This is an accepted version of this page
.jpg) Kubiak at the BroncosSuper Bowl 50 parade, 2016 | |||||||||||||||
| Panthers Wrocław | |||||||||||||||
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| Title | Coaching advisor | ||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
| Born | (1961-08-15)August 15, 1961 (age 64) Houston, Texas, U.S. | ||||||||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | ||||||||||||||
| Weight | 192 lb (87 kg) | ||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||
| High school | St. Pius X (Houston) | ||||||||||||||
| College | Texas A&M | ||||||||||||||
| NFL draft | 1983: 8th round, 197th overall pick | ||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||
Playing | |||||||||||||||
Coaching | |||||||||||||||
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Operations | |||||||||||||||
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| Awards and highlights | |||||||||||||||
As head coach:
As assistant coach: | |||||||||||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||||||
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| Head coaching record | |||||||||||||||
| Regular season | 82–75 (.522) | ||||||||||||||
| Postseason | 5–2 (.714) | ||||||||||||||
| Career | 87–77 (.530) | ||||||||||||||
| Coaching profile at Pro Football Reference | |||||||||||||||
Gary Wayne Kubiak (born August 15, 1961) is an American former professionalfootball player and coach in theNational Football League (NFL). He played as aquarterback for theDenver Broncos before coaching, serving as head coach for theHouston Texans from2006 to2013 and the Broncos from2015 to2016 before stepping down from the position on January 1, 2017, citing health reasons.[1]
Kubiak playedcollege football for theTexas A&M Aggies. He was selected in the eighth round of the1983 NFL draft with the 197th overall pick by Denver, where he played from 1983 to 1991 as the backup toJohn Elway. Earlier in his coaching career, Kubiak served as an assistant coach for the Broncos,Texas A&M University andSan Francisco 49ers. He was also theoffensive coordinator for theBaltimore Ravens in 2014. He last served as theassistant head coach andoffensive coordinator for theMinnesota Vikings in 2020.[2]
Kubiak has participated in sevenSuper Bowls, losing three as a player with the Broncos, winning three as an assistant coach with the 49ers and the Broncos, and winningSuper Bowl 50 as the head coach of the Broncos.
Kubiak passed for a then state-record 6,190 yards as a quarterback forSt. Pius X High School ofHouston, Texas, where he was given the nickname "Koob". Twice named to the all-statefootball,basketball,baseball, andtrack teams, he was inducted into the Texas High School Football Hall of Fame in 1999. Kubiak graduated from St. Pius X in 1979.[3]
Kubiak attendedTexas A&M University under coachesTom Wilson andJackie Sherrill and was selected to the All-Southwest Conference team in 1982 after leading the conference in passing yards (1,948) and touchdowns (19).[4] As a junior, he set a conference record by throwing six touchdown passes againstRice. In four seasons at Texas A&M, he passed for 4,078 yards, 31 touchdowns, and 27 interceptions.[5]
Kubiak was selected in the eighth round with the 197th overall pick of the1983 NFL draft by theDenver Broncos, the same year quarterbackJohn Elway was drafted with the first overall pick by theBaltimore Colts before forcing a trade to Denver. Kubiak played his entire career for the Broncos as a backup for Elway, a Hall of Famer.[6][7]
In nine seasons, Kubiak appeared in 119 regular-season games and went 3–2 as a starter. He completed 173-of-298 passes (58.1%) while throwing for 14 touchdowns, 16 interceptions, and 1,920 yards while part of three AFC Championship teams. Kubiak replaced Elway at the end of the Broncos' defeats inSuper Bowl XXI andSuper Bowl XXIV.[8][9][10]
Kubiak began his coaching career at Texas A&M,[11] his alma mater, serving as the running backs coach for two seasons (1992–1993). He worked extensively with All-American running backGreg Hill, who was selected by theKansas City Chiefs in the first round of the1994 NFL draft.[12]
Kubiak won his firstSuper Bowl serving as the quarterbacks coach for theSan Francisco 49ers in 1994,[13] guiding Hall of Fame quarterbackSteve Young to one of his best seasons. Young received his second NFL MVP and capturedSuper Bowl XXIX MVP honors by throwing a Super Bowl-record six touchdowns in San Francisco's 49–26 win over theSan Diego Chargers.[14][15]
