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Originally Posted by Detroitlions.com
ALLEN PARK, Mich. – Detroit Lions Head Coach Rod Marinelli announced today that Jim Colletto has been named the team’s new offensive coordinator. Colletto, who served as the team’s offensive line coach in 2007, replaces Mike Martz who will not be returning to the team.
“Jim is an excellent football coach. He knows what it takes to win in this League and I am confident that he will do a tremendous job leading our offense,” Marinelli said. “His appointment also allows us to maintain continuity in our offense, which is important to our players.”
Marinelli also announced the promotion of Kippy Brown to assistant head coach/passing game coordinator.
Additionally, Shawn Jefferson was promoted to wide receivers coach. Fred Reed, defensive assistant from 2006-07, will not return in 2008.
OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR JIM COLLETTO
Colletto brings 41 years of coaching experience (eight seasons as an offensive line coach in the NFL, 11 seasons as college head coach and 17 seasons as an offensive coordinator at the collegiate level) to the team’s offensive coordinator position. Prior the appointment to Marinelli’s staff in 2007, Colletto was the offensive line coach at UCLA and directed a unit that cleared the way for a rushing attack that averaged 129.8 yards-per-game and allowed only 21 sacks. In 2005, Colletto was the offensive line coach for the Oakland Raiders.
For six seasons (1999-2004), Colletto coached the offensive line for the Baltimore Ravens, a stint that was highlighted with a Super Bowl championship and a league rushing title. In 2003, Colletto’s offensive line helped Baltimore capture the NFL rushing title with 2,674 yards (nearly 170 yards per game) and enabled RB Jamal Lewis to record the second-best rushing total in NFL history (2,066 yards) and become the fifth running back in league annals to eclipse 2,000 yards.
His offensive line helped the Ravens break the team rushing record twice, first in 2000 when they won Super Bowl XXXV and again in 2003. The team’s 2,674 rushing yards in 2003 was the second-highest single-season total in the NFL from 1999-2004, and the Ravens’ combined average of 128.0 rushing yards per game during Colletto’s six seasons was the third-highest in the NFL. Overall, Baltimore averaged over 4.0 yards per carry in five of Colletto’s six seasons as their offensive line coach. While in Baltimore, T Jonathan Ogden was selected to the Pro Bowl all six years.
Among Colletto’s 33 years of experience on the collegiate level are stints as head coach at Purdue (1991-96) and at Cal State Fullerton (1975-79). In his six years at Purdue, the Boilermakers rushed for at least 1,900 yards on five occasions and accounted for over 4,000 yards total offense in each of his final four years.
One of the Boilermakers’ standouts during Colletto’s tenure was Tampa Bay FB Mike Alstott, who is a six-time Pro Bowler. Alstott set school records in career rushing yards (3,635), single-season rushing yards (1,436 in 1995), career rushing touchdowns (39), career total touchdowns (42), career all-purpose yards (4,710) and is the only player in school history to rush for over 2,500 yards and register over 1,000 receiving yards.
Colletto has spent 17 seasons as an offensive coordinator, including his six as head coach at Purdue. In two years (1997-98) at Notre Dame, the Fighting Irish offense generated over 8,500 yards of total offense and appeared in two bowl games. He also served as offensive coordinator for three years (1988-90) at Ohio State (two bowls), three years (1985-87) at Arizona State (three bowls, including one Rose Bowl) and three years (1982-84) at Purdue (one bowl). During the 1984 season, he was on a Boilers staff that led the program to victories over Notre Dame, Michigan and Ohio State and became the only team in school history to defeat each of those rivals in the same season.
Additionally, Colletto also served stints as offensive line coach at UCLA (1967-68 and 1980-81), Brown (1969), Xavier of Ohio (1970-71) and Pacific (1972-74).
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01-06-2008, 07:50 AM
Lions Hire New Coordinator
