and the second-most among active coaches, trailing only Bill Belichick’s 148. Including eight postseason victories, Shanahan’s 154 overall wins are tied for 16th all-time and are also second among active coaches to Belichick’s 163. In 16 seasons as a head coach with the Denver Broncos (1995-2008) and the Los Angeles Raiders (1988-89), Shanahan has a regular season winning percentage of .598 (146-98) and an overall winning percentage of .615 (154-103).

During his tenure with the Broncos, Shanahan guided the franchise to two Super Bowl victories, three conference championship game appearances, seven postseason berths and nine winning seasons. Along with Vince Lombardi, Don Shula, Chuck Noll, Jimmy Johnson and Belichick, he is one of six coaches with back-to-back Super Bowl championships.

During his 25-year NFL coaching career, Shanahan has been a part of teams that have played in 10 AFC or NFC Championship Games. He has coached in six Super Bowls, including five with Denver and Super Bowl XXIX with San Francisco. In his nine seasons coaching at the collegiate level, Shanahan’s teams participated in eight bowl games and won two national championships (Oklahoma — 1975 and Eastern Illinois — 1978).

Shanahan, 57, led Denver to 138 regular-season victories in 14 seasons, a win total that marks the 10th-most by a head coach with one franchise in NFL history. Among the nine coaches who have more wins with one club than Shanahan, all eight who are eligible for the Pro Football Hall of Fame have been honored with membership.

Over his last 16 years (1995-2008 in Denver and 1992-94 in San Francisco), Shanahan’s offenses have finished No. 1 in the NFL four times, No. 2 three times, No. 3 three times and No. 4 once. In his 14 seasons in Denver, the Broncos led the NFL in total yards (83,771), rushing yards (30,993) and first downs (4,678) and ranked third in points scored (5,449).

Shanahan’s 138 regular season wins, 146 overall wins, .616 winning percentage in the regular season and overall are all the best by a head coach in Denver history and include an 83-29 (.741) home record in regular-season play.

In Shanahan’s 118 home regular-season and playoff games tenure with the Broncos, Denver scored 30 or more points 47 times and 20 or more points 94 times. Including road games, in his 221 overall games as Denver’s head coach, the Broncos have scored 30 or more points 83 times and 20 or more points 169 times. Denver’s record in the 83 games in which it has scored 30 or more points under
Shanahan is 79-4 (4-0 in playoff competition), including a 46-1 mark (2-0 in postseason) at home.

Shanahan was hired as Denver’s head coach on Jan. 31, 1995, and later added the responsibilities of Executive Vice President of Football Operations in 1998. Under his guidance, the Broncos became one of the most accomplished franchises in the NFL. Some of their achievements are included below:

— Became one of three clubs in the NFL (New England, Pittsburgh) to win multiple Super Bowls since 1995, with back-to-back victories in Super Bowl XXXII and XXXIII (1997-98).

— Shanahan’s 138 regular-season wins with Denver from 1995-2008 were most by an NFL coach over that span and gave the Broncos the league’s fourth-best record (138-86/.616) during that time.

— Established the record most wins in pro football history in a two-year period with33 from 1997-98 (New England since won 34 from 2003-04).

— Posted the most wins in pro football history in a three-year period (46 from 1996-98).

— Won the most playoff games in pro football history over a two-year period with seven from 1997-98.

— Won 18 consecutive games, including playoffs, from 1997-98 to tie a then all-time NFL record for consecutive victories (New England won 21 in 2003-04). The Broncos went undefeated for a calendar year during that streak from Dec. 15, 1997, until Dec. 13, 1998.

— Went undefeated at home for three consecutive regular seasons (1996-98), becoming just the second team ever to be undefeated and untied at home in three consecutive years.

— Posted a 22-2 record in their final 24 games during the back-to-back title years.

— Had an offense ranked in the top five in the NFL in nine of 14 seasons.

— Totaled the most overall yards in the NFL (83,771 yds., 374.0 ypg.).

— Recorded the most rushing yards in the NFL (30,993 yds., 138.4 ypg.).

— Recorded seventh-most passing yards in the NFL (50,067 yds., 223.5 ypg.).

— Scored the third-most points in the NFL (5,449 pts., 24.3 ppg.).