Kubiak went to the Broncos the following season whenMike Shanahan, who was previously the 49ers offensive coordinator, became Denver's head coach.[16] In 11 seasons (1995–2005) as the team's offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, Kubiak helped lead Denver to two Super Bowl titles (1997, 1998), which were also the final two seasons ofJohn Elway's playing career.[17][18][19]
In Kubiak's 11 seasons with the team, the Broncos amassed 66,501 total yards and 465 touchdowns, the most in the NFL during that span. He coached 14 different Pro Bowl Broncos, including running backTerrell Davis, who was named theNFL MVP in1998.[20]
Kubiak was named the second head coach inHouston Texans history on January 26, 2006, replacing the firedDom Capers.[21] In his first season with the team, Houston finished fourth in theAFC South with a 6–10 record.[22] The Texans ended the2007 season at 8–8, a non-losing record for the first time in team history.[23] The Texans had their second non-losing season, again finishing 8–8, in the2008 season.[24]
The following season under Kubiak, the Texans achieved their first winning season in franchise history when they overcame a 14-point fourth-quarter deficit to defeat theNew England Patriots 34–27 atReliant Stadium, finishing the2009 season 9–7. They missed the playoffs on a tiebreaker with theNew York Jets.[25] On February 2, 2010, with a year left on the original deal he signed, the Texans signed Kubiak to a three-year contract extension through 2012.[26]
In the2010 season, Houston started off strong with a record of 4–2 heading into their bye week (Week 7). However, Kubiak's promising campaign quickly turned disastrous as the Texans lost eight of their final 10 games, placing them third in the AFC South, with a record of 6–10.[27][28] The Texans ended up fourth in passing yards, seventh in rushing yards, and third in overall yards. But the 2010 Texans defense was arguably one of the worst in the league, finishing last in passing yards allowed and tied for last in passing touchdowns allowed.[27]
The Texans responded to the 2010 poor defensive showing by firing defensive coordinatorFrank Bush, secondary coachDavid Gibbs, linebackers coachJohnny Holland, and assistant linebackers coachRobert Saleh.[29] Kubiak, aball boy for beloved formerHouston Oilers head coachO.A. "Bum" Phillips in the 1970s, hired long-time friend, and Bum's son,Wade Phillips to take over as the Texans' new defensive coordinator on January 5, 2011.[30] Phillips became available after being fired as head coach of theDallas Cowboys halfway through the 2010 season.[31] Phillips was allowed to bring in his own assistant coaches. The Texans signed two high-profilefree agent defensive backs,Johnathan Joseph andDanieal Manning, and used their first five draft picks, including two in the second round of the2011 NFL draft, on more defensive players.[32]
The2011 NFL lockout limited the time coaches had with players in the preseason, but Phillips turned the defense he took over from 30th overall in 2010 to second overall in 2011. Despite debilitating injuries to elite players including wide receiverAndre Johnson and NFL top running backArian Foster, as well as the devastating November 13, 2011, loss of quarterbackMatt Schaub, who was having a solid year, for the season, the Texans secured their first AFC South Championship and first appearance in the NFL playoffs.[33] The Texans, with rookie fifth-round selectionT. J. Yates at quarterback, defeated theCincinnati Bengals by a score of 31–10 on January 7, 2012, in the first playoff game in franchise history, with a record crowd of 71,725 at Reliant Stadium.[34]
Kubiak was named the AFC Coach of the Year byNFL 101 after leading the Texans to a 10–6 regular season record and the franchise's first division crown, playoff berth and playoff win in2011.[35] Texans ownerBob McNair rewarded Kubiak with a new three-year contract on June 14, 2012. Kubiak turned down a four-year deal for one that expired after the 2014 season.[36]
The2012 season saw the Texans start 5–0 for the first time in the franchise's history.[37] The Texans finished the season a franchise-best 12–4 and defeated theCincinnati Bengals in the Wild Card Round for the second straight year before falling to theNew England Patriots by a score of 41–28 in the Divisional Round.[38]
