Darrell Wayne Bevell (born January 6, 1970) 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 who is the passing game coordinator and quarterbacks coach for the

Miami Dolphins The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. The Dolphins compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The team ...

of 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 previously served as offensive coordinator for the

Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. The Vikings compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. Founded in 1960 as ...

from 2006 to 2010, the

Seattle Seahawks The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle. The Seahawks compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West division. The club entered the NFL a ...

from 2011 to 2017, 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 ...

in 2019 and for the first 11 games of the 2020 season before being named the interim head coach for the remainder of the Lions season, and the

Jacksonville Jaguars The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida. The Jaguars compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. The team ...

in 2021. Bevell played

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

for the

University of Wisconsin A university () is an institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly means "community of teachers and scholars". Uni ...

, where he was a four-year starting

quarterback The quarterback (QB) is a position in gridiron football who are members of the offensive side of the ball and mostly line up directly behind the Lineman (football), offensive line. In modern American football, the quarterback is usually consider ...

Playing career

After playing at Chaparral High School in

Scottsdale, Arizona Scottsdale is a city in eastern Maricopa County, Arizona, United States, and is part of the Phoenix metropolitan area. Named Scottsdale in 1894 after its founder Winfield Scott (chaplain), Winfield Scott, a retired Chaplain Corps (United States ...

, Bevell

redshirted Redshirt, in United States college athletics, is a delay or suspension of an athlete's participation in order to lengthen their period of eligibility. Typically, a student's athletic eligibility in a given sport is four seasons, aligning with the ...

as a freshman quarterback at

Northern Arizona University Northern Arizona University (NAU) is a public research university based in Flagstaff, Arizona, United States. Founded in 1899, it was the third and final university established in the Arizona Territory. It is one of the three universities gove ...

. At the time,

Brad Childress Brad Childress (born June 27, 1956) is a former American football coach. He worked for over 40 years as a coach for various college programs and National Football League (NFL) franchises. He was the offensive coordinator for Wisconsin from 1994 ...

was NAU's offensive coordinator. Bevell then embarked on a two-year

Latter-day Saint The Latter Day Saint movement (also called the LDS movement, LDS restorationist movement, or Smith–Rigdon movement) is the collection of independent church groups that trace their origins to a Christian Restorationist movement founded b ...

mission Mission (from Latin 'the act of sending out'), Missions or The Mission may refer to: Geography Australia *Mission River (Queensland) Canada *Mission, British Columbia, a district municipality * Mission, Calgary, Alberta, a neighbourhood * ...

Cleveland, Ohio Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County, Ohio, Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–United States border, Canada–U.S. maritime border ...

. When he returned from his missionary service, Childress had joined the staff of

Barry Alvarez Barry Lee Alvarez (born December 30, 1946) is an American former college football coach and athletic director at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. He served as the head football coach at Wisconsin for 16 seasons, from 1990 to 2005, compili ...

at Wisconsin. Bevell was offered scholarships from NAU and

Utah Utah is a landlocked state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is one of the Four Corners states, sharing a border with Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico. It also borders Wyoming to the northea ...

, but he decided to join Childress at Wisconsin. Bevell guided the 1993 Wisconsin Badgers football team to a winning season culminating in a Rose Bowl victory over UCLA. That win represented the Badgers first Rose Bowl appearance since 1963 and first ever Rose Bowl win. In that game, Bevell had a 4th quarter scramble for 21 yards for a touchdown that sealed the Badger victory. They defeated the

Duke Blue Devils The Duke Blue Devils are the college athletics in the United States, intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Duke University, located in Durham, North Carolina. Duke's athletics department features 27 varsity teams that all compete at the N ...

34–20 in the 1995 Hall of Fame Bowl, giving Wisconsin back-to-back bowl wins for the first time ever. Bevell finished his college career with 19 school records, including most passing yards in a single game (423) and in a career (7,686).

Coaching career

College

After going undrafted in the

1996 NFL draft The 1996 NFL draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The NFL draft, draft was held April 20–21, 1996 NFL seas ...

, Bevell began a career in coaching, including stints at Westmar University ( Le Mars, IA),

Iowa State University Iowa State University of Science and Technology (Iowa State University, Iowa State, or ISU) is a Public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in Ames, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1858 as the Iowa Agricult ...

, and the

University of Connecticut The University of Connecticut (UConn) is a public land-grant research university system with its main campus in Storrs, Connecticut, United States. It was founded in 1881 as the Storrs Agricultural School, named after two benefactors. In 1893, ...

National Football League

Seattle Seahawks

In 2013, the Seahawks finished the season with a 13–3 record and eventually defeated 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 ...

by a score of 43–8 in

Super Bowl XLVIII Super Bowl XLVIII was an American football game between the American Football Conference (AFC) champion 2013 Denver Broncos season, Denver Broncos and National Football Conference (NFC) champion 2013 Seattle Seahawks season, Seattle Seahawks to ...

