The Philadelphia Eagles are set to host the Washington Commanders on Thursday Night Football to kick off Week 11 of the 2024 NFL season. While the Eagles were expected to contend for the NFC East, the Commanders have been a surprise in Dan Quinn’s first year at the controls.
With many NFL coaches once players, fans may be wondering if Quinn falls into that bucket. Let’s find out.
Did Washington Commanders Head Coach Dan Quinn Play Football?
Quinn was born on Sept. 11, 1970 in Morristown, New Jersey. He attended Morristown High School, graduating in 1989. While in high school, Quinn did, in fact, play football.
While he wasn’t quite good enough to play Division I, Quinn was a defensive lineman at Salisbury University, a DIII school. For better or worse, that was the extent of his playing career.
Dan Quinn’s Coaching Career
Immediately after graduating college, Quinn got into coaching. His first job was defensive line coach at William & Mary. He spent one year there in 1994 before accepting the same position at VMI in 1995, also lasting just one year.
Quinn’s career advancement happened rather quickly early on. He was hired as Hofstra’s defensive line coach in 1996. He held that position for five years, adding defensive coordinator to his title in 2000.
At just 30 years old with six years of coaching experience, Quinn was noticed by the NFL. In 2001, he was hired by the San Francisco 49ers as a defensive quality control coach. He was promoted to defensive line coach in 2003, spending two years in that role.
Over the next few years, Quinn bounced around a bit. He was always a defensive line coach, but he never stayed in one spot for more than two years.
Quinn was with the Dolphins from 2005-2006, the Jets from 2007-2008, and the Seahawks from 2009-2010 (he also held the title of assistant head coach in Seattle).
In 2011, Quinn went back to the college ranks, serving as the defensive line coach and defensive coordinator at Florida. How long did he remain at Florida? You guessed it! Two years.
In 2013, Quinn returned to the NFL, but this time as a defensive coordinator. He coached the legendary “Legion of Boom” Seahawks defense that won the Super Bowl over Peyton Manning’s Denver Broncos in 2013 by the score of 43-8. The Legion of Boom is considered one of the greatest defenses in NFL history.
Once again, though, Quinn lasted just two years in his position. However, this time, it was for good reason. In 2015, the Atlanta Falcons gave Quinn his first head coaching opportunity.
With Atlanta, Quinn experienced quick success, leading his team to the Super Bowl in his second year. Unfortunately, Quinn is best known for his Falcons blowing a 28-3 third-quarter lead against Tom Brady and the Patriots, ultimately falling 34-28 in the first-ever overtime in the Super Bowl.
Never able to get close to the heights of his second year, Quinn was eventually fired in 2020 after an 0-5 start.
The next year, Quinn returned to the coordinator ranks with the Dallas Cowboys. With his leadership, the Cowboys’ perennially awful defense suddenly became a strength. They led the NFL in takeaways in his first two seasons and were in the top seven in points against from 2021-2023.
Quinn’s performance as the Cowboys’ DC earned him his second head coaching opportunity in Washington. So far, so good for Quinn’s new team, as the Commanders are well-positioned to make the playoffs in his inaugural year with the team.
🏆 Coach of the Year: Dan Quinn 🏆@AdamHBeasley says, "His success in his first 10 games should serve as a reminder that the pundit class really doesn't know as much as we think we do.
Remember that Quinn's hiring was panned as a last-resort flop when it happened." pic.twitter.com/tykNX8SqvM
— Pro Football Network (@PFN365) November 14, 2024