Coaches

Lovie Smith

His career from Wikipedia, each job checked against the team-season pages (✓ = a second source agrees, ≠ = they disagree)

Played at Tulsa · alma mater (CFBD): Tulsa

Source: Wikipedia, read 2026-10-26

Years	Team	Role	Title	Head coach
1980	Big Sandy HS (TX) (HS)	DC	Defensive coordinator	not known
1981-1982	Cascia Hall Prep (OK) (unknown)	Position	Assistant defensive backs coach & wide receivers coach	not known
1983-1986	Tulsa	Position	Linebackers coach	John Cooper (1983-1984)
1987	Wisconsin	Position	Linebackers coach	not known
1988-1991	Arizona State	Position	Linebackers coach	not known
1992	Kentucky	Position	Linebackers coach	not known
1993-1994	Tennessee	Position	Defensive backs coach	Phillip Fulmer
1995	Ohio State	Position	Defensive backs coach	John Cooper
1996-2000	Tampa Bay Buccaneers (pro)	Position	Linebackers coach	not known
2001-2003	St. Louis Rams (pro)	DC	Defensive coordinator	not known
2004-2012	Chicago Bears (pro)	Head coach	Head coach	himself
2014-2015	Tampa Bay Buccaneers (pro)	Head coach	Head coach	himself
2016-2020	Illinois	Head coach	Head coach✓	himself
2021	Houston Texans (pro)	DC	Associate head coach & defensive coordinator	not known
2022	Houston Texans (pro)	Head coach	Head coach	himself

Confirmed coordinator seasons since 2005. FBS rankings

Season	Team	Job	EPA/play	Points/poss.	Success	Year before	Teams

Season	Head coach at	Record	AP before → after	Off EPA/play	Def EPA/play	SP+	Team year before	Teams
2016	Illinois	3-9	- → -	115	63	-6.7	42% wins	128
2017	Illinois	2-10	- → -	126	82	-7.4	25% wins	130
2018	Illinois	4-8	- → -	74	126	-7.9	17% wins	130
2019	Illinois	6-7	- → -	104	36	0.6	33% wins	130
2020	Illinois	2-5 (7 of 8)	- → -	88	116	-5.4	46% wins	127

Coaches who were on his staffs

On his staffs · 6