. Bevell's rushing offense was 4th in the league with 2,188 yards and averaged 136.8 yards per game. Overall in total offense, Bevell's team finished 18th in the league, producing 339.0 yards per game. In

2014 The year 2014 was marked by the surge of the Western African Ebola epidemic, West African Ebola epidemic, which began in 2013, becoming the List of Ebola outbreaks, most widespread outbreak of the Ebola, Ebola virus in human history, resul ...

, the Seahawks finished the season at 12–4 and attempted to repeat as Super Bowl champions. They came short in

Super Bowl XLIX Super Bowl XLIX was an American football game played to determine the champion of the National Football League (NFL) for the 2014 NFL season, 2014 season. The American Football Conference (AFC) champion 2014 New England Patriots season, New Eng ...

, which they lost to the

New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. The Patriots compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The Pa ...

after passing on 2nd and goal from the 1-yard line with 26 seconds left. Trailing 28–24,

Russell Wilson Russell Carrington Wilson (born November 29, 1988) is an American professional American football, football quarterback for the New York Giants of the National Football League (NFL). He has primarily played for the Seattle Seahawks. With the Sea ...

targeted wide receiver Ricardo Lockette, but New England's Malcolm Butler made a game-saving

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 ...

with 20 seconds left on the clock. The play call was widely criticized. "I can't believe the call," NBC color commentator

Cris Collinsworth Anthony Cris Collinsworth (born January 27, 1959) is an American former professional football player and sports broadcaster who was a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL) for eight seasons (1981–1988) with the Cincinnati Bengal ...

said after the play was run. "You have

Marshawn Lynch Marshawn Terrell Lynch (born April 22, 1986) is an American actor and former professional American football, football player who was a running back for 12 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). Nicknamed "Beast Mode", he spent the majori ...

. You have a guy who's been borderline unstoppable. ... If I lose this Super Bowl because Marshawn Lynch can't get into the end zone, so be it. So be it. I can't believe the call". ''

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 ...

'' writer Peter King called the play one of the worst calls in Super Bowl history, and so did retired NFL hall of famer

Deion Sanders Deion Luwynn Sanders Sr. (born August 9, 1967) is an American American football, football coach with the Colorado Buffaloes football, Colorado Buffaloes. Sanders is also a former professional football and baseball player, having played in the N ...

. Retired running back

Emmitt Smith Emmitt James Smith III (born May 15, 1969) is an American former professional football running back who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 15 seasons, 13 as a member of the Dallas Cowboys and 2 seasons with the Arizona Cardinals ...

, the NFL's all-time leading rusher, went even further, calling it the worst play call in the history of football. Bevell acknowledged making the call, but also remarked that Lockette could have been more aggressive on the play. Wilson said the play was a "good call", and lamented throwing the interception and "not making that play." Head coach

Pete Carroll Peter Clay Carroll (born September 15, 1951) is an American professional American football, football coach who is the head coach for the Las Vegas Raiders of the National Football League (NFL). He previously served as head coach for the NCAA's ...

, though, said the last play was "all my fault", and called Bevell "crucially important to our future." Carroll added that Seattle would have run the ball on a subsequent play. "We don't ever call a play thinking we might throw an interception." Bevell was dismissed from the Seahawks in January 2018.

Detroit Lions

On January 16, 2019, Bevell was hired by the

to be their offensive coordinator, replacing Jim Bob Cooter. On November 28, 2020, Bevell assumed the title of interim head coach following the firing of head coach Matt Patricia. On December 6, 2020, Bevell won his head coaching debut against the

Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They are one of two remaining ...

by a score of 34–30. He missed the team's week 16 game against the

Tampa Bay Buccaneers The Tampa Bay Buccaneers (colloquially known as the Bucs) are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC S ...

due to

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

protocols.

Jacksonville Jaguars

On January 21, 2021, Bevell was hired by the

as their offensive coordinator under head coach

Urban Meyer Urban Frank Meyer III (born July 10, 1964) is an American Sports commentator, sportscaster and former college football coach. He spent most of his coaching career at the collegiate level, having served as the head coach of the Bowling Green F ...

. For the second consecutive season, Bevell was named interim head coach after the Jaguars fired Meyer following a 2–11 start to the season.

Miami Dolphins

On February 16, 2022, Bevell was hired by the

to serve as the team's quarterbacks coach and passing game coordinator for the 2022 season.

Head coaching record

* ''Interim head coach''

References

External links

Miami Dolphins profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bevell, Darrell 1970 births Living people American football quarterbacks UConn Huskies football coaches Detroit Lions coaches Green Bay Packers coaches Iowa State Cyclones football coaches Minnesota Vikings coaches Seattle Seahawks coaches Jacksonville Jaguars coaches Wisconsin Badgers football players NFL offensive coordinators Northern Arizona Lumberjacks football players Players of American football from Arizona Sportspeople from Yuma, Arizona Miami Dolphins coaches Detroit Lions head coaches Jacksonville Jaguars head coaches Coaches of American football from Arizona Westmar Eagles football coaches