Lou Anarumo is in his 12th season as an NFL coach, and fifth with Cincinnati, after joining the Bengals in 2019 as defensive coordinator.
In 2022, Anarumo led a balanced defense that ranked sixth in the NFL in points allowed per game (20.1). The Bengals held opposing passers to a league-low 58.9 completion percentage and gave up 300 net passing yards just once in the regular season. Up front, Cincinnati ranked seventh leaguewide in rushing defense (106.6 yards allowed per game), while LBs Logan Wilson (123) and Germaine Pratt (99) each logged career highs in tackles. Under Anarumo, the Bengals opened the season by going seven straight games without giving up a TD after halftime, becoming the second NFL team since 1930 to do so.
In 2021, Anarumo's defense ranked fifth in the NFL in rushing yards allowed per game (102.5) and 11th in sacks (42). He worked closely with DE Trey Hendrickson, who in his first year with the team tallied a career-high 14 sacks to earn his first Pro Bowl selection. During the Bengals' postseason run to Super Bowl LVI, the defense led all playoff teams in INTs (eight), total tackles (155) and passes defensed (23). The eight picks were the most by any team in a single postseason since Green Bay in 2010.
In 2020, Cincinnati's defense featured seven new starters, and Anarumo helped steer the new arrivals through an offseason with no on-field work due to COVID-19. His presence was particularly evident in the secondary, where safeties Vonn 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 first year in Cincinnati, the defense allowed 84.1 fewer yards per game in the second half of the season compared to the first eight games, while also recording 11 more sacks. The Bengals additionally ranked fifth in the NFL in red zone defense, allowing TDs on just 49 percent of opponents' trips inside the 20-yard line.
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 coached DBs for the Miami Dolphins from 2012-17. In 2017, the Miami defense tied for fourth in the NFL in forced turnovers (21), while S Reshad Jones led the team with 122 tackles and was selected a Pro Bowl starter for the AFC.
Anarumo entered 2015 as the Dolphins' secondary coach, but served as interim defensive coordinator for the final 12 games after coaching staff changes were made in October. In 2014, Miami's secondary allowed just 222.3 passing yards per game, sixth-best in the NFL. CB Brent Grimes led the team with five INTs to earn his second straight Pro Bowl nod. From 2012-13, the Dolphins gave up just 35 passing TDs, the second-fewest in the NFL over that span.
Prior to Miami, Anarumo spent 23 seasons in the college coaching ranks. From 2004-11, he served as DBs coach at Purdue University, where he helped develop 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 2003, 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."
Coaching history: 1989-90—Assistant coach (AC), U.S. Merchant Marine Academy. 1990—AC, Wagner. 1990-91—Graduate assistant coach, Syracuse. 1992-94—AC, U.S. Merchant Marine Academy. 1995-2000—AC, Harvard. 2001-03—AC, Marshall. 2004-11—AC, Purdue. 2012-17—AC, Miami Dolphins (interim defensive coordinator for final 12 games of '15). 2018—AC, N.Y. Giants. 2019-present—Defensive coordinator, Cincinnati Bengals.
