Sean McVay

Sean McVay (born January 24, 1986) is an American football coach who is the head coach for the Los Angeles Rams of the National Football League (NFL). McVay became the Rams' head coach in 2017 at the age of 30, the youngest head coach in modern NFL history. He is also the youngest head coach to qualify for the postseason, win a playoff game, appear in the Super Bowl, and be named the AP NFL Coach of the Year.

Not to be confused with Sean McVeigh.

Sean McVay
McVay in 2019
Los Angeles Rams
Position:Head coach
Personal information
Born: (1986-01-24) January 24, 1986
Dayton, Ohio
Career information
High school:Marist (Brookhaven, Georgia)
College:Miami (OH)
Career history
As coach:
Career highlights and awards
Head coaching record
Regular season:43–21 (.672)
Postseason:3–3 (.500)
Career:46–24 (.657)
Coaching stats at PFR

Within his first season, McVay revitalized a Rams team that had the league's lowest scoring offense the previous year into the top-scoring team of 2017 en route to the NFC West title. The season also marked the Rams' first winning record since 2003 and first playoff appearance since 2004. In his second year, McVay led the Rams to Super Bowl LIII. His success in Los Angeles is credited with changing NFL hiring philosophies towards head coaches, with more teams naming younger coaches to lead them.

Early life

McVay was born in Dayton, Ohio, the son of Tim and Cindy McVay.[1][2] Sean's father, Tim, played football as a defensive back[3] at Indiana University. His family lived in Dayton until Sean was six years old.[4] His grandfather, John McVay, was the head football coach at the University of Dayton from 1965 to 1972,[5] head coach of the New York Giants later in the 1970s, and served as general manager of the San Francisco 49ers for the team's five Super Bowl championships during the 1980 and 1990s.[6]

McVay graduated from Marist School in Brookhaven, Georgia, in 2004. He was a four-year starter at Marist as a quarterback and defensive back for the War Eagles high school football team. He was the first player in school history to amass 1,000 yards rushing and passing in consecutive seasons. He totaled 2,600 yards rushing and 40 rushing touchdowns during his career and also passed for 2,500 yards and 18 touchdowns, leading the War Eagles to a 26–3 record, including a 14–1 record and state championship his senior year, when he was also named the Georgia 4A Offensive Player of the Year.[1]

College football playing career

McVay attended Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, where he played college football as a wide receiver from 2004 to 2007, earning Miami's Scholar-Athlete Award in 2007.[1] He recorded 39 receptions for 312 yards for the RedHawks in his college career.[7] He graduated from Miami in 2008 with a B.S. in Health and Sports Studies.[4]

Collegiate statistics
Sean McVay Receiving Rushing
Year School Conf Class Pos G Rec Yds Avg TD Att Yds Avg TD
2005 Miami (OH) MAC FR WR 6 1 6 6.0 0 1 2 2.0 0
2006 Miami (OH) MAC SO WR 12 20 198 9.9 0 5 4 0.8 0
2007 Miami (OH) MAC JR WR 8 18 108 6.0 0 3 23 7.7 0
Career Miami (OH) 39 312 8.0 0 9 29 3.2 0

Coaching career

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

McVay began his coaching career as an assistant wide receivers coach with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2008 under head coach Jon Gruden.[8]

Florida Tuskers (UFL)

In 2009 McVay was the quality control/wide receivers coach for the Florida Tuskers of the United Football League (UFL).[9][10] With Florida, McVay first worked under Jay Gruden, who was the Tuskers offensive coordinator.

Washington Redskins
McVay with the Redskins in 2014

In 2010, McVay was hired as the assistant tight ends coach for the Washington Redskins under head coach Mike Shanahan.[11] In 2011, he was promoted to tight ends coach, a position he held through the 2013 season.[12][13]

On January 14, 2014, McVay was promoted to offensive coordinator by new Redskins head coach Jay Gruden.

