Chan Gailey

Gailey was born in Gainesville, Georgia, in 1952.{{cite web |author=Chan Gailey |url=http://www.ramblinwreck.com/sports/m-footbl/mtt/gailey_chan00.html |title=Chan Gailey Bio - Georgia Tech Official Athletic Site |publisher=Ramblinwreck.com |date=November 18, 2006 |access-date=April 22, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120208075058/http://www.ramblinwreck.com/sports/m-footbl/mtt/gailey_chan00.html |archive-date=February 8, 2012 |url-status=dead }} He attended Americus High School in Americus, Georgia, where he earned Eagle Scout honors,{{cite book |last=Townley |first=Alvin |title=Legacy of Honor: The Values and Influence of America's Eagle Scouts |publisher=St. Martin's Press |location=New York |isbn=978-0-312-36653-7 |year=2007 |author-link=Alvin Townley |url=http://www.legacyofhonor.com/ |access-date=December 29, 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080529032438/http://www.legacyofhonor.com/ |archive-date=May 29, 2008 |url-status=dead }}{{cite web |last=Hydrick |first=Robert |date=May 2006 |url=http://www.walb.com/global/Story.asp?s=4612021 |title=Gailey looking forward to spring practice |publisher=WALB News 10 |access-date=November 8, 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060321181915/http://www.walb.com/Global/story.asp?S=4612021 |archive-date=March 21, 2006 |url-status=dead }} and a letterman in high school football, basketball, baseball, and golf. In football, he was an all-state selection as quarterback. Gailey graduated from Americus High School in 1970.

Gailey attended the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida, where he was a three-year letterman for coach Doug Dickey's Florida Gators football team as a quarterback from 1971 to 1973.[http://web.gatorzone.com/football/media/2011/media_guide.pdf 2011 Florida Gators Football Media Guide] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120402035222/http://web.gatorzone.com/football/media/2011/media_guide.pdf |date=April 2, 2012 }}, University Athletic Association, Gainesville, Florida, pp. 174 & 181 (2011). Retrieved August 29, 2011. Gailey graduated from Florida with a bachelor's degree in physical education in 1974.

Gailey stayed with Florida as a graduate assistant for two years before taking his first actual coaching job as the secondary coach for the Troy Trojans of Troy University (then known as Troy State University) in Troy, Alabama. After two seasons there, he spent four seasons with the U.S. Air Force Academy, including two as defensive coordinator under head coach Ken Hatfield.{{cite news|first=Adam|last=Van Brimmer|url=http://www.macon.com/169/story/163335.html|title=Army life different, say Tech coaches|work=The Telegraph|publisher=macon.com|date=October 18, 2007|access-date=October 23, 2007}} {{Dead link|date=October 2010|bot=H3llBot}}

In 1983, Gailey made his way back to Troy, taking over the head coaching duties at Troy University. In his first season as head coach, he led the Trojans to a 7–4 overall record. In his second season at the helm in 1984, he led his #3-ranked Trojans to a 12–1 record en route to the NCAA Division II national championship, defeating #1-ranked North Dakota State, 18–17 to win the title.[https://www.ncaa.org/library/records/football/football_champs_records_book/2006/d2/2006_d2_football_champs_records.pdf]{{dead link|date=April 2013}}

Gailey moved to the NFL the next year, when the Denver Broncos signed him as an offensive assistant and special teams coach. The team made three Super Bowl appearances during his six-year tenure and coached quarterbacks John Elway and Gary Kubiak during his lone year as quarterbacks coach in 1988. In 1991, Gailey left the NFL to become the head coach of the Birmingham Fire of the World League of American Football, where the team made the playoffs in both years that he was coach.

After a one-year stint as head coach at Samford University, he returned to the NFL with the Pittsburgh Steelers. After starting off as coach for the wide receivers, then moved up to offensive coordinator for the 1996 and 1997 NFL seasons. The Steelers won their division all four years, and made one Super Bowl appearance.

