Charles Douglas Cecil (born November 8, 1964) is an
American football
American football, referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada and also known as gridiron football, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular American football field, field with goalposts at e ...
coach and former player in the
National Football League
The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...
(NFL). He is a senior defensive assistant for the
University of Arizona
The University of Arizona (Arizona, U of A, UArizona, or UA) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Tucson, Arizona, United States. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, it ...
, his alma mater. He previously served as a defensive assistant for the
Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. They play the ...
and
Los Angeles Rams
The Los Angeles Rams are a professional American football team based in the Greater Los Angeles, Greater Los Angeles area. The Rams compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West ...
. Cecil also spent two seasons (1999–2000) as a television analyst for University of Arizona football games. As a player, he was a
Pro Bowl
The National Football League All-Star Game (1939–1942), Pro Bowl (1951–2022), or Pro Bowl Games (since 2023) is an annual event held by the National Football League (NFL) featuring the league's All-star, star players.
The format has changed ...
safety
Safety is the state of being protected from harm or other danger. Safety can also refer to the control of recognized hazards in order to achieve an acceptable level of risk.
Meanings
The word 'safety' entered the English language in the 1 ...
.
Early life
Born in
Red Bluff, California
Red Bluff is a city in and the county seat of Tehama County, California, United States. Its population was 14,710 at the 2020 census, up from 14,076 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census.
It is located north of Sacramento, California ...
, Cecil grew up in
Hanford and
La Mesa; he graduated from
Helix High School in La Mesa, where he was a standout player on a defense which set a school record for fewest points allowed per game and won a state title.
[La Jolla Star Chamber Chuck Cecil bio](_blank)
LJStarChamber.com (accessed online February 12, 2009) and as a senior, Cecil was considered too small to be a collegiate star and thus was not offered a scholarship out of high school.
Playing career
College
Cecil attended the University of Arizona, where he
walked-on for the
Wildcats. He proved the recruiters wrong by eventually earning consensus
All-America and
Pacific-10 Conference Defensive Player of the Year honors after his nine-
interception
In Ball game, ball-playing Competitive sport, competitive team sports, an interception or pick is a move by a player involving a pass of the ball—whether by foot or hand, depending on the rules of the sport—in which the ball is intended for ...
senior season in
1987
Events January
* January 1 – Bolivia reintroduces the Boliviano currency.
* January 2 – Chadian–Libyan conflict – Battle of Fada: The Military of Chad, Chadian army destroys a Libyan armoured brigade.
* January 3 – Afghan leader ...
. He held the Pac-10 record for career interceptions, with 21 (
Lamont Thompson later broke the mark with 24), and set the Wildcats' school single-game record (and tied the Pac-10 record) with four interceptions against
Stanford in 1987.
In the
1986 rivalry
A rivalry is the state of two people or groups engaging in a lasting competitive relationship. Rivalry is the "against each other" spirit between two competing sides. The relationship itself may also be called "a rivalry", and each participant ...
game against fourth-ranked
Arizona State Cecil returned an interception 105 yards for a Wildcats victory in Tucson. This play has been voted the greatest play in Wildcat football history.
Cecil was inducted into the Wildcats' Sports Hall of Fame in 1993 and into the
College Football Hall of Fame
The College Football Hall of Fame is a hall of fame and interactive Tourist attraction, attraction devoted to college football, college American football. The National Football Foundation (NFF) founded the Hall in 1951 to immortalize the players ...
in 2009.
Professional
Selected by the
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They ar ...
in the fourth round of the
1988 NFL draft (89th overall), Cecil was known for his thunderous
tackling
Tackle may refer to:
* In football:
** Tackle (football move), a play in various forms of football
** Tackle (gridiron football position), a position in American football and Canadian football
** Dump tackle, a forceful move in rugby of picking up ...
and aggressive style during his time as a safety for the Packers (1988–1992), Cardinals (1993), and Oilers (1995). He earned a trip to the Pro Bowl and garnered
All-Madden status in 1992 when he recorded four interceptions and 102 tackles on the season. In 95 career games he totaled 400 tackles and 16 interceptions. During his years with the Packers, he earned the nickname "
Scud" Cecil due to his hit-or-miss approach to tackling opponents. He often left his feet and led with his helmet, and much like the infamous missiles launched during the
Gulf War
, combatant2 =
, commander1 =
, commander2 =
, strength1 = Over 950,000 soldiers3,113 tanks1,800 aircraft2,200 artillery systems
, page = https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-PEMD-96- ...