Los Angeles Rams

On January 12, 2017, McVay was hired to become the 28th head coach of the Los Angeles Rams at the age of 30 years, 354 days. The hiring made him the youngest head coach in the NFL's modern era, surpassing Lane Kiffin, who was 31 years, 259 days old when hired by the Oakland Raiders in 2007,[14] and the youngest since the Rams hired 27-year-old Art Lewis in 1938.[15]

On February 8, 2017, McVay hired Matt LaFleur as his offensive coordinator. He had previously worked with McVay in Washington when McVay was tight ends coach and LaFleur quarterbacks coach.[16]

2017 season

On September 10, 2017, McVay made his regular-season head coaching debut against the Indianapolis Colts, and led the Rams to an impressive blowout 46–9 victory in a home game at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.[17] Following a 27–20 loss to McVay's former team, the Washington Redskins, the Rams pulled off a close 41–39 victory over the San Francisco 49ers on Thursday Night Football and turned a 16–24 deficit into a 35–30 upset victory over the Dallas Cowboys, but the Rams eventually recorded another loss to NFC West division rival Seattle Seahawks at home. Regardless, in just five games, the Rams offense scored a total of 142 (later 151) points, a league leader and a franchise high. The Rams went on to beat the Jacksonville Jaguars on the road and the Arizona Cardinals in an NFL International Series game for the team's first shutout win since 2014, as well as raising their record to 5–2 for the first time since 2004 (the last time the team made the playoffs)[18] and a first-place lead in the NFC West. McVay coached the Rams to a blowout against the New York Giants in their highest-scoring game, a 51–17 victory, raising the Rams' record to 6–2. The Rams would win another home game against the Houston Texans by a score of 33-7 to raise their record to 7–2, which was their best record of the season since 2001.

In Weeks 11 and 12, the Rams lost to the Minnesota Vikings by a score of 24-7 but won at home against the New Orleans Saints 26–20 to raise their record to 8–3. In Week 13, on the road the Rams faced the Cardinals and won 32–16 for their first winning season since 2003.[19] The next weeks: Week 14, Week 15, and Week 16, McVay had two victories over the Seattle Seahawks in a 42–7 blowout game and the Tennessee Titans in a close 27–23 win although he still lost to the Philadelphia Eagles 43–35. McVay's first season with the Rams has seen them dramatically improve their record from the 2016 season and the team's first winning season and division title since 2003 and its first playoff berth since 2004. In the process, the Rams became the first team to have the top scoring offense in the league a year after finishing with the lowest the previous year.[20]

McVay made his playoff head coaching debut against the Atlanta Falcons, but the Rams lost in the Wild Card Round by a score of 26–13.[21]

On January 19, 2018, McVay was named NFL Coach of the Year by the Pro Football Writers of America.[22]

2018 season
McVay interviewed by Terry Bradshaw after winning the NFC Championship

Offensive coordinator Matt LaFleur left his position with the Rams on January 30 to move up to play caller as offensive coordinator for the Tennessee Titans.[23] He was not replaced.[24][25]

The Rams started the season 8–0, their best start to a season since 1969,[26] but they lost in New Orleans to the New Orleans Saints in Week 9 by a score of 45–35 to fall to 8–1. After defeating the Seattle Seahawks 36–31 in Week 10, the Rams beat the Kansas City Chiefs 54–51 in Week 11 on Monday Night Football in a highly-anticipated matchup that was originally scheduled to be played in Mexico City, but was shifted to Los Angeles due to poor field conditions.[27][28]

Following a bye week, the Rams traveled to Detroit and defeated the Detroit Lions 30–16 to clinch their second straight NFC West title.[29] McVay then endured his first losing streak as a head coach as the Rams stumbled in back-to-back losses to the Chicago Bears (15–6) and the Philadelphia Eagles (30–23), both on NBC Sunday Night Football.[30] Los Angeles bounced back to defeat the Arizona Cardinals 31–9 and San Francisco 49ers 48–32 in the final two weeks to finish the regular season with a 13–3 record, tied for the second-most wins in franchise history.

In the Divisional Round, the Rams defeated the Dallas Cowboys in Los Angeles on January 12, 30–22. The following week in the controversial NFC Championship Game, the Rams beat the Saints 26–23 in overtime on a game-winning field goal by Greg Zuerlein in overtime to send the Rams to Super Bowl LIII, their first NFL championship appearance since Super Bowl XXXVI in 2002. It was also the Rams first Super Bowl appearance while based in Los Angeles since 1980's Super Bowl XIV. At age 33, McVay became the youngest head coach to lead his team to the Super Bowl.[15][31] The Rams lost to the New England Patriots 13–3 in what became the lowest-scoring Super Bowl.[32]

2019 season

The 2019 season was a disappointment, as the Rams were victims of the Super Bowl Losers' Curse and missed the playoffs with a 9-7 record. The Rams started the season 3–0, winning against the Carolina Panthers, New Orleans Saints, and Cleveland Browns, They then lost three straight to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Seattle Seahawks, and the San Francisco 49ers, before their bye week they won two games against the Atlanta Falcons and Cincinnati Bengals. The Rams under McVay then went on and won 4 and lost 4. The Rams faced problems during the season due to a combination of factors and lost in heartbreaking fashion in a must-win Week 16 contest against the San Francisco 49ers.[33] It was the first time McVay missed the playoffs as a head coach.