On February 13, 1998, Gailey was hired to take over a struggling Dallas Cowboys squad (as operated by Jerry Jones), one that had faltered under Barry Switzer during his last season. Other candidates considered in the course of five weeks were George Seifert, Sherman Lewis, and Terry Donahue, with the latter being the closest to being hired before disagreeing with Jones about contract language that opened the door for Gailey. Notably in the leadup to the season, Gailey expressed his opinion to the Cowboys to not draft Randy Moss in the 1998 NFL draft due to perceived off-field issues.{{Cite web |date=2020-02-13 |title=Memory Lane: The Cowboys made Chan Gailey the fourth coach in team history |url=https://www.wfaa.com/article/sports/nfl/cowboys/memory-lane-the-cowboys-made-chan-gailey-the-fourth-coach-in-team-history/287-308a7d63-f7f2-4a7f-933b-8c975d7f26c4 |access-date=2024-09-05 |website=wfaa.com |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |date=2011-11-10 |title=Archer: Ex-Cowboys coach doing more with less |url=https://www.espn.com/dallas/nfl/story/_/id/7217271/former-dallas-cowboys-coach-chan-gailey-doing-more-less-buffalo-bills |access-date=2024-09-05 |website=ESPN.com |language=en}} Gailey's Cowboys won the NFC East in 1998, winning all eight games against teams in their division. This would come back to haunt them when they played the Arizona Cardinals, who happened to squeak into the playoffs as a Wild Card team despite losing to their division rival twice. Arizona trounced Dallas 20-7 for not only the first home playoff loss for the Cowboys in six years but also their first playoff win in a half-century. The Cowboys, hindered by injuries to players such as Michael Irvin (who suffered a career-ending injury midway through the year) went 8–8 in 1999 after starting the season 3–0, losing seven of eight games decided by a touchdown. They made the playoffs but lost to Minnesota.{{Cite web |title=PRO FOOTBALL; The Cowboys Fire Gailey After 2 Seasons as Coach |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2000/01/12/sports/pro-football-the-cowboys-fire-gailey-after-2-seasons-as-coach.html |access-date=2024-09-05}} He was fired on January 12, 2000, three days after the season ended for Dallas with three years remaining on his contract. Gailey is the only Cowboys coach to have never missed the playoffs with his team. Gailey is also sometimes referred to by fans as "the forgotten coach" of Dallas. Jones later stated his regret at firing Gailey after two seasons.{{Cite web |title=Dallas Cowboys Team Records, Leaders, and League Ranks |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/dal/ |access-date=2024-09-05 |website=Pro-Football-Reference.com |language=en}}{{Cite web |date=2015-12-17 |title=Chan Gailey: Jerry Jones' horror stories not true |url=https://www.espn.com/blog/dallas-cowboys/post/_/id/4748113/chan-gailey-jerry-jones-horror-stories-not-true |access-date=2024-09-05 |website=ESPN.com |language=en}}

Gailey returned to the offensive coordinator role, this time with the Miami Dolphins for the 2000 and 2001 seasons.{{cite news|url=http://gtalumni.org/StayInformed/techtopics/spr02/jackets.html|title=Winning Style|work=Tech Topics|publisher=Georgia Tech Alumni Association|date=Spring 2002|access-date=September 17, 2007 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20071130170150/http://gtalumni.org/StayInformed/techtopics/spr02/jackets.html |archive-date = November 30, 2007}}