On November 3,2013, Kubiak collapsed as he was walking off the field at halftime of the game against theIndianapolis Colts. He was put on abackboard andstretcher and transported to the hospital as a precautionary measure. Initial reports stated that he had not had a heart attack.[39] An NFL report on Monday, November 4, 2013, indicated that he had suffered atransient ischemic attack (TIA), or relatively brief, non-permanent symptoms of disorientation, confusion, dizziness, forgetfulness, and/or vertigo (among many other possibilities), that occurs when a blood vessel or vessels in part(s) of the brain are temporarily but not permanently blocked, usually by a stationary clot (athrombus) or one that has broken off and traveled to occlude another area (anembolus). Especially if they are not properly treated in a timely manner the way Kubiak's was, they can mean that a more permanentstroke (or cerebrovascular accident, CVA) can and likely will eventually happen.[40][41] In Kubiak's absence for the second half between the Colts, defensive coordinatorWade Phillips assumed the head-coaching duties and was the acting head coach for the remainder of the game.[42][41]
On December 6, Kubiak was fired from the Houston Texans with three games remaining in the 2013 season. He finished the 2013 season with a 2–11 record and was replaced by defensive coordinator/interim head coach Wade Phillips. Kubiak had a 61–64 regular season record and a 2–2 playoff record as the Texans' head coach.[43]
On January 27, 2014, Kubiak signed with theBaltimore Ravens to be their new offensive coordinator.[44] He served one season underJohn Harbaugh, replacingJim Caldwell, who signed as the head coach of theDetroit Lions in the offseason.[45] Prior to Kubiak's hiring by the Ravens, he interviewed for the vacant head coaching spot for the Detroit Lions, which would be taken by Caldwell on January 14, 2014.[46] He also interviewed for theMiami Dolphins vacant offensive coordinator opening, before the job was taken byBill Lazor.[47]
As the offensive coordinator, Kubiak installed his version of theWest Coast offense passing game combined with a zone-blocking scheme that gave way to play-action passes.[48] Under his guidance, the Ravens had their most successful offense in 19 years, with quarterbackJoe Flacco and running backJustin Forsett achieving career single-season highs in yards and touchdowns.[49][50] Thanks in part to Kubiak's re-tooling of the offense, the Ravens returned to the playoffs after a one-year absence.[51]
Due to his success in Baltimore, Kubiak became a highly sought-after head coaching candidate, receiving interest from theNew York Jets,Chicago Bears, and theSan Francisco 49ers, whom Kubiak previously coached in 1994 as the quarterbacks' coach and wonSuper Bowl XXIX that year. The Ravens made a big push to retain Kubiak as the offensive coordinator for the next season, and Kubiak initially announced his commitment to staying in Baltimore.[52]
It was not until his friend and former teammateJohn Elway offered him what he called his "dream job" – a chance to coach his former team, theDenver Broncos – that Kubiak expressed interest in a new head coaching position.[53] The position only became available after Elway, who was then the general manager of the team, dismissed head coachJohn Fox after a poor playoff elimination.[54] Kubiak called the opportunity a "game-changer" and said it was the only position that would entice him to leave the Ravens. Regarding the role and the Broncos organization, where he had spent 20 years as a player and assistant coach, he said: "This is where I got my start. This is home to me. It's just a chance of a lifetime."[55]
On January 18, 2015, Kubiak signed a four-year deal to become the head coach of the Broncos.[54]Wade Phillips, Kubiak's defensive coordinator with the Texans as well as a former Broncos head coach, joined Kubiak and the Broncos again to serve as defensive coordinator.[56]
Under Kubiak, the Broncos installed a run-oriented offense with zone blocking to blend in with quarterbackPeyton Manning's shotgun passing style, but struggled with numerous changes and injuries to the offensive line. In addition, the 39-year-old Manning had his worst statistical season since his rookie year due toplantar fasciitis in his heel that he had suffered since the summer. Despite the offensive struggles, the Broncos succeeded with defense, led by Wade Phillips, who replaced his predecessorJack Del Rio's complicated read-and-react 4–3 scheme with a simple aggressive 3–4 approach of attacking the ball. The Broncos' defense ranked No. 1 in total yards allowed, passing yards allowed and sacks, and like the previous three seasons, the team continued to set numerous individual, league and franchise records. Though the team had a 7–0 start, Manning led the NFL in interceptions.
