Mike Heimerdinger, former Tennessee Titans offensive coordinator, died Friday night after almost a year of battling a rare form of cancer.
Heimerdinger, 58, continued to serve as Titans' offensive coordinator even after being diagnosed with the cancer and left the team after Jeff Fisher did not return as head coach.
"Dinger" served twice as Titan OC, first directing the offense that included an MVP year with the late star quarterback Steve McNair and All-Pro Eddie George and a two-year stiint that ended in February with the coaching change.
The well-respected and like coach also served as offensive coordinator of the New York Jets and Denver Broncos.
The Titans posted the following comments on the demise of Heimerdinger:
TITANS GENERAL MANAGER MIKE REINFELDT
“We are saddened today to hear the tragic news of Mike passing. Mike was a good man that brought a great level of dedication and professionalism to his job. He was brave in his fight over the last year and showed such a commitment to the game. Nothing was going to stop him last season from being a part of the team and having his stamp on the games. Our thoughts go out to Kathie and his kids through this difficult time. Mike and his family will always be with us.”
TITANS HEAD COACH MIKE MUNCHAK
“My prayers are with his family. Mike was a great football coach; and over the years, we had a great relationship. I learned a lot of football from Mike and I have a number of great memories and experiences that will always be with me. It is just hard to believe his is gone. It is a sad day for his family and for those who knew him.”
TITANS RUNNING BACK CHRIS JOHNSON
“He was a great coach and a tough coach. I know I wouldn’t have become the player I am without his confidence and the trust that he showed in me. My thoughts go out to his family.”
TITANS OFFENSIVE TACKLE MICHAEL ROOS
“You don’t expect these types of things to happen and they shouldn’t happen. I felt confident that he was going to beat this after seeing his resolve last season in dealing with it. He was such a competitor and a fighter – the things that made him such a good coach were also the traits that I thought would lead him to beat the cancer. My prayers are with his family.”
FORMER TITANS CENTER AND NFLPA PRESIDENT KEVIN MAWAE
“It is with great regret and sorrow that we learn of the passing of Coach Mike Heimerdinger. "Dinger", as many people knew him, was a great coach and a good man. For those who knew him and played for him, they knew Dinger was a man who loved his family, enjoyed his players, and loved the game of football. Dinger's fight with cancer was indicative of the type of person he was; determined and courageous. It was my privilege to play for Dinger while with the New York Jets and the Tennessee Titans. I am better for having known and played for him. The NFL community has lost a great member of its fraternity this week. On behalf of the National Football League Players Association, the players offer their condolences to Kathie, Alicia, Brian and the rest of the Heimerdinger family.
FORMER TITANS RB EDDIE GEORGE
“Any time you lose a friend, you feel it. My heart goes out to his family, it is a terrible loss. Mike was a highly competitive coach and person, who expected and demanded nothing but the best from you. He was a good guy to be around and he will surely be missed in this world.”
FORMER TITANS TIGHT END FRANK WYCHECK
“I am really sad to hear the news today. Mike was a man of many qualities – he was humble, he was funny and he was demanding. I loved being with him on the golf course, he was a lot of fun to hang out with. From the coaching side, he brought a different element to our offense when he arrived. He took us to a different level in the passing game. He expected all of us to be accountable and he was a perfectionist when it came to executing his offense.
“Over the last year, what he went through gave him great perspective of his life - he was thankful and proud of what he accomplished.”
His offenses have been receiver-driven, but also have the ability to control games with a rushing attack. In his first tenure with the Titans, he directed an attack that produced the only two 3,000/1,000/1,000-yard seasons in the history of the franchise in 2002 and 2003 (McNair/George/Mason). Also during his tenure, Steve McNair earned NFL co-MVP honors in 2003, becoming the franchise’s first quarterback to earn the accolade.
In the two seasons (2006-07) with the Denver Broncos prior to rejoining the Titans, Heimerdinger held the title of Assistant Head Coach and worked with the Broncos offense. He helped Jay Cutler move into the starting role as a rookie and as a full-time starter entering the 2007 season. Cutler ranked fifth in the AFC in passer rating (88.1) in 2007, while throwing for 3,497 yards and 20 touchdowns. Overall in 2007, the Broncos ranked 11th in total offense and ninth in rushing yards.
He spent the 2005 season as offensive coordinator with the New York Jets under head coach Herman Edwards, a year that saw the offense ravaged by injuries. The team was forced to use five different quarterbacks and saw two starting linemen relegated to injured reserve.
