Larry Zierlein
| Date of birth | July 12, 1945 |
|---|---|
| Place of birth | Norton, Kansas |
| Career information | |
| Status | Active (coach) |
| Position(s) | DE |
| College | Fort Hays State College |
| Career history | |
| As coach | |
| 1970–1971 | Fort Hays State (grad. asst./ linebackers coach) |
| 1972–1974 | Abernathy (TX) (assistant coach) |
| 1975–1977 | Lamar Consolidated HS (TX) (assistant coach) |
| 1978–1986 | Univ. of Houston (offensive line coach) |
| 1987 | Washington Commandos (Arena) (assistant coach) |
| 1988–1990 | Tulane (offensive line coach) |
| 1991–1992 | NY/NJ Knights (World League) (offensive coord./ line coach) |
| 1993–1994 | LSU (offensive line coach) |
| 1995–1996 | Tulane (offensive line coach) |
| 1997–2000 | Univ. of Cincinnati (off. line/ running game coord.) |
| 2001–2004 | Cleveland Browns (offensive line coach) |
| 2006 | Buffalo Bills (asst. offensive line coach) |
| 2007–2009 | Pittsburgh Steelers (offensive line coach) |
| 2011 | Hartford Colonials[1] |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
| Military career | |
| Allegiance |
 United States |
| Service/branch | Marines |
| Years of service | 1966–1968 |
| Rank | Corporal[2] |
| Battles/wars | Vietnam War |
Larry Zierlein (born July 12, 1945)[3] is a long-time American football coach at high school, college, and currently Assistant Line Coach for the NFL Arizona Cardinals.
Biography
Zierlein grew up in Lenora, Kansas. After spending two years in the Marines from 1966 to 1968, including a tour of duty in Vietnam in 1967, he attended Fort Hays State College. He played defensive end for Fort Hays State in 1969 before graduating in 1971.[4]
Coaching career
Zierlein embarked on his coaching career as a graduate assistant and linebackers coach at his alma mater in 1970. After two years coaching at Fort Hays State, he spent the following six seasons (1972–1977) as a high school assistant in Texas. In 1978 he returned to the college game at the University of Houston where he served as offensive line coach for nine seasons.[5]
In 1987 he got his first professional experience as an assistant with the Washington Commandos of the Arena Football League. When the Commandos went on hiatus the next year, Zierlein took a job at Tulane where he worked the next three seasons before returning to the pro ranks with the New York/New Jersey Knights of the National Football League's development league, the World League of American Football. With the Knights he held the title of offensive coordinator under Mouse Davis as well as coaching the offensive line. When the Knights folded in 1992, Zierlein once more headed back to college, this time at LSU.[5]
Zierlein spent two years at LSU, coaching the offensive line under head coach Curley Hallman. In 1995 he returned to Tulane, this time for what would be a two-year stint under Tommy Bowden. In 1997 he moved on to the University of Cincinnati as the running game coordinator and offensive line coach under Rick Minter.[5]
In 2001, Zierlein gained his first NFL experience with the Cleveland Browns. He served for four seasons as the Browns' offensive line coach under the Butch Davis regime. Zierlein's current Pittsburgh Steelers colleague Bruce Arians served as the offensive coordinator for the first three of Zierlein's seasons at Cleveland. He returned from a one-year absence from football in 2006 as the assistant offensive line coach for the Buffalo Bills under Dick Jauron.[5]
When Mike Tomlin was hired as the Steelers new head coach in 2007, he brought Zierlein to Pittsburgh to coach the offensive line. Tomlin and Zierlein had previously worked together in 1999–2000 with the Cincinnati Bearcats.[6] Steelers assistant special teams coach Amos Jones was also a member of that Bearcats coaching staff. Zierlein was relieved of his duties with the Steelers on January 6, 2010.[7]
E-mail gaffe
Zierlein gained unwanted notoriety in 2007 when he mistakenly forwarded an inappropriate e-mail to a large number of high-level NFL employees, including commissioner Roger Goodell. The e-mail, which Zierlein had received from Steelers pro personnel coordinator Doug Whaley, contained a pornographic video. Zierlein apologized for the gaffe, but was not disciplined by the team or the league.[8]
Personal
Zierlein and his wife, Marcia, have three children[5] and several grandchildren. Their son Lance is a sports talk radio host at Houston's "Sports talk 790" and a writer for NFL.com. Their son Mike (Lance's brother) is the head football coach at Clear Falls High School in League City, Texas.
Coaching tree
| Head Coach | Team | Capacity | Year(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mike Tomlin | Pittsburgh Steelers | offensive line coach | 2007–2009 |
References
- ↑ ColonialsBio
- ↑ "Browns Hire Three Assistants" (Press release). Cleveland Browns. February 7, 2001. Retrieved 2009-02-19.
- ↑ "Pittsburgh Steelers Assistant Coaches". NFL. Retrieved 2009-02-18.
- ↑ "Football Media Guide" (PDF) (Press release). Fort Hays State University. Retrieved 2009-02-20.
- 1 2 3 4 5 "2006 Media Guide" (PDF) (Press release). Buffalo Bills. Retrieved 2009-02-19.
- ↑ "Larry Zierlein (bio)". Pittsburgh Steelers. Retrieved 2009-02-19.
- ↑ "Steelers Announce Coaching Changes". Steelers.com (team's website). January 7, 2010. Retrieved 14 January 2010.
- ↑ Bouchette, Ed (May 23, 2007). "Blogger says Steelers' Zierlein inadvertently forwarded porn to NFL officials". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved 2009-02-19.
External links
- A Closer Look at Larry Zierlein's Career, Behind the Steel Curtain (a Pittsburgh Steelers blog), June 30, 2008
| Sporting positions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Russ Grimm |
Pittsburgh Steelers Offensive Line Coach 2007–2009 |
Succeeded by Sean Kugler |