Gailey was hired by the Yellow Jackets in 2002 to replace George O'Leary, who left to become head coach at the University of Notre Dame (O'Leary infamously resigned at Notre Dame after only 5 days).{{cite news|first=Michael|last=Clarke|url=http://nique.net/issues/2005-11-18/sports/2|title=Gailey signs new five-year contract, will coach through 2010 campaign|work=The Technique|date=November 18, 2005|access-date=May 16, 2007 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070929135606/http://nique.net/issues/2005-11-18/sports/2 |archive-date = September 29, 2007}} In his first five years at Georgia Tech, he had compiled a 37–27 record. Georgia Tech went to bowl games each year under Gailey, and won two: the 2003 Humanitarian Bowl (a 52–10 win over the University of Tulsa), and the 2004 Champs Sports Bowl (a 51–14 victory over Syracuse University). Gailey compiled six winning seasons in six years at the helm. However, he never defeated Tech's biggest rival, the University of Georgia, never won the ACC, never went to a BCS bowl, never won more than nine games, and never finished in the top 25. The 2006 season was his most successful at Georgia Tech, winning the ACC Coastal Division, but losing his last three games to rival UGA, Wake Forest in the ACC Championship Game, and West Virginia in the Gator Bowl.{{cite news|agency=Associated Press|url=http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/recap?gameId=263360059|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120714160623/http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/recap?gameId=263360059|url-status=dead|archive-date=July 14, 2012|title=Skinner, Swank lift Wake to ACC title; next stop: Orange Bowl|work=ESPN|publisher=go.com|date=December 2, 2006|access-date=September 17, 2007}}

Gailey's name was mentioned for both the Pittsburgh Steelers and Miami Dolphins head-coaching jobs following the 2006 season, two teams for which he was offensive coordinator.{{cite news|url=http://nique.net/issues/2007-01-19/sports/2 |title=Miami interviews Gailey |work=The Technique |date=January 19, 2007 |access-date=March 22, 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070929140459/http://nique.net/issues/2007-01-19/sports/2 |archive-date=September 29, 2007 }} Gailey got neither job. On January 19, 2007, Gailey announced he would return to Georgia Tech.{{cite web|url=http://ramblinwreck.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/011907aab.html|work=Ramblinwreck.com|publisher=Georgia Tech Athletic Association|title=Gailey to Remain at Tech|date=January 19, 2007|access-date=March 22, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071130182751/http://ramblinwreck.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/011907aab.html|archive-date=November 30, 2007|url-status=dead}}

After a 7–5 2007 regular season and losing to the Georgia Bulldogs football team for the sixth straight year, it was announced on November 26, 2007, that Gailey had been dismissed and his $1 million/year contract bought out.{{cite news|url=http://www.ajc.com/sports/content/sports/gatech/stories/2007/11/26/gailey_1126.html|title=Georgia Tech fires Gailey after six seasons|first=Mike|last=Knobler|work=Atlanta Journal-Constitution|date=November 26, 2007|access-date=November 26, 2007}}{{cite news|url=https://www.espn.com/college-football/news/story?id=3127998|title=Sources: Gailey fired at Tech after six seasons|work=ESPN|publisher=go.com|date=November 26, 2007|access-date=November 26, 2007}}{{cite news|url=http://www.ajc.com/gatech/content/sports/gatech/stories/2007/11/26/gaileycontract_1127.html|title=Tech owes Gailey $4 million|work=Atlanta Journal-Constitution|first=Mike|last=Knobler|date=November 26, 2007|access-date=November 26, 2007}}{{cite news|url=http://ramblinwreck.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/112607aag.html|title=Gailey Relieved of Duties As Georgia Tech Head Coach|work=RamblinWreck.com|publisher=Georgia Tech Athletic Association|date=November 26, 2007|access-date=November 26, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071128123034/http://ramblinwreck.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/112607aag.html|archive-date=November 28, 2007|url-status=dead}}

Gailey was hired on January 16, 2008, to become the offensive coordinator of the Kansas City Chiefs. He inherited a Chiefs offense that ranked at the bottom of the league in almost every category the previous season.{{cite news |url=http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2009/08/31/source-chiefs-chop-chan-gailey/ |title=Source: Chiefs chop Chan Gailey |publisher=NBCSports.com |author=Gregg Rosenthal |access-date=August 31, 2009}} Under his coaching, the Chiefs finished with the 24th-ranked offense in the league.{{Cite web|url=https://www.espn.com/nfl/stats/team?season=2008|title = 2008 NFL Team Total Offense Postseason Stats}} He was demoted after three pre-season games in 2009 and relieved of play-calling duties by head coach Todd Haley.{{cite web | title=Gailey no longer running Chiefs offense | url=https://www.espn.com/nfl/news/story?id=4434133 | work=ESPN.com | author=John Clayton | date=August 31, 2009 | access-date=August 31, 2009}} He spent the 2009 season out of football.

