Matt LaFleur, the new head coach for the Green Bay Packers, is married to wife BreAnne, is the father of two boys, and has a brother who is also involved in the National Football League. In fact, he comes from a family with long histories in coaching on both sides.
The Packers announced on January 8, 2019 that LaFleur, 39, would replace Mike McCarthy as the Packers’ head coach. He was signed to a four-year contract. LaFleur was the Titans offensive coordinator. He was offensive coordinator in Los Angeles and quarterbacks coach in Atlanta previously, according to NFL.com.
“I’m all about family. I love my family,” Matt LaFleur said, growing emotional, at his first press conference as Packers head coach. His wife, sons, and parents were in the audience. He called his wife “the true rock star in the family.”
Matt and BreAnne LaFleur
Here’s what you need to know about Matt LaFleur’s family:
1. LaFleur’s Wife BreAnne Sold Pharmaceuticals in Ohio
FacebookBreAnne LaFleur
Matt LaFleur’s wife is named BreAnne. According to The Tennessean, she once had a job selling pharmaceuticals in Ohio. In 2010, when Matt was hired by the Washington Redskins as a quarterback coach, his wife discussed all of the work it took to complete the move. She was in Houston, Texas, according to MLive.com.
Matt and BreAnne LaFleur
“There’s a lot of work to do,” she told MLive.com. “I have a career (as a pharmaceutical representative), where there aren’t a ton of jobs available. Hopefully I can find a position where I can transfer. Then we have to get a moving company… It’ll be one of the easier moves we’ve made since I won’t have to do everything.”
LaFleur’s wife is the former BreAnne Maak. He is a native of Mount Pleasant, Michigan who earned a 2003 bachelor’s degree in physical and health education from Saginaw Valley State and a 2011 master’s degree in science in administration from Central Michigan, reports Und.com.
Matt LaFleur, BreAnne, their children, and his parents
On Father’s day, BreAnne posted a photo collage that included Matt and his dad, Denny, writing, “Happy Father’s Day to the main men in my life!! I am beyond blessed because of the impact you have all made on me!! I can’t thank you enough for everything you do for me and my boys!!!”
2. Mike LaFleur Jokes that the Wall in the Family Home Resembles Meet the Fockers
Mike LaFleur with his wife, Lauren
Matt LaFleur also has a brother named Mike LaFleur who is accomplished in professional football. According to PackersWire, “His brother, Mike, is the wide receivers and passing game coordinator for the San Francisco 49ers.” That team is coached by Kyle Shanahan, referred to by PackersWire as “Matt’s old friend.” Mike LaFleur has been with San Francisco for two seasons.
The site reports it’s possible that Mike LaFleur could join Matt LaFleur in Green Bay because they’ve worked together before on the staff of the Atlanta Falcons. However, NBC Sports says it’s unlikely that Mike, 31, will join Matt, saying he seems happy where he is and is under contract.
Mike and Lauren LaFleur
According to the Tennessean, Mike LaFleur joked that their parents’ home family wall resembles Meet the Fockers because it’s filled with “family memorabilia and achievements.” Their mother, Kristi, recalled how they wrestled each other growing up. “It drove me crazy!” she told The Los Angeles Times. Matt LaFleur is the older brother of the pair. Today the brothers remain close, often talking on the phone, the Times reports.
Mike married Lauren L. Ball in 2010 in Mt. Pleasant, Michigan. Both the bride and groom were graduates of Mt. Pleasant High School, and Matt LaFleur was his brother’s best man.
3. LaFleur’s Father Was Also Involved in Coaching & Football
FacebookDenny and Kristi LaFleur with their sons.
According to The Tennessean, Matt LaFleur’s parents are named Kristi and Denny LaFleur. Denny played linebacker for Central Michigan, helping the team win a 1974 Division II national championship. Kristi was a cheerleader. MLive.com calls Matt LaFleur “the son of former CMU assistant coach Denny LaFleur.”
Denny LaFleur’s LinkedIn page says he was a teacher and coach in Mt. Pleasant, Michigan from 1998 to present. He has a bachelor’s of science degree from the University of Michigan.
Denny LaFleur
Denny LaFleur “was a Central Michigan assistant for more than two decades before coaching and teaching at Mt. Pleasant High, where Kristi also taught and coached track and cheerleading,” reports the L.A. Times. Denny “lives in Mount Pleasant with his wife of 30 years, Kristi. He is a physical education teacher at West Middle School,” a short bio for CMUChippewas.com read.
4. LaFleur’s Mother Is a Cheerleading & Athletics Coach
Kristi LaFleur with one of Matt LaFleur’s children.
Kristi LaFleur’s maiden name was Barringer and her dad, Bob Barringer, “coached football at Kalamazoo Loy Norrix in the 1960s and ‘70s,” The Tennessean reports. “My first date with Kristi,” Denny told the newspaper, “I was breaking down 16-millimeter game film with her dad.”
Kristi has worked as a competitive cheer coach, a teacher, and a softball and basketball coach. According to The Los Angeles Times, her two sons’ coaching careers have divided Kristi’s loyalties at times. “Kristi LaFleur couldn’t decide which son to represent when Rams offensive coordinator Matt LaFleur and San Francisco 49ers receivers coach Mike LaFleur meet in an NFC West matchup,” The Times reported in 2017.
Denny and Kristi LaFleur
She came up with a solution. She created T-shirts with a new name “The San Angeles Rammers,” according to The Times. The parents still live in Mt. Pleasant, which has only 30,000 people in it, The Times reports. The Times reports that Bob Barringer was a high school coach.
A lengthy biography of Bob Barringer, who died in 2010 in Kalamazoo, Michigan, says that he “coached several sports teams over the years, but his greatest passion was in coaching football. He served as the head football coach at Loy Norrix High School from 1964 through 1973. Bob loved working with the players not only teaching them the ins and outs of the game, but also promoting team unity. Later in life, Bob became a member of SAGES, a fraternity of football coaches.”
5. LaFleur & His Wife Have Two Children
Matt and BreAnne LaFleur’s children
Matt and BreAnne LaFleur are parents to two children named Luke and Ty.
A 2012 article for MLive.com said that, at that time, Luke was 17 months old and explained that LaFleur had to work during a Thanksgiving holiday but that BreAnne and Luke would “spend the holiday with family in Michigan, keeping an eye on the Redskins. LaFleur said he’ll get a chance to Skype with his family for a couple minutes before heading to the stadium.”
Matt LaFleur with his kids.
By 2014, they also had a newborn – Ty. Matt LaFleur’s Twitter page describes him as “Tennessee Titans, Offensive Coordinator; Awesome wife, great sons ???.”
Matt LaFleur’s rapid career rise is tied partly to close friendships he has in the NFL, including with Robert Saleh, San Francisco defensive coordinator. According to The Tennessean, Saleh was LaFleur’s best man at his wedding and LaFleur returned the favor when Saleh also married.
According to the Tennessean, “They met in 2004 as graduate assistants for Brian Kelly at Central Michigan University, in LaFleur’s hometown of Mount Pleasant.”
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Matt LaFleur Family & Children: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know