Andy Reid: A Profile
With Super Bowl LVII coming up on Sunday, it’s a good time to put the spotlight on Andy Reid—the Kansas City Chiefs’ head coach. Reid has been the main man in KC for 10 years now and has earned one Super Bowl win in that span. He has had an extensive coaching career in the NFL that started far earlier than his stint in KC, dating back to 1992 when he got his first job in the NFL working as a tight ends coach and assistant offensive line coach for the Green Bay Packers.
Many people know Reid for his time spent coaching the Philadelphia Eagles. He was able to accomplish great things with the Eagles, however, could not get them to the Promised Land, going as far as making one Super Bowl appearance in 2005, when they were stopped by Tom Brady and the New England Patriots.
When he was released from the Eagles after an abysmal 4-12 season in 2012 and hired by the Chiefs for the following season, he encountered Nick Sirianni—the Eagles current head coach—who was working as the wide receiver coach for KC at the time. Reid let go of Sirianni, among others, as he was bringing in his own coaching staff, but gave Sirianni encouragement on the best course of action to take from there. It would take nine years, but Sirianni eventually landed a head coaching job of his own in Philadelphia when the Eagles fired Doug Pederson.
It’s fitting that Reid and Sirianni are meeting for Super Bowl LVII. With Reid’s extensive history coaching Philadelphia and his brief but meaningful connection with Sirianni, people are looking forward to seeing what happens when the two face off in the biggest game of the year. Will it be the seasoned and beloved coach who comes out on top, or the fresh new face in Philly whose gotten immediate results from his team? We’ll go over Andy Reid’s playing career, coaching highlights and Super Bowl triumph to try to gather some insight as we hit the homestretch for Super Bowl LVII.
Playing Career
Reid is a bit of an anomaly in the NFL coaching world in that he never played professional football. His experience on the gridiron was limited to his time at Glendale Community College in Glendale, California, where he played as an offensive tackle. He planned on taking a scholarship to transfer to Stanford, but suffered a knee injury that derailed his plans. In the end, he played for BYU, but even then. his recruitment was strategic. The coach at BYU wanted Reid’s best friend Randy Tidwell to play for them, and Reid was part of the package, as the coach believed he’d help persuade his friend to join the team.
As is the case with many great teachers and coaches, Andy Reid was better suited for a coaching career than a pro football career. He had an analytical mind and asked lots of strategy-based questions to the BYU head coach LaVell Edwards and offensive coordinator Doug Scovil. Coaching became a natural career option for Reid, who was also considering becoming a sports writer at that time in his life.
Coaching Career Highlights
Reid’s first coaching gig was as a graduate assistant for BYU’s football team. He spent nine years in various roles (offensive coordinator/offensive line) for college football before the Green Bay Packers hired him as their tight ends coach and assistant coach for the offensive line. After six years with the Packers, Reid landed his first head coach position with the Philadelphia Eagles in 1999.
The Eagles played very well under Reid’s guidance. Before he took over, they had won their division just once in 18 years. Throughout Reid’s 14-year tenure with the team, they won their division six times and made it to the Super Bowl in 2004-05, but ultimately came up short when it mattered most. He was let go at the end of the 2012 season and was immediately scooped up by the Kansas City Chiefs, who were in need of good leadership. Reid has the second-most postseason wins of all NFL coaches (21), behind only Bill Belichick (31). He has won AP NFL Coach of the Year once and Sporting News Coach of the Year on three occasions.
After 20 years as a head coach in the NFL, Reid finally got his hard-earned, long-awaited Super Bowl victory as head coach.
Super Bowl Triumphs
Reid was beginning to get flak around the league for being the greatest coach without the ultimate victory until 2020, when Patrick Mahomes and co. engineered a come-from-behind win over Kyle Shanahan’s San Francisco 49ers at Super Bowl LIV. The year prior, Mahomes had his career season (50 TDs, league MVP), but the No. 1 Chiefs got stonewalled by No. 2 Tom Brady and the Patriots at the AFC Championship game at Arrowhead. Suffice to say, they had extra motivation the following season, but not just because of the heartbreaking loss.
After winning the Super Bowl in 2020, Mahomes stated in an interview that “we wanted to get that trophy just because he [Reid] deserved it. The work that he puts in day in and day out. He’s there at like 3 in the morning, and leaves at 11 [at night]…” Mahomes pointed to one of his two ultimate goals with the Chiefs being to get his coach a Super Bowl trophy—and he checked that box at Super Bowl LIV.
Once the Chiefs won, Andy Reid was doused in an orange Gatorade shower as is tradition with the winning team and a popular prop with lots of Super Bowl betting spectators. Weigh in on the colour of Gatorade used by this Sunday’s Super Bowl’s winning team. Orange is at the top of the Super Bowl props board at even money, and Lime/Green/Yellow is second at +210 and was the right pick at the Philadelphia Eagles Super Bowl LII victory in 2018. Good luck with your picks and may the right coach win.