In Week 10, Manning suffered a partial tear of the plantar fascia in his left foot. He set the NFL's all-time record for career passing yards in this game, but after throwing four interceptions, Kubiak benched Manning in the third quarter of the 29–13 home loss to theKansas City Chiefs, in favor of backup quarterbackBrock Osweiler, who took over as the starter for most of the remainder of the regular season. During the Week 17 regular season finale, however, where the Broncos were losing by a score of 13–7 against the 4–11San Diego Chargers, Kubiak benched Osweiler and Manning re-claimed the starting quarterback position for the playoffs by leading the team to a key 27–20 win that enabled the team to finish the 2015 regular season with a 12–4 record, winning theAFC West and securing the number-one playoff seed in the AFC.[57][58]
In the postseason, the Broncos defeated thePittsburgh Steelers by a score of 23–16 in the divisional round and theNew England Patriots 20–18 in the AFC Championship game, advancing toSuper Bowl 50.[59] The Broncos defeated theCarolina Panthers, 24–10 in Super Bowl 50, winning the title and giving Kubiak his first Super Bowl win as a head coach.[60] Kubiak is the first person to have played in the Super Bowl and later win it as a head coach both with the same team.[61]
The following season, Kubiak experienced numerous setbacks. During the offseason, the Broncos lost its two starting quarterbacks: Manning to retirement and Osweiler to free agency. As a result, Kubiak now had to integrate and juggle two new starting quarterbacks inTrevor Siemian andPaxton Lynch. Additionally, shortly after the Broncos' Week 5 loss to theAtlanta Falcons, Kubiak was rushed to a Denver-area hospital after experiencing flu-like symptoms and extreme body fatigue. According to Elway, Kubiak had been feeling ill prior to the loss to the Falcons, and following a precautionaryMRI andCT scan, Kubiak was diagnosed with a "complex migraine." Special teams coordinatorJoe DeCamillis served as the team's interim head coach for the team's Week 6Thursday Night Football loss at theSan Diego Chargers, while Kubiak underwent a doctor-mandated week of rest. It was the second time in three years in which Kubiak experienced a health scare in the middle of the season.[62]
Kubiak led the Broncos to another winning season, but despite the 9–7 record, the team missed the playoffs for the first time after five straight division championships. Following a 24–6 victory over theOakland Raiders in the regular season finale on January 1, 2017, Kubiak announced in a meeting with his team that he was stepping down from his position due to health issues.[63][64] He made his retirement official during a press conference the next day, calling it an "extremely difficult decision" and thanking Elway, CEOJoe Ellis, ownerPat Bowlen, and the Broncos fans for their support of him.[65] He was succeeded byMiami Dolphins defensive coordinatorVance Joseph, who had served as Kubiak's defensive backs coach during his tenure on theHouston Texans.[66] In 2016, theNational Polish-American Sports Hall of Fame awarded its NPASHF Excellence in Sports Award to Kubiak.[67]
After a two-year hiatus, Kubiak expressed interest in returning to coaching.[68] Initial reports stated that Kubiak would return to the Broncos coaching staff as offensive coordinator.[69][70] However, the Broncos would reverse that decision days later due to disagreements with newly appointed head coachVic Fangio on the team's potential offensive philosophy and staffing.[71] While he had the opportunity to remain on the personnel department, Kubiak decided to leave the organization after spending a total of nearly a quarter century with the Denver Broncos.[72] Kubiak also interviewed for theJacksonville Jaguars' vacant offensive coordinator spot in early 2019, a job that eventually went toJohn DeFilippo.[73]
