Lovie Smith

Lovie Lee Smith (born May 8, 1958) is an American football coach.

He has served as the head coach of the Chicago Bears, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Houston Texans of the National Football League (NFL), and as the head coach of the Illinois Fighting Illini.

His team won three consecutive state championships from 1973 to 1975, including a 0–0 tie in 1974 versus G. A. Moore's Celina.

In 1975, Big Sandy had one of the most dominant seasons in high school football history, as the defense allowed only 15 points (11 shutouts) all season; Their offense, featuring eventual Miami Dolphins running back David Overstreet, scored a then-national record 824 points.

Smith played college football at the University of Tulsa under head coach John Cooper.

He was a two-time All-American at linebacker and defensive back.

After graduating from college, he immediately pursued a coaching career.

In 1980, Smith was hired as defensive coordinator at his alma mater, Big Sandy High School.

A year later, he left for Cascia Hall Preparatory School in Tulsa, where he coached defensive backs and wide receivers from 1981 to 1982.

Starting in 1983, Smith began coaching linebackers on the college level.

He first served at his alma mater, the University of Tulsa (1983–86), moving on to the University of Wisconsin–Madison (1987), Arizona State University (1988–91), and last coached linebackers at the college level at the University of Kentucky (1992).

He also served as defensive backs coach at the University of Tennessee (1993–94) and Ohio State University (1995).

Smith began his NFL coaching career as a linebacker coach for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Under the guidance of head coach Tony Dungy, he helped develop the Tampa 2 defense.

After spending five years with the Buccaneers, Smith was hired as the defensive coordinator of the St. Louis Rams under head coach Mike Martz.

While in St. Louis, Smith improved the Rams' defense, which went from giving up a league-worst 29.4 points per game in 2000, to an average of 17.1 points per game in 2001.

The Rams won the NFC Championship Game and advanced to Super Bowl XXXVI.

The team ultimately lost to the New England Patriots in one of the biggest Super Bowl upsets of all time.

Smith has been to the Super Bowl twice, as the defensive coordinator for the St. Louis Rams in 2001 and as head coach for the Bears in 2006.

Smith was raised in Big Sandy, Texas, and was named after his great aunt, Lavana.

During Smith's high school career at Big Sandy, he earned all-state honors for his three years as a defensive end and linebacker.

Despite their poor offense, the Bears' defense saw significant improvement, rising from 22nd in 2003 to 13th in 2004.

The Chicago Bears hired Smith as head coach in 2004, following the dismissal of Dick Jauron.

Upon arriving in Chicago, Smith stated he had three goals: beat the Green Bay Packers, win the NFC North, and win a Super Bowl.

His first season with the Bears was a struggle, from implementing new offensive and defensive systems, to a series of injuries, including a season-ending knee injury to starting quarterback Rex Grossman.

The team finished with a 5–11 record.

In 2005, history repeated itself when Grossman suffered a serious injury during the preseason and missed a majority of the season.

In the absence of Grossman, Smith and defensive coordinator Ron Rivera structured a dominant defense and the timely play of backup quarterback Kyle Orton to earn an 11–5 record, after starting the season with a 1–3 record.

The Bears' defense finished second in the league in terms of yardage, while allowing the fewest points in the league.

The Bears' dramatic turnaround in the 2005 season earned Smith national recognition, which included earning the Associated Press NFL Coach of the Year Award.

After returning to the field following their first round bye, the Bears played the Carolina Panthers, with a fully-healed Grossman at quarterback.

Both the Bears' offense and defense struggled to keep up with the Panthers, and they eventually lost 29–21.

Smith and the Bears' management drew criticism in April 2006 by trading away their first round pick, as well as drafting five defensive players.

The preseason criticism increased when he announced Grossman, who struggled to move the Bears' offense during the preseason, would remain the starting quarterback.

Grossman led the Bears to seven consecutive victories, but struggled during the later portion of the season.

Despite his performance, Smith stood by Grossman, stating "Rex is our quarterback" when questioned by the media.

The Bears finished the 2006 season with a 13–3 record, earning the NFC's top playoff seed.

The Bears finished the season with the NFL's second-ranked scoring offense, and fifth-ranked overall defense.

Smith led the Bears to a 27–24 victory in overtime against the defending NFC champion, the Seattle Seahawks, during the 2006 Divisional Playoffs, securing the first playoff win of his career.

The Bears went on to a 39–14 victory against the New Orleans Saints in the NFC Championship Game.