Heimerdinger originally joined the Titans as offensive coordinator in 2000 and presided over the offense during one of the finest five-year stretches in franchise history. Tennessee advanced to the playoffs in three of his five years with the team and ranked in the top 10 in offense twice. During his tenure, the offense reached new heights with nearly every offensive player posting career-best seasons (McNair, George, Wycheck, Mason, Bennett, Brown and McCareins) and establishing new franchise marks. His finest season came in 2003, where the Titans posted the second highest point total in franchise history (435), a franchise record six consecutive games scoring 30 or more points and the franchise’s first quarterback to win NFL MVP honors (McNair).
He took an established run game that featured Eddie George, built on it and developed a dangerous passing game over time. In Heimerdinger’s first season at the controls in 2000, George posted a career-high 1,509 rushing yards and scored 14 rushing touchdowns. In each of his five initial seasons as offensive coordinator, Tennessee ranked in the top five in time of possession.
While leaning on the run game, Heimerdinger was developing McNair into an elite passer and yearly progress was evident in his passer rating. In the year prior to his arrival (1999), McNair posted a 78.6 passer rating while leading the team to an AFC Championship. In his first season with Heimerdinger, he improved to a then-career best 83.6 and started a yearly climb that culminated with his co-MVP season in 2003 with a 100.4 rating.
The wide receiver corps raised its play under Heimerdinger as the offense transitioned from one that focused on the tight end, to one that was more wide receiver driven. During his tenure with the team wide receivers Derrick Mason and Drew Bennett blossomed into terrific NFL receivers. Over the five years in Heimerdinger’s offense, Mason went from a receiver who caught 33 passes in his first two seasons to a Pro Bowl receiver who averaged 81 receptions, 1,101 yards and seven touchdowns per season. He also became the first player in franchise history to record four consecutive 1,000-yard receiving seasons from 2001-04.
Heimerdinger originally joined the Titans after five seasons coaching the wide receivers for the two-time world champion Denver Broncos. Under his tutelage, the Denver tandem of Rod Smith and Ed McCaffrey became one of the top duos in the NFL.
Heimerdinger came to Denver in 1995 from Duke University where he was the offensive coordinator and running backs coach in 1994. Before Duke, Heimerdinger spent five years (1989-93) as offensive coordinator at Rice University. During his tenure, the Owls produced the school’s first back-to-back winning seasons since 1960-61. In 1988, Heimerdinger served as offensive coordinator at Cal-State Fullerton, where his club set the school’s single-game record for most points scored with 58.
Heimerdinger began his coaching career in 1975 in the high school ranks of Illinois and earned a head coaching job at Johnsburgh High School in McHenry, Ill. Two years later, he served as a graduate assistant coach at the University of Florida in 1980. He spent 1981 at Air Force and at North Texas State in 1982 before returning to Florida in 1983. He spent five years at Florida before moving on to Cal-State Fullerton.
A native of Dekalb, Ill. (10/13/52), Heimerdinger played wide receiver (1970-71) and centerfield at Eastern Illinois, where he earned his degree in history in 1975. He also participated in the NCAA Division II College World Series in 1974 and is the school’s all-time base stealer (51). In 2008, he was inducted into Eastern Illinois’ Hall of Fame. He later earned his master’s in Administration from Northern Illinois. Mike and his wife Kathie are parents of daughter, Alicia, and son, Brian.
Mike Heimerdinger Coaching Ledger
2008-10: Offensive Coordinator, Tennessee Titans
2007: Assistant Head Coach/Quarterbacks, Denver Broncos
2006: Assistant Head Coach, Denver Broncos
2005: Offensive Coordinator, New York Jets
2000-04: Offensive Coordinator, Tennessee Titans
1995-99: Wide Receivers, Denver Broncos
1994: Offensive Coordinator/Offensive Backs, Duke University
1989-93: Offensive Coordinator, Rice University
1988: Offensive Coordinator, Cal State-Fullerton
1983-87: Wide Receivers, University of Florida
1982: Quarterbacks, North Texas State
1981: Wide Receivers, Air Force Academy
1980: Graduate Assistant, University of Florida
1978-79: Head Coach, Johnsburgh High School, McHenry, Ill.
1975-77: Asst. Coach, Grant High School, Fox Lake, Ill.
