Romeo Crennel retires after 39 NFL coaching seasons
BOSTON -- Romeo Crennel, who won three Super Bowls as a defensive coordinator with the Patriots under Bill Belichick, is retiring from coaching.
The 74-year-old Crennel announced his retirement on Monday, ending a 50-year career in the profession -- 39 of which have been in the NFL.
"Football has been my entire life and it's been a dream come true to coach for 50 years," Crennel said in a statement. "There are so many friends to thank who have helped me and supported me throughout my career. I especially want to thank the fans and owners of the New York Giants, New England Patriots, New York Jets, Cleveland Browns, Kansas City Chiefs and Houston Texans for allowing me to contribute to the game that I have loved so much for so long. I'll miss everything about coaching and teaching, but the thing I'll miss the most is being around the guys every day. My goal was to put every player and coach in the best position to succeed and I consider every guy I coached or worked with a part of my family. I would also want to thank my wife Rosemary and my three daughters, Lisa, Tiffany and Kristine, for all of their support over the years. Because of their love and selflessness, I have been able to live out my dream. I'm thrilled to have the opportunity to spend more time with my grandchildren while staying around the game of football."
Crennel first coached in the NFL with the New York Giants from 1981-92, winning two Super Bowls. He stayed with Bill Parcells with the Patriots and the Jets and spent a year running Cleveland's defense in 2000 before becoming Belichick's defensive coordinator in 2001.
The Patriots ranked sixth in the NFL in points allowed in 2001, winning the first Super Bowl in franchise history. They ranked first in points allowed in 2003 and second in points allowed in 2004, with both seasons ending with Super Bowl victories.
After leaving the Patriots, Crennel was the head coach of the Browns from 2005-08. He was the defensive coordinator in Kansas City before becoming the interim head coach, then the full-time head coach. His final coaching stop was Houston, where he served as defensive coordinator, assistant head coach, associate head coach, interim head coach, and senior advisor over the course of eight seasons. In 2020, Crennel became the oldest head coach in NFL history at 73 years old.
