Rodney Henry Marinelli (born July 13, 1949) is a former
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. For 48 consecutive years, he had been a defensive coach for several college and professional teams, serving primarily as a defensive line coach when not assigned as coordinator. From 2006 until 2008, Marinelli was the head coach of the NFL's
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 ...
, where he presided over their infamous winless
2008 season.
Coaching career
Early career
Marinelli's coaching career began in 1973 as an assistant at
Rosemead High School in suburban Los Angeles from 1973 to 1975. He earned his first collegiate job in 1976, serving as an assistant to head coach
Bruce Snyder at
Utah State University
Utah State University (USU or Utah State) is a public university, public land grant colleges, land-grant research university with its main campus in Logan, Utah, United States. Founded in 1888 under the Morrill Land-Grant Acts as Utah's federal ...
until 1982. He then moved on to the
University of California
The University of California (UC) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university, research university system in the U.S. state of California. Headquartered in Oakland, California, Oakland, the system is co ...
for nine seasons, serving as the defensive line coach and, later, the assistant head coach. Marinelli was on staff with
Arizona State University
Arizona State University (Arizona State or ASU) is a public university, public research university in Tempe, Arizona, United States. Founded in 1885 as Territorial Normal School by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, the university is o ...
for three seasons, again holding a dual role as defensive line coach and assistant head coach, between 1992 and 1994. He spent his final year in college football at the
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in ...
in 1995.
National Football League
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Marinelli went to 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 ...
in 1996 and was the defensive line coach for six seasons under head coach
Tony Dungy. In the latter four seasons, he also served as assistant head coach, winning a
Super Bowl
The Super Bowl is the annual History of the NFL championship, league championship game of the National Football League (NFL) of the United States. It has served as the final game of every NFL season since 1966 NFL season, 1966 (with the excep ...
in 2002. He was known for his structured approach and his commitment for trying to get the most out of his players. Marinelli worked to develop linemen, such as
Warren Sapp and
Simeon Rice, into Hall of Fame caliber players. During Marinelli's tenure in Tampa Bay, the Buccaneers recorded more sacks than any other franchise.
Detroit Lions
On January 18, 2006, Marinelli was named the head coach of 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 ...
, replacing interim head coach
Dick Jauron
Richard Manual Jauron (; October 7, 1950February 8, 2025) was an American professional football player and coach in the National Football League (NFL). He played eight seasons in the NFL as a safety, five with the Detroit Lions and three with t ...
. Marinelli was the third head coach hired (within five seasons) by Lions CEO
Matt Millen
Matthew George Millen (born March 12, 1958) is an American former professional football player and executive in the National Football League (NFL). Millen played as a linebacker for 12 years for the Oakland and Los Angeles Raiders, San Franci ...
, preceded by
Marty Mornhinweg and
Steve Mariucci
Stephen Ray Mariucci (born November 4, 1955), nicknamed "Mooch", is an American sportscaster and former football coach who was the head coach of two National Football League (NFL) teams, the San Francisco 49ers ( 1997– 2002) and the Detroit L ...
.
The Marinelli era began poorly, as the Lions lost the first five games of the 2006 season before edging the
Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo–Niagara Falls metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East div ...
20–17. The Lions lost seven games in a row between Weeks 10 and 16, before ending the year on a high note by defeating the
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. T ...
39–31.
The 2007 season started off well for the Lions as they started 6–2. However, the Lions lost seven out of their last eight games, finishing third in the NFC North with a 7–9 record for the season.
Despite a perfect 4–0 preseason and being declared Preseason Champs, Marinelli coached the 2008 Lions to a winless 0–16 campaign, the first winless season for any NFL team since the 16-game regular season was instituted in 1978.