— Registered the best home record in the NFL during regular-season play (83-29/.741).

— Posted a 79-4 (.952) record when scoring 30 or more points (4-0 in postseason), a total that includes a 46-1 (.979) mark in home games (2-0 in postseason).

— Totaled a 110-30 (.785) record when registering an even or positive turnover ratio, including a 40-4 (.909) mark with a turnover ratio of +2 or better.
In Shanahan’s final season in Denver in 2008, the Broncos led the AFC and finished second in the NFL in total offense, averaging 400.4 yards per game. They were third in the league in passing yards
with 4,471, while ranking second with a 4.8-yards per rush average. Denver 8.3 yards per play average was the best in the NFL.

In 2006, Shanahan coached through his 200th career regular-season game, and his 125 wins at that milestone are tied for the fourth-most by a coach in the Super Bowl era (since 1966). The year also marked Denver’s fifth consecutive winning season (9-7), a total that tied a franchise record.

From 2003-05 Shanahan’s Broncos qualified for the playoffs all three seasons, winning at least 10 games all three season, including a league-best 13-3 mark in 2005. That club earned a first-round bye in the playoffs and defeated defending champion New England in the divisional round, before falling to eventual Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh in the AFC Championship Game.

In 2004, Shanahan joined the exclusive club of head coaches to post 100 wins in his first 10 seasons with one club, finishing the campaign and decade tied for fourth on this list of 12 coaches, seven of whom are in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

From 2000-02, Denver had a combined record of 28-20 and never had a losing campaign. Its offense ranked in the top three in the NFL in two of those three seasons.

In his third and fourth seasons at the helm of the Denver Broncos in 1997 and 1998, Shanahan led the Broncos to their first Super Bowl victories and in 1998 became the only coach in NFL history to fashion seven postseason wins in a two-year period.

In 1998, the defending world champions stormed to their second consecutive title with an offense that scored 501 points and finished third in the NFL in total yards. During the Broncos Super Bowl run, their defense allowed just 25 points and two touchdowns while sparking a remarkable +12 turnover ratio (13 takeaways, 1 giveaway) in the playoffs.

The 1998 Broncos set team records with 14 regular season and 17 overall wins, starting off with a 13-0 record and marking Denver as a team that went an entire calendar year without a loss. The club produced 596 regular season and postseason points for the seventh-highest mark in league annals at the time (currently ninth all-time). With Shanahan coordinating their offense, the 1994 World Champion San Francisco 49ers set a then-NFL record with 636 points for the regular season and playoffs, a total that now stands second to the New England Patriots’ 655 points scored in 2007.

Ten Broncos were named to the Pro Bowl following the 1998 season and Shanahan was named AFC Coach of the Year by the Kansas City 101 Club and by the Touchdown Club of Columbus (his second time to be honored by each organization).

In the historical 1998 season, Shanahan became the first coach in history to win two Super Bowl titles in his first four years coaching a team and is the only coach to have directed two different teams to a 500-point season (the 1998 Broncos scored 501 points, and Shanahan helped San Francisco in 1994 score 505 points as offensive coordinator). The 500-point mark has only been reached 12 times overall in pro football history.

In 1997, Shanahan directed a Denver offense that scored a total of 583 points (29.2 per game) during the entire 1997 season, the fifth-highest total in NFL history at the time (currently 10th all-time) and the second-highest total in AFC history at the time (currently fourth all-time) for a combined regular season and postseason. Shanahan led his team to a 12-4 regular season record, marking the first time in franchise history that the Broncos won 12 or more games in back-to-back seasons.

His high-powered offense reached 30 points a franchise-record nine times during the 1997 regular season and twice in the postseason. Denver also broke the franchise record for most points in a season (previously 391 in 1996) in just its 13th game of 1997 and broke the record for most touchdowns in a season (previously 47 in 1996) in just its 14th game that year.

Shanahan led his 1996 club to a franchise and NFL-best 13-3 record, earning both NFL Coach of the Year (Touchdown Club of Columbus) and AFC Coach of the Year (Kansas City 101 Club) honors that season. Denver led the entire NFL in total offense in 1996.

That year, the Broncos were undefeated in October and November as they ultimately built their record to 12-1 in clinching their division title and playoff berth on Dec. 1, thus becoming one of the earliest teams to clinch in NFL history.