2020 season

After a win over the Dallas Cowboys in the season opener, the Rams started off the first half of the 2020 season going 5-3, with wins over the Philadelphia Eagles, New York Giants, Washington Football Team, and Chicago Bears. However, they lost to the Buffalo Bills, San Francisco 49ers, and Miami Dolphins. McVay then led the Rams to another Wild Card Playoff in 2020 against the Seattle Seahawks with a 10-6 record to close out the regular season. [34]

After a road win against the Seahawks in the Wild Card round by a score of 30-20, McVay and the Rams lost the Divisional Round matchup to the Packers at Lambeau Field, who were led by one of McVay's former offensive coordinators, Matt LaFleur.

Head coaching record
TeamYearRegular seasonPostseason
WonLostTiesWin %FinishWonLostWin %Result
LAR2017 1150.6881st in NFC West01.000Lost to Atlanta Falcons in NFC Wild Card Game
LAR2018 1330.8131st in NFC West21.667Lost to New England Patriots in Super Bowl LIII
LAR2019 970.5633rd in NFC West————
LAR2020 1060.6252nd in NFC West11.500Lost to Green Bay Packers in NFC Divisional Game
Total43210.67233.500

The "Sean McVay Effect"

Because of McVay's success as the Rams head coach at a young age for a head coach as well as his offensive prowess, NFL teams have started to switch towards looking more towards younger offensive-minded coaches to be their head coaches, as opposed to coaches with defensive backgrounds or more experience.[35] Two of McVay's former offensive assistants, Matt LaFleur (6 years older than McVay) and Zac Taylor (3 years older than McVay), were hired as the head coaches of the Green Bay Packers and Cincinnati Bengals in 2019, while others have also cited the fast rise of Kliff Kingsbury (6 years older than McVay) from an ousted head coach at a struggling Texas Tech to head coach of the Arizona Cardinals in a period of 3 months as a result of his offensive success.[36]

Coaching tree

NFL head coaches under whom McVay has served:

As of 2021, three of McVay's assistant coaches have become NFL head coaches.

Personal life

McVay resides with his fiancé, Veronika Khomyn .[37][38] They were engaged on June 22, 2019 while vacationing in Cannes, France.[39] Chris Shula, the Rams linebackers coach, is also his housemate.[38] McVay's grandfather, John McVay, was also an NFL head coach, having coached the New York Giants from 1976 to 1978 before going on to serve as an executive for the San Francisco 49ers from 1980 to 1996.