– would occasionally miss completely or arrive late.
Cecil is regarded as among the most vicious hitters in National Football League history. He was featured on the cover of ''
Sports Illustrated
''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with a circulation of over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellen ...
'' in 1993 (October 11 issue) with the question: "Is Chuck Cecil Too Vicious for the NFL?"
"Headlong and Headstrong"''Sports Illustrated'', October 11, 1993 (retrieved January 14, 2009)--> Many photos taken of Cecil during games showed him with a bloodied nose.
Recurring concussions forced him into retirement.
Coaching career
In 2001, Cecil accepted a
coaching position for the
Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. They play the ...
under
Jeff Fisher, for whom he had played in his final season (when the team was the Houston Oilers). Cecil served as a
defensive
Defense or defence may refer to:
Tactical, martial, and political acts or groups
* Defense (military), forces primarily intended for warfare
* Civil defense, the organizing of civilians to deal with emergencies or enemy attacks
* Defense indust ...
quality control assistant for three seasons. He was promoted in 2004, to work with the safeties and
nickel backs. His responsibilities expanded in 2007 to cover all of the
defensive backs.
On February 12, 2009, Cecil was named the Titans'
defensive coordinator
A defensive coordinator (DC) is a coach responsible for a gridiron football team's defense. Generally, the defensive coordinator, offensive coordinator and special teams coordinator represent the second level of a team's coaching structure, wit ...
, replacing the departed
Jim Schwartz, who had taken the position of head coach for the
Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. The team plays their home game ...
.
[Titans name Cecil Defensive Coordinator](_blank)
, Titans press release, February 12, 2009 (accessed online February 13, 2009)
On October 3, 2010, during a game against the
Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC West, West division. The team is headquartered in E ...
, Cecil gave NFL officials
the middle-finger gesture in an attempt to protest a neutral zone infraction call against one of his players. Live close-up video of Cecil was being aired at the time, and the gesture was broadcast without editing. For his inappropriate action, he was fined $40,000 by the league.
On January 20, 2011, it was announced that Cecil would not be retained as the Titans'
defensive coordinator
A defensive coordinator (DC) is a coach responsible for a gridiron football team's defense. Generally, the defensive coordinator, offensive coordinator and special teams coordinator represent the second level of a team's coaching structure, wit ...
. He was informed of this decision on January 18. The Titans ranked 26th in total yards allowed and 29th against the pass in the 2010 season.
On February 16, 2011, ESPN.com reported that Cecil would interview with the Pittsburgh Steelers to be their next secondary coach. He was to fill the void left by Ray Horton when he departed to become the defensive coordinator of the Arizona Cardinals. On February 13, 2012, he was hired as the St. Louis Rams defensive secondary coach.
Return to college
Cecil was hired as a special advisor on July 28, 2017, at his alma mater, the University of Arizona. Cecil became interim defensive coordinator for the first time on November 2, 2019, when Arizona parted ways with defensive coordinator Marcel Yates. On December 30, 2020, Cecil was to join
Jedd Fisch's coaching staff as safeties coach.
Personal life
Cecil is married to author, columnist and television producer,
Carrie Gerlach Cecil. They have one daughter, Charli.
References
External links
University of Arizona Athletics– Chuck Cecil
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cecil, Chuck
1964 births
Living people
All-American college football players
American football safeties
Arizona Cardinals players
Arizona Wildcats football players
Arizona Wildcats football coaches
College Football Hall of Fame inductees
Green Bay Packers players
Houston Oilers players
National Conference Pro Bowl players
NFL defensive coordinators
Players of American football from Nashville, Tennessee
People from Red Bluff, California
Sportspeople from Tehama County, California
Tennessee Titans coaches
Players of American football from San Diego County, California
St. Louis Rams coaches