In his first season as the Denver Broncos’ head coach in 1995, Shanahan improved the team to a .500 record (8-8) and contention in the very competitive AFC West. He immediately stamped his signature as the Denver offense became the most productive unit in the AFC and finished third in the entire NFL. The unit set team records in points scored (388), total yardage (6,040), total passing yardage (4,260), first downs passing (205) and highest average gain per play (5.7) while tying the team records for touchdown passes (27) and average gain per rush (4.5). At the same time, the Broncos’ defense improved 13 positions, from last in the NFL the previous year to 15th under Shanahan’s leadership.

Shanahan arrived in Denver from the World Champion San Francisco 49ers, where he served as offensive coordinator for three seasons (1992-94).

The 49ers’ offense reached unprecedented levels under his leadership. San Francisco’s three-year offensive averages under Shanahan’s direction were the most productive in the history of pro football. His three-year averages included being number one in the NFL in total points (469.7 per year), total touchdowns (60.3), rushing touchdowns (23.7), passing touchdowns (31.7), third-down efficiency (48.5%), total offense (6,230 yds.) and average yards per play (6.2).

His three-year period as offensive coordinator included the 49ers setting numerous team records during that time, including the first time ever that San Francisco led the NFL in total offense in consecutive seasons (1993 and 1994). It also set records for most touchdowns (66), passing yards (4,302), total offense (6,435 yds.), first downs (372), completion percentage (70.3) and average yards per play (6.3).

San Francisco quarterback Steve Young re-wrote many NFL passing records and was named the NFL Most Valuable Player twice in his three years under Shanahan’s guidance in addition to throwing for six touchdowns and earning Super Bowl XXIX Most Valuable Player honors.

A driving force behind the Broncos’ offense for all three of their Super Bowl appearances in the 1980s (following the 1986, 1987 and 1989 seasons), Shanahan first came to Denver in 1984 as the club’s wide receivers coach and served as offensive coordinator from 1985-87.

He then returned to Denver as quarterbacks coach on Oct. 16, 1989, after serving as head coach of the Los Angeles Raiders in 1988 and through the first four games of the 1989 campaign. Shanahan inherited a Raiders team that was 5-10 in 1987 and improved it to 7-9 his first season. He was dismissed after starting 1-3 the following year.

Shanahan began his coaching career as an offensive assistant at Oklahoma from 1975-76. The Sooners won the national championship in his first year on its staff.

Shanahan was Northern Arizona’s backfield coach in 1977 at the age of 24, and the Lumberjacks averaged a school-record 391.1 yards per game that season. A year later, Shanahan returned to Eastern Illinois as offensive coordinator and helped guide his alma mater to the Division II title. The year before Shanahan’s arrival, the team was 1-10. In 1979, he served as offensive coordinator at Minnesota, where he implemented the run-and-shoot offense to help the Golden Gophers set 40 school offensive records.

Shanahan became the offensive coordinator at Florida the following year, inheriting the second-poorest offense in Division I football as well as a team record of 0-10-1. In Shanahan’s four years at Florida, the team broke many offensive school records and went to four consecutive bowl games. During his stint as a college coach, his teams had a combined record of 78-29-2 (.725).

A native of Oak Park, Ill. (born 8/24/52), Michael Edward Shanahan attended East Leyden High School in Franklin Park, Ill., where was voted athlete of the year as well as most valuable player in both football and track.

He received a scholarship to Eastern Illinois University, where he played quarterback before losing a kidney in the spring game of his junior year. He received his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees at EIU.

Mike and his wife, Peggy, have two children — son Kyle, and daughter Krystal. Kyle is a graduate of the University of Texas and is the Redskins’ offensive coordinator. Krystal also is a graduate of the University of Texas.
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My apologies for those who now have a headache from reading that much text. Raise your hand if you are surprised he is self-aggrandizing. Didn’t think so. Stephen King would tell him to edit that down.

At this point it’s better to laugh at the Redskins.  Tried to figure out how to end this post.  I’ll go back to the radio show.

On air this Christmas Eve from 6-8pm EST.  If you are near a radio in Kingston or listening online I will be live at the station as usual.  Hope everyone has a good time over the holidays.