On December 29, 2008, Marinelli was fired, in addition to the majority of his coaching staff. The combined record during his three seasons with the Lions was 10–38, one of the worst in NFL history for a head coach with at least three years' experience. Among coaches with at least 10 career wins, only
Bert Bell
De Benneville "Bert" Bell (February 25, 1895 – October 11, 1959) was an American professional football executive and coach. He was the fifth chief executive and second commissioner of the National Football League (NFL) from 1946 until his deat ...
(coaching his own
Eagles
Eagle is the common name for the golden eagle, bald eagle, and other birds of prey in the family of the Accipitridae. Eagles belong to several groups of Genus, genera, some of which are closely related. True eagles comprise the genus ''Aquila ( ...
as an austerity measure) had a worse record (10–46–2);
Steve Spagnuolo tied Marinelli's 10–38 record after spending three seasons with the
St. Louis Rams
The St. Louis Rams were a professional American football team of the National Football League (NFL). They played in St. Louis, Missouri, from 1995 through the 2015 season, before moving back to Los Angeles, California, where the team had played ...
from 2009 to 2011.
Chicago Bears
Marinelli joined 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 ...
in January 2009 as assistant head coach and defensive line coach,
reuniting him with
Lovie Smith, whom he worked with under head coach Tony Dungy in
Tampa Bay
Tampa Bay is a large natural harbor and shallow estuary connected to the Gulf of Mexico on the west-central coast of Florida, comprising Hillsborough Bay, McKay Bay, Old Tampa Bay, Middle Tampa Bay, and Lower Tampa Bay. The largest freshwater i ...
from 1996 to 2000.
Marinelli also interviewed with the
Houston Texans
The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston. The Texans compete in the National Football League as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. The team plays its home games at N ...
and
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 ...
before joining the Bears. He was promoted from defensive line coach to defensive coordinator in February 2010. In the 2010–2012 seasons, Marinelli's defenses ranked ninth, seventeenth, and fifth, respectively, in the league. In 2012, the Bears led the NFL in interceptions (24), as well as in takeaways (44). They were also sixth in third-down efficiency (35.5 percent) and eighth in sacks (41), while ranking third with the fewest points allowed (477). Marinelli left the Bears in January 2013.
Dallas Cowboys
On January 18, 2013, Marinelli joined the
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. T ...
as the defensive line coach. He was promoted to defensive coordinator after the demotion of
Monte Kiffin
Monte George Kiffin (February 29, 1940 – July 11, 2024) was an American football coach. He is widely considered to have been one of the preeminent defensive coordinators in modern football, as well as one of the greatest defensive coordinators ...
on January 28, 2014.
The Cowboys posted a 12–4 record in Marinelli's first season as defensive coordinator, with his defense ranking 14th in the league.
On January 13, 2015, Marinelli signed a 3-year extension with the Cowboys to remain the defensive coordinator.
Las Vegas Raiders
On February 5, 2020, Marinelli was named the defensive line coach for the newly relocated
Las Vegas Raiders
The Las Vegas Raiders are a professional American football team based in the Las Vegas Valley, Las Vegas metropolitan area. The Raiders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC West ...
. On December 13, Marinelli was promoted to interim defensive coordinator, following the firing of
Paul Guenther.
On February 11, 2022, Marinelli announced that he would be retiring from coaching.
Head coaching record
Personal life
Marinelli and his wife, Barbara, have two daughters, Chris and Gina.
Chris is married to
Joe Barry, 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 ...
' former defensive coordinator.
Marinelli is a veteran of the
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...
. He was wounded in Vietnam and contracted malaria.
References
External links
Las Vegas Raiders bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Marinelli, Rod
1949 births
Living people
American people of Italian descent
Arizona State Sun Devils football coaches
California Golden Bears football coaches
Cal Lutheran Kingsmen football players
Chicago Bears coaches
Dallas Cowboys coaches
Detroit Lions head coaches
High school football coaches in California
Las Vegas Raiders coaches
NFL defensive coordinators
Sportspeople from Los Angeles County, California
Tampa Bay Buccaneers coaches
USC Trojans football coaches
Utah State Aggies football coaches