Coaches

Marvin Lewis is in his ninth season as Bengals head coach, posting the longest tenure in franchise history. He breaks the record of eight seasons he had shared with club founder Paul Brown (1968-75) and Sam Wyche (1984-91).

Lewis was the consensus choice as NFL Coach of the Year in 2009, when the Bengals won the AFC North title while sweeping all six division games. And though 2010 proved a disappointment, with the club finishing 4-12, Lewis’s Bengals are among a minority of NFL teams (14 of 32) to have captured more than one division title in the last six years. The Bengals also won the AFC North in 2005.

In announcing on Jan. 4 of this year that Lewis had signed a new contract, Bengals president Mike Brown said, “I believe that continuity with Marvin as head coach offers the best chance to bring us back to and beyond our division championship level of 2009.”

The 2010 Bengals sustained eight of their losses by one-score margins.

“We were a team with the ability to win games, but we did not make the key plays on which the close games turn,” Lewis said. “Our job is to fix that, and we have the nucleus of the right guys.”

The Bengals were forced to place 17 players on the Reserve/Injured list in 2010, and nine were veteran defensive players who would have started or seen significant action if healthy. But an impressive list of young stars emerged. DE Carlos Dunlap set a Bengals rookie record with 9.5 sacks, WR Jordan Shipley and TE Jermaine Gresham tied for the AFC rookie lead in receptions (52), and Shipley also led AFC rookies in receiving yards (600). Also on offense, young WRs Jerome Simpson and Andre Caldwell had strong finishes.

The youth movement came together most notably in Game 15, when the Bengals eliminated a formerly surging San Diego team from playoff contention in a 34-20 win.

“I’m proud of the way our guys fought,” said Lewis. “We relied on a lot of young players as the season wound down, and we found an identity I don’t think we’ll lose.”

And the identity was?

“Just keep coming. Don’t flinch. Don’t ever quit on your buddies,” Lewis said. “I believe this group figured out what it takes to win. We take it from this point and get smarter and better from there.”

Lewis was named the ninth head coach in Bengals history on Jan. 14, 2003, becoming at the time the eighth African-American to become an NFL head coach. In recognition of the 8-8 Bengals being the NFL’s most improved team in 2003, Lewis finished second behind Bill Belichick of Super Bowl champion New England in Associated Press Coach of the Year voting.

Lewis came to the Bengals with credentials as a record-setting NFL defensive coordinator who had earned a Super Bowl championship ring. His six seasons (1996-2001) as defensive coordinator with the Baltimore Ravens included a Super Bowl victory in the 2000 season.

In the 2000 regular season, Lewis’s defense set the NFL record for fewest points allowed in a 16-game campaign (165), clipping 22 points off the previous mark. The 2000 Ravens are always an entry in discussions regarding the best NFL defenses of all time.

In 2002, the season before he joined the Bengals, Lewis led the Washington Redskins to a No. 5 NFL defensive ranking, serving as assistant head coach as well as defensive coordinator.

He had his first NFL assignment from 1992-95, as linebackers coach for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
 
Lewis began his coaching career as linebackers coach at his alma mater, Idaho State, from 1981-84. ISU’s team (also nicknamed the Bengals) finished 12-1 during Lewis’s first season and won the NCAA Division 1-AA championship.

Lewis played LB at Idaho State, earning All-Big Sky Conference honors for three consecutive years (1978-80). He also saw action at quarterback and free safety during his college career. He received his bachelor’s degree in physical education from Idaho State in 1981, and earned his master’s in athletic administration in ’82. He was inducted into Idaho State’s Hall of Fame in 2001.

Born Sept. 23, 1958, Lewis attended Fort Cherry High School in McDonald, Pa. (near Pittsburgh), where he was an all-conference quarterback and safety. He also earned high school letters in wrestling and baseball. He and his wife, Peggy, have a daughter, Whitney, and a son, Marcus.

PLAYING AND COACHING HISTORY - 1978-80: Played linebacker, quarterback and safety at Idaho State. 1981-84: Assistant coach (AC), Idaho State. 1985-86: AC, Long Beach State. 1987-89: AC, New Mexico. 1990-91: AC, Univ. of Pittsburgh. 1992-95: AC, Pittsburgh Steelers. 1996-2001: Defensive coordinator, Baltimore Ravens. 2002: Assistant head coach/defensive coordinator, Washington Redskins. 2003-present: Bengals head coach.