 Munchak in 2019 | |||||||||||
| No. 63 | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Guard | ||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||
| Born | (1960-03-05)March 5, 1960 (age 65) Scranton, Pennsylvania, U.S. | ||||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | ||||||||||
| Weight | 263 lb (119 kg) | ||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||
| High school | Scranton | ||||||||||
| College | Penn State (1978–1981) | ||||||||||
| NFL draft | 1982: 1st round, 8th overall pick | ||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||
Playing | |||||||||||
Coaching | |||||||||||
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| Awards and highlights | |||||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||
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| Head coaching record | |||||||||||
| Career | 22–26 (.458) | ||||||||||
| Coaching profile at Pro Football Reference | |||||||||||
Michael Anthony Munchak (born March 5, 1960) is an American former professionalfootball player and coach. After playingcollege football for thePenn State Nittany Lions, he played as aguard for theHouston Oilers of theNational Football League (NFL), from 1982 until 1993 and was a nine-timePro Bowl selection. Munchak was inducted into thePro Football Hall of Fame in 2001.
After his retirement, Munchak continued his association with the Houston franchise by joining the staff as an offensive assistant in 1994. Munchak was named the offensive quality control coach the following year and stayed with the franchise after it moved to Tennessee and became known as theTennessee Titans, eventually becoming the offensive line coach in 1997 and serving in that position for 14 years.
Munchak became the Titans' head coach in 2011 but was fired after the 2013 season, ending his 31-year association with the franchise. Munchak then served as offensive line coach for thePittsburgh Steelers from 2014 to 2018 before serving in the same position for theDenver Broncos from 2019 to 2021. He later served as an offensive consultant for theLos Angeles Rams in 2023 and 2024.
Munchak was a guard for Penn State from 1978 to 1981. During this time, he was a starter for the1979 and1981 seasons. However, Munchak missed the1980 season due to a knee injury. As a senior, he was named a second-teamAll-American.[1]
During the1982 NFL draft, Munchak was chosen as theHouston Oilers' first round draft pick (eighth overall), making him the first guard drafted that year. As a rookie, Munchak quickly earned a starting position at the left guard position. He remained in that position for 12 seasons. During that time, Munchak garnered ninePro Bowl nominations, twice first-teamAll-Pro, seven All-AFC, and six second-team All-Pro selections. He was also selected for the1980s All-Decade Team. Munchak's 12-year tenure tied for the second most seasons played with the Oilers.[2]
In 1994, only a year after retiring as a player, Munchak joined the Oilers staff as an offensive assistant/quality control coach. Three years later, Munchak was named offensive line coach of the newly relocated Tennessee Oilers, a position he held for the next 14 seasons.
FollowingJeff Fisher's departure as head coach, Munchak was named head coach of the Titans on February 7, 2011. The 2011 season marked his 30th season with the organization. The 2013 season, Munchak's third as head coach, yielded a 7–9 record. That offseason, franchise CEO Tommy Smith and general managerRuston Webster requested Munchak to replace at least six assistant coaches. Munchak disagreed with some of these requests and refused to fully enact those changes in his staff.[3] As a result, Munchak was relieved of his position on January 4, 2014.[4]
Munchak was eventually hired as the offensive line coach for thePittsburgh Steelers on January 23, 2014, marking his first season since 1982 that Munchak had no involvement (as a player or coach) with the Oilers/Titans franchise.[5]
During a2015 NFL playoff game against theCincinnati Bengals, Munchak yanked Bengals playerReggie Nelson's hair, drawing a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. Munchak was subsequently issued a $10,000 fine by the NFL for the incident that was later rescinded after it was determined that the incident was inadvertent.[6]
After being a finalist for theDenver Broncos' head coach position, Munchak was hired to be their offensive line coach on January 14, 2019.[7] He missed the team's Week 8 matchup in 2020 against theLos Angeles Chargers due toCOVID-19 protocols.[8][9]
On February 2, 2022, it was announced that the Broncos would be parting ways with Munchak.[10]
Munchak served as a consultant for theLos Angeles Rams in 2023 and 2024.[11] Head coachSean McVay expressed interest in adding him to the permanent coaching staff at the end of the 2023 season, but Munchak remained in his consulting role the following year.[12][13]
| Team | Year | Regular season | Post season | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Won | Lost | Ties | Win % | Finish | Won | Lost | Win % | Result | ||
| TEN | 2011 | 9 | 7 | 0 | .563 | 2nd in AFC South | – | – | – | – |
| TEN | 2012 | 6 | 10 | 0 | .375 | 3rd in AFC South | – | – | – | – |
| TEN | 2013 | 7 | 9 | 0 | .438 | 2nd in AFC South | – | – | – | – |
| TEN Total | 22 | 26 | 0 | .458 | – | – | – | – | ||
| Total | 22 | 26 | 0 | .458 | – | – | – | – | ||
Munchak was elected to thePro Football Hall of Fame in 2001, along withNick Buoniconti,Marv Levy,Jackie Slater,Lynn Swann,Ron Yary, andJack Youngblood.[14]
In June 2003, Munchak was inducted into the National Polish American Sports Hall of Fame.[15]
The street in front ofScranton High School is named for Munchak.
TheUnited Way of Lackawanna, Wayne & Pike has a charity golf tournament named after Munchak. Each year, the tournament is held the last week of June at The Country Club of Scranton inClarks Summit, Pennsylvania.
Munchak and his wife, Marci, have two daughters: Alex and Julie.
Media related toMike Munchak at Wikimedia Commons
