Mike Smith (American football coach)

Mike Smith, known colloquially as Smitty, (born June 13, 1959 in Chicago, Illinois) is the current head coach for the NFL's Atlanta Falcons. He previously served as the defensive coordinator for the Jacksonville Jaguars since the 2003 season. In his first season as Falcons head coach, Smith was recipient of the NFL Coach of the Year Award by the Associated Press.

Early years
Raised in Daytona Beach, Florida, Smith played linebacker at Father Lopez Catholic High School, earning All-State honors. In college, he played for East Tennessee State University between 1977 and 1981, being named defensive MVP twice. Professionally, Smith briefly played for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the Canadian Football League for the 1982 season before retiring.

Coaching career
Smith decided to take up coaching after his playing days were over, and served at several Division I colleges before moving onto the NFL: San Diego State (1982–1985), Morehead State (1986), and Tennessee Tech (1987–1998). He was hired as defensive assistant/defensive line coach for the Baltimore Ravens in 1999 assisting Rex Ryan with the unit for three seasons. In 2002, Smith was promoted to coach the Ravens linebackers and tutored such players as Ray Lewis, Peter Boulware, Jamie Sharper, and Adalius Thomas. Smith was a part of the 2000 Ravens that captured Super Bowl XXXV. On January 21, 2003, Mike Smith was named defensive coordinator for the Jacksonville Jaguars for the incoming head coach Jack Del Rio.

In 2008, the Atlanta Falcons named him their Head Coach. In his first season with the team, Smith named rookie Matt Ryan the starting quarterback for the season opener against the Detroit Lions. In his debut as Atlanta head coach, the Falcons beat the Lions 34–21. Atlanta’s 216 yards of total offense in the first quarter is also the highest total in over two decades. The previous high for the Falcons came on October 13, 1991 with 172 yards against San Francisco. His first loss was against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Smith won his first official challenge after challenging the spot of the ball on a Roddy White reception in the third quarter vs Tampa Bay. After the review the officials determined White had reached the first down marker, which kept the Atlanta drive alive. Smith was helped by players like Michael Turner, Roddy White, Michael Jenkins and John Abraham to carry the Falcons to their first playoff berth since 2004. The Falcons lost to the eventual NFC champion Arizona Cardinals in the wild-card round of the 2008 NFL playoffs. He was named the 2008 AP Coach of the year and NFL Coach of the Year beating out Miami Dolphins head coach Tony Sparano in the voting.

In his second season, Smith and the Falcons overcame a tough schedule and several key injuries to QB Matt Ryan and RB Michael Turner to end up with a 9-7 finish and second place in the NFC South. While the Falcons failed to reach the playoffs, this marked the first time the team had ever managed to achieve back-to-back winning seasons in their history. In the 2010 season, Smith led the Falcons to a NFC-best season record of 13-3, earning the team's second NFC South title and fourth divisional championship overall. However, the Falcons were thrashed at home to the eventual Super Bowl XLV champions, the Green Bay Packers, 48-21 losing in the NFC Divisional Round. Under Smith's leadership, the Falcons have achieved three consecutive winning seasons, a new franchise record.

Coaching tree
NFL head coaches under whom Mike Smith has served:
 * Brian Billick, Baltimore Ravens (1999–2002)
 * Jack Del Rio, Jacksonville Jaguars (2003–2007)

Assistant coaches under Mike Smith who became NFL head coaches:
 * None

Personal
Smith and his wife, Julie, have one daughter, Logan. He is the brother-in-law of Brian Billick.