Biography

Mike Smith’s accomplishments in his first three seasons as Atlanta Falcons Head Coach are simply unprecedented in team history and are among the best in the NFL when measured against his coaching counterparts.

Smith guided the Falcons to the second-most wins in a season in team history, the top record in the NFC with a 13-3 mark and an NFC South Division crown in 2010. The 13 victories also secured the number one seed in the Conference for only the second time in franchise history and the Division title was just the fourth ever for the team in 45 years in the league (and first since 2004). His club’s eight-game winning streak during the 2010 campaign was the second longest ever in team annals. The Falcons also were the only team in the league to rank in the top 5 in both scoring offense (25.9 points) and scoring defense (18.0 points allowed) last year and boasted an NFL-high as well as a franchise-best nine players who were named to the Pro Bowl. With another playoff berth to his credit in 2010, the Birds have now advanced to the postseason two out of last three years with the capable Smith on the job. Needless to say, the three straight winning seasons produced under the direction of Smith (11-5, 9-7, 13-3) has never been duplicated in team history.

Smith’s impressive 33-15 regular season record since 2008 is the second-best mark among all NFL coaches and his 33 wins are the most in the entire NFC. His .688 winning percentage is the highest in team history over a three-year period and also the second-best percentage in the League. Smith’s steady hand at the helm includes a strong emphasis on establishing a true home field advantage and that philosophy has produced an astounding 20-4 home record and .833 winning percentage during his tenure, the second-best marks in the NFL over the last three seasons.

For all the milestones he achieved in 2010, Smith earned the prestigious Sporting News NFL Coach of the Year and the KC 101 Club’s NFC Coach of the Year award for a remarkable second time in three seasons.

Preaching to his team the value of starting fast and finishing strong, the Falcons have heeded Smith’s coaching mantra by amassing a 26-6 record in games where they score first.

With core principles built around playing fundamentally sound football in all three phases, Smith’s disciplined teams have displayed a knack for holding onto leads and closing out the opposition. Smith’s troops have posted a 27-1 record in games where the Falcons lead at halftime (since 2008). And Atlanta also owns a 26-1 mark in contests where the Birds hold the lead at the beginning of the fourth quarter.

The former defensive coordinator teaches a rugged and physical approach to defense, which has produced the second stingiest group in the NFC in points allowed since 2008 at 19.5. Also, the Falcons defense has been tough when closing out halves and games in the last two seasons by allowing just 14 points in 35 possessions in the final two minutes of either half.

The Falcons’ special teams units have also excelled through Smith’s emphasis and direction by finishing in the top 10 in NFL rankings in each of the past three seasons.

In 2009, Smith’s club captured their final three games of the season, including two victories on the road, to secure a winning record and the first back-to-back winning seasons in team history. His club’s hard-fought three-game winning streak at the end of the 2009 campaign to secure a winning season was especially impressive considering the Falcons faced the fourth-toughest schedule in the NFL and five of the team’s seven losses came against playoff teams. Smith’s Falcons also lost nine key starters for at least one game because of injury (and a total of 45 games of missed action overall) but still continued to display the kind of resolve that is characteristic of Smith-coached teams since he took over in Atlanta.

One of Smith’s basic coaching philosophies centers on his team displaying sustainability. He wants his Falcons to be able to maintain a certain level of performance, not just each season, but from game to game, quarter to quarter and play to play. Smith is building a team that will consistently be in the championship hunt in December every season. This winning formula has seen Smith boast a 33-15 regular season record (.688) since 2008, which is the second-best mark among all NFL coaches and the most wins in the entire NFC. His .688 winning percentage is the highest for a Falcons head coach over a three-year period. A strong proponent of defending their home at the dome, Smith’s 20 victories at home over the last three seasons (against just four defeats) and .833 winning percentage are the second-best in the League.

Under Smith’s determined leadership in 2008, the Falcons enjoyed one of the biggest turnarounds that the NFL has ever witnessed. The seven-win swing going from 4-12 to 11-5 is tied for the fourth-best mark (at +7 wins) in the League for a rookie head coach since 1978. Smith’s 11 victories are tied for the top mark with five other head coaches for the best record for a rookie head coach taking over a team that finished below .500 the previous season. And only three rookie head coaches in NFL history had more wins in their first campaign on the sidelines than Smith.

Smith’s firm guidance in 2008 allowed the Falcons to make several improvements from the previous season, which included points per game average, rushing yards per game average, passing touchdowns to interception ratio and fewest sacks allowed. He had his team ready to play in every game in 2008 as the Falcons were tops in the league in first quarter points scored and registered a streak of holding opponents in 12 of 15 games to under 20 yards rushing in the opening quarter of games.

