For the first time ever, a former Ohio State player has been named the NFL’s Coach of the Year.
Mike Vrabel received that honor on Thursday night when he was named the AP NFL Coach of the Year at NFL Honors, the league’s end-of-season awards ceremony.
"My job is to teach, develop and make an impact." @CoachVrabel50
— Tennessee Titans (@Titans) February 11, 2022
: #NFLHonors | 8PM (CT) on ABC & @nflnetwork pic.twitter.com/idI4LZuNZI
Vrabel wins the award after his fourth season as the head coach of the Tennessee Titans, who earned the No. 1 seed in the AFC after going 12-5 in the regular season, though they lost to the Cincinnati Bengals in the divisional round of the NFL playoffs.
The award comes just two days after Vrabel signed a contract extension with the Titans. Through his first four seasons with the Titans, Vrabel has compiled a record of 43-27, good for the highest winning percentage in franchise history (61.4%).
Vrabel, who played for the Buckeyes from 1993-96 and still holds Ohio State’s school records for sacks (36) and tackles for loss (66), is one of just four former Ohio State players who has ever been an NFL head coach, along with Sid Gillman, Gary Moeller and Dick LeBeau. He served as an assistant coach for the Buckeyes from 2011-13 before beginning his NFL coaching career.
He was one of two people with Ohio State ties to win an award during Thursday night’s NFL Honors ceremony, as former Ohio State and LSU quarterback Joe Burrow was named the AP NFL Comeback Player of the Year.
