Keith Armstrong

Biography

Keith Armstrong was named the Falcons special teams coordinator on Jan. 29, 2008.

Armstrong joins the Falcons following seven seasons as the special teams coordinator for the Miami Dolphins. The 14-year NFL coaching veteran was instrumental in leading rookie punt returner Ted Ginn, Jr., who finished fourth in the AFC with a 9.6 return average. Ginn also returned 63 kickoffs for 1,433 yards (22.7 avg.)

From 2001-2006, the Dolphins finished in the top eight in the NFL in punt return defense all but one season under Armstrong’s direction. During that same time frame, Miami opponents averaged 6.1 yards per punt return, including a 4.5-yard mark in 2001 when they led the League in the category. In 2003, the Dolphins ranked first in the NFL in opponents’ average starting field position with a 25.0-yard line mark and finished second in the same category in 2006 with a 24.9 figure.

Prior to joining the Dolphins, Armstrong served in the same role with the Chicago Bears from 1997-2000. In 2000, Chicago’s special teams unit ranked fourth in the NFL in punt return defense, allowing an average of just 7.0 yards per return. In his four seasons with the Bears, the special teams unit ranked in the top ten in the League in punt return average, punt coverage and kickoff coverage twice in each category.

Armstrong earned his start in the NFL with the Falcons in 1994 as the safeties coach. In 1996, he was promoted to secondary coach. Before his full-time positions in the NFL, he was part of the League’s Minority Coaching Fellowship program during training camps with the Jets (1991), Dallas (1992) and Chicago (1993).

Armstrong coached his way through the collegiate ranks before joining the NFL. The Levittown, Pa. native graduated as a four-year letterman as a running back and defensive back at Temple University (1983-1986) before joining the school as a graduate assistant in 1987. He then joined the University of Miami (Fla.) as the defensive backs and special teams coach for one season (1988) before coaching the wide receivers at the University of Akron in 1989. Armstrong’s last two stops in college before joining the Falcons came at Oklahoma State as the secondary coach (1990-1992) and Notre Dame as the linebackers and special teams coach in 1993.

Keith Armstrong’s Coaching Background