11 players drafted by same NFL team of which they became head coach
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Jaguars mull Leftwich homecoming
[Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union]
Byron Leftwich isn’t the head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars … yet. They liked him enough out of Marshall to make him a first-round pick in 2003. Now, he could join a rare group of players drafted by the same team that eventually hires them as head coach. Take a look…
Mike Ditka
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The great tight end out of Pittsburgh was chosen by the Chicago Bears in the first round of the 1961 NFL draft, and eventually wound up coaching them to a Super Bowl triumph.
Larry Wilson
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The Hall of Fame defensive back Larry Wilson wasn’t a permanent head coach, but he did win two out of three games in an interim role for the Cardinals in 1979.
AP Photo/Morry Gash
The Detroit Lions drafted Dick Jauron out of Yale and were smart enough to make him an interim head coach. However, they didn’t give him the full-time job—he had to go to Buffalo to get one of those.
Art Shell
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The fabulous Art Shell was a pillar on the Raiders’ offensive line for years after being drafted by them. He then went on to become a head coach of the team as well.
Gary Kubiak
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Well known as being a steady backup to John Elway, Gary Kubiak was drafted by the Denver Broncos and part of the organization for years. He was head coach from 2015-16.
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Another great offensive lineman, Mike Munchak was drafted by the Houston Oilers out of Penn State. He went on to coach the Tennessee Titans, who started out as the Houston Oilers, from 2011-13.
Forrest Gregg
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Offensive linemen dot this list. Forrest Gregg starred for the Green Bay Packers. He was a second-round pick in 1956 by Green Bay and coached the Packers from 1984-87.
Bob Waterfield
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A great quarterback, Bob Waterfield was drafted by the Cleveland Rams in 1944. He went on to coach the Los Angeles Rams from 1960 through part of 1962, going 9-24-1.
Bart Starr
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The two-time Super Bowl-winning quarterback from Alabama, Bart Starr went on to coach the Green Bay Packers from 1975-83.
Joe Schmidt
Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
A stellar linebacker, Joe Schmidt was drafted by the Detroit Lions in 1953 out of Pittsburgh. He went on to coach them from 1967-72, going 43-34-7.
Curly Lambeau
USAT
Curly Lambeau wasn’t drafted. but he was a founder of the Green Bay Packers and played for them from 1919-29. He was head coach of the team from 1920-49, winning six championships.
More NFL: Who were the 35 players drafted before Deebo Samuel in 2019?
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