References and notes
  1. "Player Bio: Sean McVay Miami University RedHawks Official Athletic Site".
  2. https://www.espn.com/blog/los-angeles-rams/post/_/id/39893/sean-mcvays-super-bowl-homecoming-broken-noses-and-a-beat-up-lexus
  3. "Tim McVay College Stats - College Football at Sports-Reference.com". College Football at Sports-Reference.com.
  4. "Miami grad, Dayton native Sean McVay becomes youngest coach in NFL history". Dayton Daily News. Associated Press. January 12, 2017.
  5. "John McVay Coaching Record". College Football at Sports-Reference.com.
  6. Simmons, Myles. "Three Things to Know about Rams HC Sean McVay". therams.com. Retrieved January 12, 2017.
  7. "Sean McVay College Stats". Sports Reference. Retrieved October 10, 2017.
  8. "Ties between Raiders' Jon Gruden, Rams' Sean McVay go way back - SFChronicle.com". www.sfchronicle.com. September 8, 2018. Retrieved February 8, 2019.
  9. "FLORIDA TUSKERS". ufl-football.com. Archived from the original on August 16, 2009. Retrieved February 11, 2018.CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  10. Klein, Gary (January 12, 2017). "Rams' Sean McVay: Portrait of an up-and-coming coach". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved November 8, 2017.
  11. "A Redskins Look At Sean McVay". www.redskins.com. Retrieved February 8, 2019.
  12. "Mike Shanahan's 2013 Redskins staff has produced as many NFL head coaches as wins". Washington Post. Retrieved February 8, 2019.
  13. "49ers' Kyle Shanahan, Rams' Sean McVay are forever linked". ESPN.com. September 20, 2017. Retrieved February 8, 2019.
  14. Klein, Gary. "Rams have a new leading man in Coach Sean McVay". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 12, 2017.
  15. Connley, Courtney (January 18, 2019). "Los Angeles Rams' Sean McVay is the youngest NFL head coach to lead a team to the Super Bowl". CNBC. Retrieved February 4, 2019.
  16. Patra, Kevin. "Rams name Matt LaFleur offensive coordinator". NFL.com. Retrieved February 10, 2017.
  17. "Indianapolis Colts at Los Angeles Rams – September 10th, 2017". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved October 6, 2017.
  18. "Cleveland/St. Louis/LA Rams Team Encyclopedia". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved February 8, 2019.
  19. "Rams special teams shine in win over Cardinals". USA TODAY. Retrieved February 8, 2019.
  20. "Rams making history by going from worst to first in scoring is truly amazing". Ramblin' Fan. January 2, 2018. Retrieved February 8, 2019.
  21. "Wild Card – Atlanta Falcons at Los Angeles Rams – January 6th, 2018". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved February 8, 2019.
  22. "Rams' Sean McVay named NFL Coach of the Year". NFL.com.
  23. "Titans Name Dean Pees DC, Matt LaFleur OC". TitansOnline.com.
  24. Davis, Scott. "In just 2 years, 33-year-old Rams coach Sean McVay has become one of the most influential people in the NFL". Business Insider.
  25. Mays, Robert (October 4, 2018). "How Sean McVay's Rams Became a Reflection of Football's Boy Genius". The Ringer.
  26. DaSilva, Cameron (October 29, 2018). "Jared Goff makes history as Rams start 8–0 for first time since 1969". USA Today. Rams Wire. Retrieved February 4, 2019.
  27. Associated Press (November 13, 2018). "Chiefs-Rams game moved from Mexico City to LA due to field". USA Today. Retrieved February 4, 2019.
  28. Dubin, Jared (November 20, 2018). "Rams vs. Chiefs highlights, takeaways: Rams prevail 54–51 as the Game of the Year exceeds the hype". CBSSports.com. Retrieved February 4, 2019.
  29. "Rams beat Lions, clinch second straight NFC West title". National Football League. December 2, 2018. Retrieved February 4, 2019.
  30. Dennis, Clarence (December 16, 2018). "Seven Stats: Rams Drop Second-Straight Sunday Night Football Game". Los Angeles Rams. Retrieved February 4, 2019.
  31. Sean McVay Explains How Patriots Stymied Rams’ Offense In Super Bowl, NESN, February 28, 2019
  32. Graziano, Dan (February 4, 2019). "How the Patriots' defense stymied Sean McVay in Super Bowl LIII". ESPN. Retrieved February 4, 2019.
  33. "Sean McVay's face after Rams were eliminated from playoffs said it all". www.msn.com. Retrieved March 28, 2020.
  34. https://www.google.com/search?q=rams+schedule&oq=rams+sche&aqs=chrome.0.0i131i433i457j69i57j0l6.2551j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8#sie=t;/m/06x76;6;/m/059yj;mt;fp;1;;
  35. "The Sean McVay Effect: How does Vikings' Mike Zimmer stay relevant amid seismic shift in NFL?". Twin Cities Pioneer Press. Retrieved November 25, 2020.
  36. "NFL's recent coaching hires prove the 'Sean McVay Effect' is real". Rams Wire. USA Today. Retrieved November 25, 2020.
  37. Leitereg, Neal J. "New Rams coach Sean McVay snaps up Encino contemporary for $2.7 million". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved November 5, 2017.
  38. Silver, Michael (January 3, 2018). "Coaching supernova Sean McVay leading L.A. Rams his own way". nfl.com. Retrieved January 27, 2018.
  39. Pasquini, Maria (June 22, 2019). Greg khomyn/ "Los Angeles Rams Coach Sean McVay Engaged to Model Girlfriend Veronika Khomyn" Check |url= value (help). People. Retrieved January 12, 2020.
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