Mike McCarthy Biography

Mike McCarthy (Michael John McCarthy) is an American football coach. He is best known for being the head coach of the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League (NFL) from 2006 to 2018, leading them to a win in Super Bowl XLV over his hometown team, the Pittsburgh Steelers. McCarthy was previously the offensive coordinator for the San Francisco 49ers and New Orleans Saints.

Mike McCarthy Coaching career

College

After McCarthy served as a graduate assistant at Fort Hays State from 1987 to 1988, he returned home to Pittsburgh and in 1989 was hired to work under Mike Gottfried and then later Paul Hackett at the University of Pittsburgh, where he served as a graduate assistant for three seasons before coaching wide receivers during the 1992 season.

Initially during the off season, McCarthy also worked on the Pennsylvania Turnpike to supplement his income.

Mike McCarthy NFL | Mike McCarthy Packers

In 1993, Mike McCarthy was hired by the NFL’s Kansas City Chiefs under head coach Marty Schottenheimer. After working two years as an offensive quality control assistant, he became quarterbacks coach, overseeing the work of Elvis Grbac, Rich Gannon and Steve Bono.

Green Bay Packers Mike

After the 1998 season, Schottenheimer resigned and McCarthy left Kansas City and became the Green Bay Packers quarterbacks coach. In the 1999 season, Packers quarterback Brett Favre threw for 4,091 yards, the fourth-best total of his career.

McCarthy became the offensive coordinator of the New Orleans Saints, after the Packers released the entire coaching staff following the 1999 season. McCarthy would remain in that position for five seasons and was selected as NFC Assistant Coach of the Year by USA Today in 2000.

New Orleans finished 10th, 13th, 3rd in 2002, 14th, and 14th in points scored during his tenure as offensive coordinator. In McCarthy’s first two years, running back Ricky Williams would run for 2,245 yards with 14 touchdowns.

In 2005, he served as offensive coordinator for the San Francisco 49ers. His unit, beset by injuries and led by a rookie quarterback, finished the season ranked 30th in the NFL in points scored and dead last in yards gained.

Despite this, running back Frank Gore emerged to run for over 600 yards with a 4.8 YPC and wide receiver Brandon Lloyd had 733 yards receiving and five touchdowns.

Green Bay Packers Mike McCarthy

Return to Green Bay

On January 8, 2006, McCarthy was interviewed by Packers general manager Ted Thompson and was offered the head coaching position three days later.

He guided the Packers to an 8–1 record in the first 9 games of the 2007 season. He recorded the best win-loss ratio to start the first 25 games of a career among active coaches, setting the record for the best coaching start in Packers’ history (Vince Lombardi went 15–10) and tying Washington’s Joe Gibbs at 16–9.

He also led the Packers to a 13–3 record and made it to the NFC Championship game, where they lost to the eventual Super Bowl-winning New York Giants in overtime.

That year, McCarthy finished second in voting for The Associated Press Coach of the Year award, garnering 15 votes to Bill Belichick’s 29 votes.

On January 19, 2008, McCarthy signed a five-year contract extension with the team, which raised his salary to $3.4 million a year.

In 2008, he became embroiled in a major controversy involving the future of their franchise quarterback, Brett Favre. The controversy started when Favre, who had announced his retirement, changed his mind deciding to play again. He had assumed that he would be given the starting quarterback job again.

Packers’ general manager Ted Thompson and McCarthy had stated their desire to move forward with new starter Aaron Rodgers. Favre was offered the opportunity to be the back up to Rodgers, an offer which he refused. Favre was ultimately traded to the New York Jets for a conditional fourth-round draft pick.

The 2008 season was McCarthy’s worst to date with the Packers. They started with a 5–5 record, proceeding to lose five consecutive close games until they ended the disappointing season with a 31–21 victory over the Detroit Lions. At 6–10, the Packers finished 3rd in the NFC North, only ahead of the Lions, and did not make the playoffs.