Gailey was introduced as the 15th head coach of the Buffalo Bills on January 19, 2010, replacing interim head coach Perry Fewell and becoming their fifth head coach in 10 years.{{cite news|title=Bills hire Gailey as coach|url=https://www.espn.com/nfl/news/story?id=4838361|agency=Associated Press|access-date=September 12, 2011}} The Bills went 4–12 in his first season, with the 25th-ranked offense and 24th-ranked defense in the league.{{Cite web|url=https://www.espn.com/nfl/stats/team?season=2010|title = 2010 NFL Team Total Offense Postseason Stats}} The following year, Buffalo ranked 14th in offense and 26th in defense as the Bills improved slightly to finish with a 6–10 record despite starting the season with a 5–2 record.{{Cite web|url=https://www.espn.com/nfl/stats/team?season=2011|title = 2011 NFL Team Total Offense Postseason Stats}} In 2012, the Bills finished 19th in offense and 22nd in defense as they once again finished 6–10.{{Cite web|url=https://www.espn.com/nfl/stats/team?season=2012|title = 2012 NFL Team Total Offense Postseason Stats}}

On December 31, 2012, Gailey was relieved of his duties as the Bills' head coach. He amassed a career 16–32 record in Buffalo.{{cite news|title=Chan Gailey fired by Buffalo Bills|url=http://www.democratandchronicle.com/article/20121231/SPORTS03/121231004/Chan-Gailey-fired-by-Buffalo-Bills|agency=Associated Press|access-date=December 31, 2012}}

Gailey was named offensive coordinator by the New York Jets on January 20, 2015, under new head coach Todd Bowles.{{cite web|title=Jets Tab Chan Gailey as Offensive Coordinator |url=http://www.newyorkjets.com/news/article-7/Jets-Tab-Chan-Gailey-as-Offensive-Coordinator/62262d4e-f7e8-4ee4-bf95-efc65025cf3e |publisher=New York Jets |author=Jets Staff |date=January 20, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150124030039/http://www.newyorkjets.com/news/article-7/Jets-Tab-Chan-Gailey-as-Offensive-Coordinator/62262d4e-f7e8-4ee4-bf95-efc65025cf3e |archive-date=January 24, 2015 |access-date=January 22, 2015 |url-status=dead }} He was reunited with former Bills quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick.

In his first season, the Jets finished with the 10th-ranked offense in the league. They finished 13th in the league in passing and 10th in rushing.{{Cite web|url=https://www.espn.com/nfl/stats/team?season=2015|title = 2015 NFL Team Total Offense Postseason Stats}} Through Week 14 of the 2016 season, the Jets had the 24th-ranked offense in the league.{{Cite web|url=https://www.espn.com/nfl/stats/team|title = 2021 NFL Team Total Offense Stats}} Following the 2016 season in which the Jets ranked near the bottom of the league in offense and finished 5–11, Gailey retired on January 3, 2017.{{cite web|last1=Orr|first1=Conor|title=Jets offensive coordinator Chan Gailey retires|url=https://www.nfl.com/news/n-y-jets-offensive-coordinator-chan-gailey-retires-0ap3000000768944|website=NFL.com|access-date=January 3, 2017|date=January 3, 2017}}

On January 20, 2020, Gailey was hired by the Miami Dolphins as their offensive coordinator under head coach Brian Flores, also Gailey's first time in Miami in 19 years. Gailey was again reunited with former Bills and Jets quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick, whom Gailey served as head coach of the Bills from 2010 to 2012, and as offensive coordinator for the Jets from 2015 to 2016. On January 6, 2021, Gailey resigned from the offensive coordinator position.

