Cincinnati Bengals Team | Bengals.com

Lou Anarumo is entering his 12th season as an NFL coach in 2023, and fifth with Cincinnati, after joining the Bengals in 2019 as defensive coordinator.

Lou Anarumo is entering his 12th season as an NFL coach in 2023, and fifth with Cincinnati, after joining the Bengals in 2019 as defensive coordinator.

In 2021, Anarumo's defense recorded 42 sacks — more than double its total of 17 from the previous year — to rank 11th in the NFL. Cincinnati also allowed the fifth-fewest rushing yards per game (102.5) and ranked in the top 10 in forced fumbles (14, tied for ninth) and fumble recoveries (nine, tied for sixth). He worked closely with DE Trey Hendrickson, who in his first year with the team tallied a career-high 14 sacks, the fifth-most in the league and second-most in a single season in franchise history.

During the Bengals' postseason run to an AFC Championship and a berth in Super Bowl LVI, their defense led all teams in postseason in interceptions (eight), total tackles (155) and passes defensed (23). The eight picks were the most by any NFL team in a single postseason since Green Bay in 2010.

In 2020, Cincinnati's defense featured seven new starters from the previous year, and Anarumo helped steer the new arrivals through an offseason with no on-field work and later a wave of injuries and COVID-19 issues. His presence was particularly evident in the secondary, where starting safeties Von Bell (114) and Jessie Bates III (107) led the team in tackles. The Bengals also held opposing passers to a 62.8 completion percentage, sixth-lowest in the NFL.

In 2019, Anarumo's defense saw improvement as the season progressed, notching 11 more sacks in the second half of the season compared to the first eight games, and allowing 84.1 fewer yards per game. Additionally, Cincinnati was among the NFL's best in the red zone, allowing TDs on just 49 percent of opponents' trip inside the 20-yard line (fifth in the NFL).

Anarumo spent 2018 as DBs coach of the N.Y. Giants, where he helped the defense rank seventh in the NFL in INTs (16) and 10th in opponent passer rating (89.8). Prior to his time in New York, Anarumo served as DBs coach for the Miami Dolphins from 2012-17. In 2017, S Reshad Jones led the Dolphins with 122 tackles and was selected as a starter on the AFC Pro Bowl team. The Miami defense finished the season with 21 forced turnovers, tying for fourth in the NFL.

Anarumo entered the 2015 season as Dolphins secondary coach, but was named interim defensive coordinator on Oct. 8 after the team made changes to the coaching staff. He held that role for the final 12 games, helping Jones and CB Brent Grimes earn Pro Bowl nods.

In 2014, Anarumo led a Dolphins secondary that allowed just 222.3 passing yards per game, sixth-best in the NFL. Grimes recorded a team-high five INTs en route to his second straight Pro Bowl.

From 2012-13, Miami's 35 TD passes allowed were the second-fewest in the NFL over that span. The secondary in '13 also held opponents to the fifth-lowest passer rating in the league (77.3).

Prior to the Dolphins, Anarumo spent 23 seasons in the college coaching ranks. From 2004-11, he served as DBs coach at Purdue University, where he oversaw the development of multiple future pros, including CB Ricardo Allen and S Bernard Pollard.

From 2001-03, Anarumo was DBs coach at Marshall University, where he also served as special teams coordinator in '03. The Thundering Herd ranked 10th in the nation in passing defense in '03, allowing 177.4 yards per game.

Anarumo was assistant head coach at Harvard University from 1995-2000, working with the DBs and coordinating the special teams. From 1992-94, he was defensive coordinator and DBs coach at the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy.

From 1990-91, Anarumo was a graduate assistant at Syracuse University. From January to June 1990, he was a part-time running backs coach at Wagner College. He served in that same role at the United States Merchant Marine Academy from September 1989 to January '90.

Born Aug. 18, 1966, Anarumo is a native of Staten Island, N.Y., and earned his bachelor's degree in special education from Wagner in 1990. He and his wife, Fran, have three children — Madison, Louis and Christopher. His last name is pronounced "ann-ah-ROO-mo."