In 2009, the Packers showed some signs of improvement, but they also had struggles. Rodgers improved on 2008’s statistics, but was sacked 50 times, more than any other quarterback in the NFL.

The Packers dominated teams with losing records, but they were swept by their rival Minnesota Vikings, led by former Packers franchise quarterback Brett Favre. The Packers lost to the previously winless Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but they came back to beat the NFC East-leading Dallas Cowboys.

The Packers then began a five-game winning streak, and they qualified for the playoffs with a Week 17 win over the Cardinals, finishing at 11–5, the second playoff berth in McCarthy’s tenure. They lost the Wild Card round to the Arizona Cardinals in overtime, 51–45.

In 2010, McCarthy led the Packers to a 10–6 finish, never trailing by more than 7 throughout the entire season and never losing by more than four points. The record was good for 2nd in the NFC North, behind the arch-rival Chicago Bears, with whom they split victories in the regular season finishing as the sixth seed in the NFC.

The Packers then went on to defeat the number three-seeded Philadelphia Eagles and then the number one-seeded Atlanta Falcons. In the NFC Championship game, The Packers played the second-seeded Chicago Bears for the third time that season. They won 21–14 and advanced to Super Bowl XLV where they played the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The Green Bay Packers defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers 31–25 to win their fourth Super Bowl and 13th NFL title overall.

With a victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in week 16 of the 2014 season, McCarthy recorded his 99th win passing Hall of Famer Vince Lombardi (98) for second on the Packers’ all-time wins list, behind only Hall of Famer Curly Lambeau (212).

In November 2014, McCarthy signed a contract extension through 2018.

Mike McCarthy Age | How Old Is Mike McCarthy?

He was born on November 10, 1963 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. He is 55 years old as of 2018.

Mike McCarthy Height | How Tall Is Mike McCarthy?

Mike McCarthy is of an average height.

Mike McCarthy Family

McCarthy’s father was a firefighter and Pittsburgh Police officer as well as a bar owner, who raised McCarthy as a Pittsburgh Steelers fan.

McCarthy was a tight end at Baker University, an NAIA school located in Baldwin City, Kansas.

Mike McCarthy Wife

McCarthy has been married twice. He is married to Jessica Kress. Jessica was previously married to William Kress, a member of the Packers’ Board of Directors. The couple tied the knot in 2008 and they have five children together.

He was previously married to Christine in 1990, whom he had dated since high school, and they were together for quite a while. McCarthy and Christine filed for a divorce and were legally separated in 1995.

Mike McCarthy Daughter | Alexandra Mike McCarthy

McCarthy has one daughter with his first wife who is named Alexandra Noel McCarthy, born in 1992. Alexandra an actress living in L.A.

With his second wife Jessica, McCarthy has two daughters Isabella Conroy and Gabrielle Kathleen.

Mike McCarthy Contract

On January 19, 2008, Mike McCarthy signed a five-year contract extension with the Packers that raised his salary to $3.4 million a year. He signed another year contract extension on January 2, 2018, entering his 13th season with the Packers making him one of the longest-tenured coaches in the league. The new deal keeps Mike in Green Bay through to the 2019 season with a current salary of $6 Million a year.

Mike McCarthy Salary | How Much Does Mike McCarthy Make?

After McCarthy received a one year contract, he will be earning $6 million a year.

Mike McCarthy Net Worth

He has an estimated net worth of $9 million which he has earned through his football coaching career.

Mike McCarthy Record

Head coaching record

Mike McCarthy News

Mike McCarthy ‘very high’ on Jets’ list of candidates

It sounds like the Jets are already thinking about their next head coach.

With Todd Bowles expected to be fired at season’s end, Gang Green is going to need a new man in charge. One name that’s been frequently mentioned is Mike McCarthy. According to NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo, the former Packers coach is “very high” on New York’s list. Garafolo added that the Jets plan on going “big-game hunting” when it comes to finding Bowles’ replacement.

Updated: December 17, 2018
Source: jetswire.usatoday.com