History of Jay Gruden in Timeline

March 04, 1967

Jay Michael Gruden (born March 4, 1967) is an American football coach and former quarterback. He previously served as the head coach of the Washington Redskins from 2014 to 2019 and as offensive coordinator for the Cincinnati Bengals and Jacksonville Jaguars. During his time in the Arena Football League (AFL), Gruden won four ArenaBowls as a player and two more as a head coach. He is the younger brother of former NFL head coach Jon Gruden and was an assistant coach of the 2002 Buccaneers team that won Super Bowl XXXVII.

March 04, 1967

Of Slovene descent, Gruden was born on March 4, 1967, in Tiffin, Ohio, and was raised a Roman Catholic. He attended George D. Chamberlain High School in Tampa, Florida, and played quarterback for the Chamberlain Chiefs high school football team under head coach Billy Turner. Gruden earned All-Western Conference First Team recognition.

1989

After his playing career ended, Gruden remained active with the football program at Louisville, gaining his first coaching experience as a student assistant in 1989 and as a graduate assistant in the 1990 and 1991 seasons.

1990

Upon the conclusion of his college playing career, Gruden was signed to the Miami Dolphins practice squad after an injury to starter Dan Marino shortly before the 1989 season opener, but was waived several days later. He then had brief stints with the Barcelona Dragons and the Sacramento Surge of the WLAF in 1990, while continuing to gain coaching experience at his alma mater of Louisville as a graduate assistant.

1991

In 1991, Gruden turned his attention to indoor football, signing with the Tampa Bay Storm of the Arena Football League. Gruden won four ArenaBowl titles as the starting quarterback of the Storm, only briefly leaving the team in early 1995 for a training camp stint with the Scottish Claymores of the WLAF. Upon realization that he would be the Claymores third-string quarterback, he returned to Florida and immediately resumed his role as the starting quarterback for the Storm.

1992

Gruden was named the league's MVP in 1992, and is contemporarily considered one of the greatest quarterbacks in arena football history. After stepping off the field to coach, Gruden returned to the field in 2002, playing quarterback for the Orlando Predators for the 2002 and 2003 seasons before retiring again from playing football.

1997

Gruden began his coaching career as the offensive coordinator for the AFL's Nashville Kats in 1997. In 1998, Gruden became head coach of the Orlando Predators, the main rival of the Storm. With Orlando, he won ArenaBowl titles in 1998 and 2000. Gruden came out of retirement and resumed playing in 2002, this time for the Predators, but retired again and returned to head coaching when his replacement, Fran Papasedero, died after the 2003 season. Gruden has an overall AFL head coaching record of 93–61 (.604), including a mark of 11–7 (.611) in the playoffs.

2002

Gruden's father, Jim, a long-time college and NFL assistant coach, was a former regional scout for the San Francisco 49ers. His brother, Jon, was the head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, winning a Super Bowl in 2002. Gruden's other brother, James, is a radiologist at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine.

2009

In 2009, while the Predators were on hiatus during the bankruptcy reorganization of the AFL, Gruden was selected to be head coach Jim Haslett's offensive coordinator for the Florida Tuskers of the United Football League. As part of his contract, Gruden was not allowed to remain head coach of the Predators. Instead, former Orlando quarterback Pat O'Hara, who led the team to its two ArenaBowl titles when Gruden was head coach, was hired in his place.

February 20, 2010

On February 20, 2010, Gruden was named head coach of the Tuskers following Haslett's departure to join Mike Shanahan's staff with the NFL's Washington Redskins.

February 03, 2011

On February 3, 2011, Gruden was hired as the offensive coordinator for the Cincinnati Bengals. On January 13, 2012, he signed a three-year extension with the Bengals at the position, even after being asked to interview for at least three NFL head coaching jobs (with the Jacksonville Jaguars, St. Louis Rams, and later turning down the Indianapolis Colts).

2013

In January 2013, Gruden was interviewed by the NFL's Arizona Cardinals, Philadelphia Eagles, and San Diego Chargers for their vacant head coaching positions. Gruden's offense helped lead the Bengals to three straight Wild Card playoff appearances, including the AFC North title in 2013.

2014

On January 9, 2014, Gruden was hired as the new head coach of the Washington Redskins, succeeding Mike Shanahan. Since Gruden was a highly sought-after coach, Redskins owner Dan Snyder gave him a fully guaranteed, five-year contract worth $20 million. Washington finished with a 4–12 in Gruden's first season in 2014.

2016

In the 2015 season, Gruden led the Redskins to their first playoff appearance since 2012. The Redskins would go on a four-game winning streak to finish the season and win the NFC East with a 9–7 record. However, they lost to the Green Bay Packers in the wild-card round 35–18, ending their season. In 2016, the Redskins finished 8–7–1, but missed the playoffs. This marked the first time the team posted back-to-back winning seasons since the 1996 and 1997 seasons.

March 04, 2017

On March 4, 2017, Gruden signed a two-year contract extension with the team. In the 2017 season, he led the team to a 7–9 record. In the 2018 season, the team finished with a 7–9 record once again. On October 7, 2019, he was fired after starting the season with a 0–5 record, finishing his overall tenure with a 35–49–1 (.418) record.

January 22, 2020

On January 22, 2020, Gruden was hired by the Jacksonville Jaguars as their offensive coordinator under head coach Doug Marrone. Alongside Marrone and the rest of the team's coaches, he was fired after the team finished with a franchise-worst 1–15 record.