Title Defensive backs coach Regular season 2–3 (.400) Team Alabama Name Mel Tucker | Role Coach | |
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Date of birth (1972-01-04) January 4, 1972 (age 43) Education University of Wisconsin-Madison Similar People Marc Trestman, Kirby Smart, Nick Saban | ||
Alabama defensive backs coach mel tucker at l arche football preview
Melvin Tucker (born January 4, 1972) is an American football coach and former player. He currently serves as the defensive coordinator at the University of Georgia. Tucker was the interim head coach for the Jacksonville Jaguars of the National Football League (NFL) for five games in 2011. He has worked as the defensive backs coach at the University of Alabama and as the defensive coordinator for the Chicago Bears of the NFL.
Contents
- Alabama defensive backs coach mel tucker at l arche football preview
- Young alabama dbs coached by nick saban mel tucker in 2015 spring practice
- Early life
- Coaching career
- Head coaching record
- References
Young alabama dbs coached by nick saban mel tucker in 2015 spring practice
Early life
Tucker was born in Cleveland, Ohio. He attended Cleveland Heights High School where he was a football standout. He then attended the University of Wisconsin–Madison, where he played defensive back for the Wisconsin Badgers football team. He graduated in 1995 with a degree in agricultural business management.
Coaching career
Tucker began his coaching career in 1997 as a graduate assistant for the Michigan State University Spartans under head coach Nick Saban. In 1999, he served as a defensive backs coach for the Miami University Redhawks, and then in 2000 followed Saban to Louisiana State University to fill the same position with the LSU Tigers. In 2001, he became defensive backs coach for the Ohio State University Buckeyes under coach Jim Tressel, and in 2004 he was made co-defensive coordinator.
In 2005 Tucker entered the National Football League (NFL) with the Cleveland Browns. He coached defensive backs from 2005–2007 and was promoted to defensive coordinator in the 2008 season following the firing of Todd Grantham. Under Tucker, Cleveland consistently ranked fifth in the league, with the defense making 73 interceptions. After the firing of Browns head coach Romeo Crennel, Tucker was replaced by Rob Ryan.
In 2009 Tucker was hired by the Jacksonville Jaguars as the defensive coordinator. In the 2011 season head coach Jack Del Rio put Tucker in charge of defensive play-calling, and the team quickly became the fourth highest rated in the NFL. On November 29, 2011, Tucker was named Jacksonville's interim head coach following the firing of Del Rio. He ran the team for their final five games and was in consideration for the job full-time until Atlanta Falcons offensive coordinator Mike Mularkey was named head coach on January 10, 2012. Tucker got his first victory as a head coach in week 14, a 41–14 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He went 2–3 as interim head coach. On January 12, 2012, he informed the media he would return to his position as defensive coordinator for the Jaguars. On January 13, 2012 it was announced that Tucker would also be the assistant head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars. On January 18, 2013 Tucker was named defensive coordinator of the Chicago Bears.
Following one of the worst defensive seasons in Bears' history in 2013, Tucker was criticized by the media. As a result, the team fired two of Tucker's assistant coaches, linebackers coach Tim Tibesar and defensive line coach Mike Phair. The Bears replaced them with Paul Pasqualoni as defensive line coach and Reggie Herring as linebackers coach.
On January 20, 2015, following another record-setting low defensive season for the Bears, Tucker was replaced by former San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator Vic Fangio under new head coach John Fox.
Head coaching record
* – Interim head coach