The shrewd drafting of quarterback Matt Ryan and astute free agent signing of running back Michael Turner were two aggressive moves that paid immediate dividends and laid a solid foundation. Under Smith’s direction in 2009, the Falcons continued to establish themselves as one of the NFL’s best home teams posting a 6-2 record at the Georgia Dome. The club captured their final three games of the season, including two victories on the road, to secure a winning record and the first back-to-back winning seasons in team history.

For his coaching efforts in 2008, Smith earned the honorable Associated Press and Sporting News 2008 NFL Coach of the Year honors, as well as NFC Coach of the Year by the respected KC 101 Club. Smith boasts a strong coaching background that includes 12 NFL seasons and 29 total years in football. His defensive track record has witnessed a remarkable amount of success as he helped guide the Baltimore Ravens to a Super Bowl XXXV Championship in 2000 as a defensive assistant coach and led the Jacksonville Jaguars defense to top 10 rankings in several categories (overall defense, points allowed and rushing defense) during his time as the club’s Defensive Coordinator.

With Smith’s help, the Jaguars had the sixth-most wins in the NFL (from 2004-07) with 40 victories. From 2003–2007, Smith led Jacksonville’s defensive unit, which ranked fourth in overall defense (296.6), third in offensive points allowed (16.1) and fifth in rushing defense (99.3) from 2003–2006. In his last season in Jacksonville in 2007, the Jaguars rushing defense continued that trend as the unit ranked sixth in the AFC, holding opponents to 100.3 yards per game. The Jaguars defense under Smith’s direction also finished 12th in the NFL in total defense in ‘07.

In 2006, Jacksonville ranked second in the League in total defense (283.6), which was the highest mark for the franchise in its history. The Jaguars defense also contributed to a team-record 20 interceptions and allowed an NFL-low 11 points per game on their home turf.

During Smith’s five seasons in Jacksonville, three defensive players garnered six Pro Bowl selections, which included defensive tackle Marcus Stroud (2003–2005), defensive tackle John Henderson (2004, 2006) and cornerback Rashean Mathis (2006). Smith also coached the likes of defensive end Bobby McCray, who became just the fourth Jaguar to record at least 10 sacks in 2005. Smith contributed to three winning seasons in Jacksonville (2004–2005, 2007) as the team reached the playoffs for the sixth occasion in franchise history in 2007 and defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers in an AFC Divisional Playoff game on the road at Heinz Field.

Prior to joining the Jaguars, Smith spent four seasons with the Baltimore Ravens and was the Defensive Assistant/Defensive Line Coach from 1999–2001, which included the team’s 2000 Super Bowl winning season. The Ravens defense set an NFL 16-game record by allowing only 165 points en route to the team’s first NFL championship.

In 2002, Smith served as Baltimore’s Linebackers Coach. That season, the Ravens featured All-Pro linebacker Ray Lewis and Pro Bowl linebacker Peter Boulware, who recorded 57 tackles, seven sacks for a loss of 51 yards, one interception and four passes defensed in his finest NFL season under Smith’s tutelage. Before joining the NFL ranks, Smith spent 12 seasons at Tennessee Tech from 1987–1998. He was the Golden Eagles’ Defensive Coordinator for the last three seasons as the team finished in the top 10 in the nation in total defense (1997 and 1998). He joined the Tennessee Tech staff as the Defensive Line Coach and then served as the Special Team Coordinator from 1988 to 1995. Prior to his last season with the Golden Eagles, Smith was promoted to Assistant Head Coach on top of his Defensive Coordinator duties.

Smith played college football at East Tennessee (1977–1981) and was named defensive MVP twice at his position. He led the team with a school record 186 tackles as a senior. A native of Daytona Beach, Florida, Smith was born on June 13, 1959 in Chicago, Illinois. He and his wife, Julie, have one daughter, Logan, and reside in Suwanee, Ga.

Smith's Coaching Background

• 2008-11 -- Head Coach // Falcons
• 2003-07 -- Defensive Coordinator // Jaguars
• 2002 -- Linebackers Coach // Ravens
• 1999-01 -- Def. Asst./Def. Line Coach // Ravens
• 1996-98 -- Defensive Coord. // Tennessee Tech
• 1988-95 -- Special Teams Coord. // Tennessee Tech
• 1987 -- Defensive Line Coach // Tennessee Tech
• 1986 -- Defensive Line Coach // Morehead St.
• 1983-85 -- Linebackers Coach // San Diego State
• 1982 -- Assistant Coach // San Diego State