{{CFB Yearly Record Start | type = coach | team = | conf = | bowl = | poll = no }}

{{CFB Yearly Record Subhead

| name = Troy State Trojans

| conf = Gulf South Conference

| startyear = 1983

| endyear = 1984

}}

{{CFB Yearly Record Entry

| championship =

| year = 1983

| name = Troy State

| overall = 7–4

| conference = 4–3

| confstanding = T–2nd{{Cite web|url=http://www.gscsports.org/documents/2014/8/11/2014_GSC_Football_Media_Record_Book.pdf|title=2014 GSC Football Media Guide (PDF) - Gulf South Conference}}

| bowlname =

| bowloutcome =

| bcsbowl =

| ranking = no

| ranking2 = no

}}

{{CFB Yearly Record Entry

| championship = national

| year = 1984

| name = Troy State

| overall = 12–1

| conference = 6–1

| confstanding = 1st

| bowlname = NCAA Division II Championship

| bowloutcome = W

| bcsbowl =

| ranking = no

| ranking2 = no

}}

{{CFB Yearly Record Subtotal

| name = Troy State

| overall = 19–5

| confrecord = 10–4

}}

{{CFB Yearly Record Subhead

| name = Samford Bulldogs

| conf = NCAA Division I-AA independent

| startyear = 1993

| endyear = single

}}

{{CFB Yearly Record Entry

| championship =

| year = 1993

| name = Samford

| overall = 5–6

| conference =

| confstanding =

| bowlname =

| bowloutcome =

| bcsbowl =

| ranking = no

| ranking2 = no

}}

{{CFB Yearly Record Subtotal

| name = Samford

| overall = 5–6

| confrecord =

}}

{{CFB Yearly Record Subhead

| name = Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets

| conf = Atlantic Coast Conference

| startyear = 2002

| endyear = 2007

}}

{{CFB Yearly Record Entry

| championship =

| year = 2002

| name = Georgia Tech

| overall = 7–6

| conference = 4–4

| confstanding = T–5th

| bowlname = Silicon Valley

| bowloutcome = L

| bcsbowl =

| ranking = no

| ranking2 = no

}}

{{CFB Yearly Record Entry

| championship =

| year = 2003

| name = Georgia Tech

| overall = 7–6

| conference = 4–4

| confstanding = T–4th

| bowlname = Humanitarian

| bowloutcome = W

| bcsbowl =

| ranking = no

| ranking2 = no

}}

{{CFB Yearly Record Entry

| championship =

| year = 2004

| name = Georgia Tech

| overall = 7–5

| conference = 4–4

| confstanding = T–6th

| bowlname = Champs Sports

| bowloutcome = W

| bcsbowl =

| ranking = no

| ranking2 = no

}}

{{CFB Yearly Record Entry

| championship =

| year = 2005

| name = Georgia Tech

| overall = 7–5

| conference = 5–3

| confstanding = 3rd (Coastal)

| bowlname = Emerald

| bowloutcome = L

| bcsbowl =

| ranking = no

| ranking2 = no

}}

{{CFB Yearly Record Entry

| championship = division

| year = 2006

| name = Georgia Tech

| overall = 9–5

| conference = 7–1

| confstanding = 1st (Coastal)

| bowlname = Gator

| bowloutcome = L

| bcsbowl =

| ranking = no

| ranking2 = no

}}

{{CFB Yearly Record Entry

| championship =

| year = 2007

| name = Georgia Tech

| overall = 7–5

| conference = 4–4

| confstanding = 3rd (Coastal)

| bowlname = Humanitarian

| bowloutcome =

| bcsbowl =

| ranking = no

| ranking2 = no

}}

{{CFB Yearly Record Subtotal

| name = Georgia Tech

| overall = 44–32

| confrecord = 28–20

}}

{{CFB Yearly Record End

| overall = 68–43

| bowls = no

| poll = no

| polltype =

}}

Record with Birmingham Fire

{{Start NFL SBS}}

|-

|1991 || 5 || 5 || 0 || 1st North American West || Lost Semifinals (Dragons)

|-

|1992 || 7 || 2 || 1 || 2nd North American West || Lost Semifinals (Thunder)

|-

!Totals || 12 || 7 || 1

|colspan="2"| (excluding playoffs)

{{s-end}}

• List of Florida Gators in the NFL draft
• List of University of Florida alumni

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Category:1952 births

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