The Miami Dolphins hired Mike McDaniel to be their head coach in February 2022 after spending over 15 seasons as an NFL coach or assistant.
Known for his time with the San Francisco 49ers’ offense, McDaniel has been a part of countless NFL coaching staffs.
Being hired as a coaching intern by the Denver Broncos straight out of college, he never had a chance to play in the NFL. Let’s take a look at McDaniel’s football journey.
Mike McDaniel’s Playing Career
McDaniel was a walk-on wide receiver for the Yale Bulldogs. According to his Yale bio, he has no stats and played minimal snaps with the varsity team.
While there was no denying that McDaniel had the brain and thought concepts to be an asset to any football team, his 5’9″ and 175-pound frame held him back from being that threat on the field.
Despite not getting much action, McDaniel was a four-year letterman at Yale and would earn a degree in History during his time with the university.
With hopes of an NFL career as a player practically nonexistent, McDaniel wouldn’t let that deter him from finding a way into the NFL as he secured a coaching internship with the Broncos doing data entry.
This is when his football career would truly take off.
McDaniel’s Coaching Career
After spending the 2005 season with the Broncos, McDaniel was hired by Gary Kubiak as an offensive assistant for the Houston Texans. Kubiak had met McDaniel during his internship the previous season.
During his time in Houston, McDaniel would also work alongside Kyle Shanahan.
In 2009, McDaniel was hired as the running backs coach for the California Redwoods/Sacramento Mountain Lions of the defunct United Football League. During his time with the team, McDaniel met his future wife, Katie.
In 2011, Mike Shanahan and the Washington Commanders hired McDaniel as an offensive assistant. He stayed with the team for three seasons, rising to wide receivers coach in 2013. After Shanahan was dismissed, new head coach Jay Gruden did not retain McDaniel.
The next couple of years saw some traveling. McDaniel spent 2014 with the Cleveland Browns as a wide receivers coach and then went to Atlanta as an offensive assistant for the Falcons from 2015-16.
After following Kyle Shanahan around for a few seasons, the brand-new 49ers head coach hired McDaniel to be San Francisco’s run game coordinator in 2017. He would be promoted to offensive coordinator in 2021 and was a significant part of the 49ers’ rushing and offensive schemes during his time with the franchise.
After some successful seasons with the 49ers, McDaniel was hired by the Dolphins in 2022 to be the franchise’s 14th head coach.
McDaniel was tasked with building an offensive scheme around 2020 fifth-overall pick Tua Tagovailoa and an offense with decent pieces. Now, the Dolphins fire on all cylinders on Sundays, taking advantage of McDaniel’s unique concepts and Miami’s collection of speedsters.
The Dolphins and McDaniel agreed to an extension in the offseason after he led the franchise to back-to-back playoff appearances for the first time since 2001. Can he bring Miami a postseason victory for the first time since the turn of the century?