29 Facts About Dave Wannstedt

David Wannstedt was born on May 21,1952 and is an American former college and professional football coach.

Dave Wannstedt has been the head coach of the Chicago Bears and Miami Dolphins of the National Football League.

Dave Wannstedt was the head coach of the University of Pittsburgh football team from 2005 to 2010.

Dave Wannstedt was a long-time assistant to Jimmy Johnson with the Dallas Cowboys, Miami Hurricanes, and Oklahoma State Cowboys as well as an associate of Johnson when both were assistants at the University of Pittsburgh.

Dave Wannstedt was born in Baldwin, Pennsylvania and attended Baldwin High School.

Dave Wannstedt earned an athletic scholarship to the University of Pittsburgh playing offensive tackle and blocking for future Heisman Trophy winner Tony Dorsett.

Dave Wannstedt was on the staff when the Panthers won the 1976 NCAA Division I-A national football championship with a victory over the Georgia Bulldogs in the 1977 Sugar Bowl.

When Johnson left to become the head coach of the Oklahoma State Cowboys in 1979, he invited Dave Wannstedt to join his staff.

Dave Wannstedt served as defensive line coach for the Oklahoma State Cowboys for the 1979 and 1980 seasons and was promoted to defensive coordinator in 1981, a spot he held for two seasons.

Dave Wannstedt moved on to the University of Southern California in 1983 to coach the Trojans and served as the defensive line coach for three years.

In 1986, Dave Wannstedt became defensive coordinator for the Miami Hurricanes under friend and mentor Jimmy Johnson, where they won a national championship in 1987.

When Johnson was hired as head coach of the Dallas Cowboys in 1989, Dave Wannstedt joined Dallas' staff as defensive coordinator.

When Chuck Noll retired as head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers, in 1992, Dave Wannstedt was one of the finalists for the job, but was ultimately edged out by fellow Pittsburgh-area native Bill Cowher.

Dave Wannstedt earned a great deal of praise for guiding the Dolphins through the first few seasons after the retirement of Dan Marino, but his in-game coaching became increasingly unpopular with Dolphins fans, not least in 2002 when the team stopped giving the ball to Ricky Williams and inexplicably gave the New England Patriots several chances to come back and tie the game and then win it in overtime, starting a six-season playoff drought.

Dave Wannstedt has served longer than any other coach in Dolphins history except Don Shula.

Dave Wannstedt was initially interested in the job but pulled back over salary issues and concerns about his ability to keep a quality staff.

Dave Wannstedt said that recruiting would be a top priority under his leadership.

Dave Wannstedt retained some of Harris' staff including Paul Rhoads, the defensive coordinator, but made several key changes including bringing in former Baltimore Ravens offensive coordinator Matt Cavanaugh to run his offense.

Cavanaugh was the starting quarterback in 1976 and 1977 when Dave Wannstedt was a graduate assistant coach.

Dave Wannstedt's recruiting prowess led analysts to rate the Panthers' class of 2006 as among their best class in decades.

On December 1,2007, just days before an upset win at West Virginia, Dave Wannstedt was given a contract extension through 2012; he had previously been signed through 2009.

However, Coach Dave Wannstedt stayed upbeat, and worked with defensive coordinator Phil Bennett to devise a gameplan to defeat West Virginia for the 2nd time in four years in the annual Backyard Brawl.

On March 30,2010, Dave Wannstedt received a two-year contract extension through the 2014 season.

Dave Wannstedt did not coach the 2011 BBVA Compass Bowl.

Dave Wannstedt was promoted to defensive coordinator on January 2,2012.

Dave Wannstedt was hired as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' special teams coach on February 1,2013.

Dave Wannstedt joined the staff of Greg Schiano, who was an assistant under Wannstedt with the Chicago Bears during the mid-to-late 1990s.

Dave Wannstedt was let go by the Buccaneers at the end of the 2013 season.

Dave Wannstedt has been a FOX Sports football studio analyst since 2014, appears on FOX NFL Kickoff Sunday mornings during the NFL season, and was an analyst for the Chicago Bears preseason game broadcast on August 29,2019.