Kubiak would officially announce his return to coaching weeks later, joiningMike Zimmer's staff as an assistant head coach and offensive advisor for theMinnesota Vikings.[74] He was promoted to offensive coordinator in 2020 following the departure ofKevin Stefanski, who left to accept the head coaching position of theCleveland Browns.[75] Kubiak's final game as an NFL coach was on January 3, 2021, a 37–35 win over theDetroit Lions. On January 21, 2021, Kubiak announced that he would be retiring from coaching, after 29 years.[76]
Many expected Kubiak to remain involved in football in a non-coaching capacity after stepping down as head coach.[77] He remained in contact with Elway after his retirement, fueling speculation that he would remain involved with the organization.[78] Six months after his retirement, Kubiak officially rejoined theDenver Broncos as a Senior Personnel Adviser.[79] Basing himself out of his home in Texas, Kubiak would analyze offensive college prospects ahead of the draft and assist in free agency.[80] Towards the end of the2017 NFL season, Elway would promote Kubiak to an "enlarged" role within the front office – third in command behind Elway himself and director of player personnelMatt Russell.[81]
Kubiak would eventually leave the position after two years to return to coaching.[72]
In the beginning of 2022, Polish teamPanthers Wrocław of theEuropean League of Football acquired the services of Kubiak as a football advisor for players and coaching staff.[82]
| Team | Year | Regular season | Postseason | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Won | Lost | Ties | Win % | Finish | Won | Lost | Win % | Result | ||
| HOU | 2006 | 6 | 10 | 0 | .375 | 4th in AFC South | – | – | – | – |
| HOU | 2007 | 8 | 8 | 0 | .500 | 4th in AFC South | – | – | – | – |
| HOU | 2008 | 8 | 8 | 0 | .500 | 3rd in AFC South | – | – | – | – |
| HOU | 2009 | 9 | 7 | 0 | .563 | 2nd in AFC South | – | – | – | – |
| HOU | 2010 | 6 | 10 | 0 | .375 | 3rd in AFC South | – | – | – | – |
| HOU | 2011 | 10 | 6 | 0 | .625 | 1st in AFC South | 1 | 1 | .500 | Lost toBaltimore Ravens inAFC Divisional Game |
| HOU | 2012 | 12 | 4 | 0 | .750 | 1st in AFC South | 1 | 1 | .500 | Lost toNew England Patriots inAFC Divisional Game |
| HOU | 2013 | 2 | 11 | 0 | .154 | Fired | – | – | – | |
| HOU total | 61 | 64 | 0 | .488 | 2 | 2 | .500 | |||
| DEN | 2015 | 12 | 4 | 0 | .750 | 1st in AFC West | 3 | 0 | 1.000 | Super Bowl 50 champions |
| DEN | 2016 | 9 | 7 | 0 | .563 | 3rd in AFC West | – | – | – | – |
| DEN total | 21 | 11 | 0 | .656 | 3 | 0 | 1.000 | |||
| Total | 82 | 75 | 0 | .522 | 5 | 2 | .714 | |||
Kubiak and his wife, Rhonda, have three sons:Klint,Klay, and Klein. Klint attended Colorado State University (CSU), where he played safety for the Colorado State Rams football team from 2005 to 2009[83] and was previously the offensive coordinator for theMinnesota Vikings.[84] From 2007 to 2010, Klay was a quarterback atColorado State, and is the offensive coordinator for theSan Francisco 49ers.[85][86] Klein played wide receiver forRice University from 2010 to 2013 and was the Southwest Area Scout for the Denver Broncos from 2017 to 2018;[87][88] he is currently an area scout for theDallas Cowboys.[89]
